Reply #69: In a perfect world, with perfect justice, I would be in favor of it

[MadHound]

However we all know that our justice system is far from perfect. One only has to look at the number of prisoners released from death row in order to see that(never mind the much larger number released for being falsely convicted of lesser crimes).

In addition, this could be used to punish people who are labeled as sex offenders for such offenses as peeing in public, or being an eighteen year old having consensual sex with a sixteen year old. I can easily envision how such registeries can be used against gays and lesbians(since there are still some states that have laws against sodomy, etc.)

Also, I can see such registeries becoming a slippery slope, much like the drug forfiture laws have. Twenty years ago laws started being enacted that enabled the state to(unconstitutionally IMO) seize the property of people convicted of drug crimes, even minor possession cases. Now we are starting to see the creep of forfiture into other area besides drugs crimes. I can easily see us sliding down that slope vis-a-vis registeries so that in time, thieves, dope smokers, and those convicted of bad checks would be put on a registery. Once there is precedence in this country, it is awfully hard to reverse.

So yes, in theory, I support registeries. But in the real world application, no, it is opening up a can of worm s we shouldn't go into.