SEX OFFENDER LIST DISCRIMINATES

I don't question that we need to protect our children, but sex
offenders are not the only ones our children and families need
protection from. How about registries for drug dealers, murderers,
burglars, gun owners, etc?

I think the residency restrictions placed on sex offenders should also
pertain to drug dealers, since they most often prey on children. And
how many children have died because they had access to a parent's gun?

Targeting one class of people, as we have done with the sex offender,
is discriminatory. If we are going to have registries for the safety
of society, then we need to be complete in our efforts. To limit
ourselves to only sex offenders is unfair.

With the new laws, our lawmakers seem to be stepping on the toes of
our Constitution, and no one cares unless it affects them. Wisconsin
Chapter 980, covering sexually violent person commitments, is a civil
commitment of a sex offender for a crime he or she hasn't committed
yet, but may. The courts see it as treatment, not punishment.

Upon release from prison, drug dealers may be more likely to sell
drugs again than sex offenders are to commit another sex offense. I
think our society needs to be enlightened with the truth, not lies and
exaggerations to keep the hysteria alive.

Leslie Taugher, Madison