You Can Serve Time But You Can't Hide: Community Notification Laws for Sexual Predators

Ohio, like most other states, has laws that require some sexual offenders to register their residence with the state and those names and addresses are required to be announced to the community.  In Ohio, only the category of "Sexual Predators" and "Tier 3" Sex offenders are subject to community notification.   Any offender in that category, however, is subject to reported to the community.  The Sheriff's Department notifies by mail all residents who live with a 1,000 feet of the registered address.  The registration and notification of criminals is not the norm -- but is it justified in the case of the sex offender?  After all, these criminals have already served time in prison in many cases.  Is there something special about their crime?  Or does this provision unfairly burden these former felons?

Victim's Rights

Last November the voters of Ohio passed a constitutional amendment to the Ohio Constitution, popularly called Marsy's Law, to incorporate victim's right.  Some of the proposed rights include notice of all public proceedings involving the offense and to be heard in any public proceeding involving release, plea, sentencing, disposition or parole. In addition, the victim may refuse some discovery requests made by the accused and have full and timely restitution from the offender.  Finally, the proposed amendment explicitly provides that the victims can  these claim these rights in court and, if denied, file an appeal. But are these rights justified?  Do victims of crimes have rights from the criminal justice system -- or are these right only available in a civil suit?  Do any theories of punishment allow such rights -- or do some imply they are untenable?   Are any of these rights justified -- or any unjustified? How did the voters of Ohio do?

A Life for a Life?

Popular support for the death penalty is in decline in the U.S. According to a Pew Research poll conducted last year, support is now below 50% and the lowest in 45 years.  Furthermore, 19 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment.  Yet, Ohio and several other states still execute prisoners: in fact, Ohio has six scheduled executions for this year.  Is Ohio justified in killing these prisoners?  Is the death penalty justified under any theory of punishment?  Under what circumstances?  Should we keep or abolish the death penalty?