Opinion

Ohio proposal goes too far

Sex offenders, particularly those whose victims are children, are bad people. They should be punished with the stiffest penalties allowable under the law.

However, a proposed bill in Ohio goes too far.

This bill would require convicted violent sex offenders and child predators to put fluorescent green license plates on their cars.

Doing this would only provide a false sense of security to people. It would be incredibly easy for these sex offenders to drive a different car, or ride with someone else who doesn’t have the fluorescent green plates.

It also punishes members of the sex offender’s family. If these family members happen to drive that particular car, they may be mistaken, by the public, as being a sex offender, when in fact, it was a member of their family who was the offender.Many states and communities already have laws, which place sex offenders onto statewide lists and require them to notify the state anytime they plan to move anywhere. A few communities have limited where sex offenders can live, such as more than 2,000 feet from schools and public parks.

Some of these states/communities inform people in the neighborhoods to which these people move in order to make them aware of the presence of a sex offender in their immediate area.

People also have to realize that these men and women have already served their time and should be allowed to resume a relatively normal lifestyle.

We are not defending sex offenders by any stretch of the imagination.

Something clearly should be done to prevent sex offenders from harming children and others.

Ideas abound as to what should be done.

Perhaps prison sentences for these crimes should be increased. Once the sex offenders are released from prison, if they either offend again or fail to register with the state as to where they live, they should be sent to prison for life, without the possibility of parole.

This is just one of many ways that sex offenders could be dealt with.

However, forcing them to place fluorescent green license plates on their cars goes too far and gives the public a false sense of security.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial