SEX OFFENDERS AND THEIR WIVES

GPS monitoring for sex offenders

2011-02-23T13:21:00.000-05:00

Proposed DPSCS Regulations not the "Silver Bullet" State Legislature hopes they will be.

Convinced that GPS monitoring is the answer to the sex offender problem, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is proposing implementation of new regulations to the Maryland General Assembly to control sexual offenders by GPS and other measures.Currently, 23 states use GPS to monitor some sex offenders while they're on parole. The devices, outfitted on an ankle bracelet, are typically placed on offenders considered at high risk of striking again. However, the use of GPS monitoring -- embraced as a simple technological solution for tracking the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders -- is proving to be something less than a silver bullet for state and local public safety agencies.Advocates behind the DPSCS proposed regulations, moreover, make no distinction between habitual offenders at high risk of striking again, worth having their every move tracked electronically once they're out of prison, and the felons who have served their time and present no apparent threat to public safety in the eyes of the court. Just put a GPS device on all of them, DPSCS and certain state legislatures say, forever.A simple solution if one ignores that there are an estimated 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. Without a doubt, the proposed DPSCS regulations are symptomatic of a national tide of fear about sexual predators lurking in the bushes by the playground, at the mall, just on the other side of the elementary school fence, and skulking about on MySpace. The reality is the vast majority of registrants are not predatory, and don't pose danger to strangers, which is the only common sense reason GPS would be useful.

Understanding GPS Limitations

In an ideal environment GPS can be very accurate, but in difficult topography or in bad weather, tracking errors and signal loss can disrupt accuracy and consistency. Maryland's legislature needs to be better and more fully informed so there's not a rush to use GPS simply because they think it's like "LoJack." Indeed, GPS limitations must be understood, and it must be used correctly to be of any benefit. Satellite technology is not effective and the influence of adverse weather and other interferences with the system pose problems -- particularly with cell tower issues -- where there are certain points the GPS signal can bounce off cell phone towers and points it cannot. And this last can occur whenever an offender ventures out of the satellites' range by entering dense urban locations or indoor places like a large mall, building, stadium, or even outdoors in a canyon-like environment, like Baltimore. Simply put, you can walk into a building and you lose satellite reception. All of us have experienced this at one time or another with our own cell phones. This, of course, then results in a false alarm -- which can number in the thousands in some jurisdictions, straining manpower and casting doubt on the viability of GPS as a tracking tool for high-profile felons. Nor is this last point without merit. A 2007 legislative study in Arizona found more than 35,000 false alerts by 140 subjects wearing the GPS-monitoring devices. Conversely, in Washington state, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs opposed legislation in 2006 to expand the use of GPS based on their experiences with faulty readings when offenders moved inside steel buildings, tunnels or outside when it was snowing. Then there's the question of how already-taxed law enforcement will be deployed to monitor all this data on hundreds of people who aren't even on parole. While the proposed DPSCS regulations require the offender to pay for the actual system -- it fails to address the costs incurred by law enforcement response. These false alarm costs would run in the tens of millions in as little as 10 years and pose an even greater deficit to the state budget.

Understanding the Crime

As a society we need to become less hysterical and more informed about sexual offenses and sexual abuse. When we demonize the offenders, we're pretty much feeding the crime. We further isolate and alienate the offenders, which can serve as a precipitating factor in some offenders' impulses to act out. We further compound this by grouping or lumping all sexual offenders together in the state registry without distinction of crime. We're so focused on the minority of offenders who seem to fit our skewed perceptions of what sexual abuse and sexual abusers should be, we fail to recognize that the crime actually occurs closer to home.

Crimes committed by sexual predators are a serious problem -- and this article doesn't mean to underplay this fact when case after case shows children are ther victims of most sex crimes. Two-thirds of the victims of sex crimes are under age 18, and 58 percent of those underage victims were under age 12, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics. Yet the majority of those victims aren't preyed on by strangers but know their attacker. Indeed, most sexual crimes committed against children happen closer to home and involve somebody whom the victim knows and trusts, like a family member or a neighbor. In 90 percent of the cases, child victims knew their attacker. And almost half the time that person was a family member. The vast majority of offenders abuse kids whom they know and either have close relationships with the children or the children's families.But the incessant emphasis on the boogeyman, the sexual predator in the schoolyard or on the Internet, can be counterproductive, as resources to fight sexual crimes, and public perception of them, are misplaced. GPS devices only serve to fuel the hysteria that all registrants are predators. Would not the funds DPSCS wishes to spend monitoring felony sex offenders not be put to better use by law enforcement in proactive programs for offenders that aim to prevent recidivism as opposed to programs which are purely reactive once the crime has been committed?

Understanding the Deterrent Effect

The obvious question therefore is: Will wearing a GPS device make a sex offender less likely to strike again? The research is spotty, simply because no one has been wearing the devices for the decades that the new DPSCS regulations propose. However, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics, and contrary to popular belief, sex offenders are significantly less likely than other criminals to be rearrested. Despite this, DPSCS has decided: Why should 24-hour electronic monitoring end with parole? Even after offenders have legally paid their debt to society, DPSCS still wants to track their every move, regardless of their risk for recidivism.

The most that can be said about GPS monitoring in this context, then, is it's viewed as a panacea by its advocates and will prevent future crime. It isn't and it won't simply because common sense dictates the most GPS monitoring can do is tell where an offender is or has been -- but not what they were doing or whom they were with. Thus, it will have little or no impact on preventing crimes and serve only to promote a false sense of security within the community.In sum, the proposed DPSCS regulations are yet another example of feel-good legislation to get communities to feel that actual action is being taken by the state to stem the problem. GPS monitoring and residency requirements are not going to do anything with the vast majority of offenders. The simple truth of the matter is: A person intent on committing any type of crime will do so regardless of the consequences.

Understanding the Constitutional Implications

As Maryland rushes to impose harsher penalties on sex criminals, critics -- legal and criminal analysts, and even some victims of sex crimes themselves -- state that the punitive new regulations and laws violate civil liberties and are ineffective. And while a technological fix like fastening GPS devices to former felons may make the public feel safer, it will do little to protect the children who are the victims of most sex crimes. Beyond a doubt, if the Maryland General Assembly should decide to impose the device on all felony sex offenders -- whose crimes were committed before the proposition passed -- it would run into serious constitutional problems.

As a threshold point, the ex post facto clause in both the U.S. and state constitutions means that the government cannot impose a greater punishment for a crime than was allowed when that crime was committed. Thus said, the state cannot pass a law which increases the punishment for past acts. And this last holds particularly true when applied to Tier III offenders -- where it is tantamount to giving them a life sentence. Secondly, offenders may also be able to argue that being constantly monitored on GPS also violates their Fourth Amendment right, not to be subject to unreasonable search and seizure. Slapping a GPS bracelet on someone who is not on probation or parole could be considered seizure. The government simply has no authority to take somebody off the street, who has already paid his debt to society, served his time, and force him to wear a tracking bracelet. Aside from the 4th Amendment implications of this regulation, its passage by the General Assembly would raise a number of questions about the applicability of existing laws and judicial precedent to uses of new technology, particularly those that involve geo-location information. A state law that prolonged monitoring of user movements could constitute a search and, if performed by a government entity, therefore fall under the provisions of the 4th Amendment, especially where being forced to wear the device while in the privacy of one's home could also be considered a search - and in numerous cases violating both the offender and spouse's privacy.Likewise, the proposed DPSCS regulation requiring 21 days advance written notice, with documentation, any time an offender leaves the state and to show up in person 3 business days before departure to confirm travel plans runs afoul of the Constitution's Commerce Clause by interfering with offenders engaged in interstate commerce activities. And, it need not be pointed out, such violations would serve to further implicate First Amendment as well. In sum, the proposed draconian DPSCS regulations will raise some very important issues about what the state may do to an essentially free person.

By Michael & Sandra Kennedy

House Bill 594 GPS Monitoring for Sex Offenders in the State of Maryland

2011-02-19T12:50:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone! I know I haven't written for a long time but you knew I would once I had another fight on my hands. I sent the letter below to Norm Conway State rep of Maryland and Mike Lewis, sheriff of Wicomico County. You may copy and paste my letter to use if you decide to write to your representative to let them know that you do not approve of their supporting this bill. It is a major fight for us all. I am asking everyone to get involved. If anyone out there has had any experience with the GPS monitoring, please write and let me know. I need all the ammo I can get. As always, if I use your story, I will keep you anonymous. Thanks all. God Bless and hope all is well with you.

I am writing to ask you not to support the GPS program for Sex offenders. I have done much research and found that the states that are using it, are not calling it a success. In Arizona, during the first year of using the GPS program, 140 sex offenders wore the GPS monitor. In that 1st year, there were 35000 false alarms from those GPS monitors. Of course, law enforcement did not know that they were false until they had had take the time to investigate them. That was an extra 35000 calls that the sheriff department had to go investigate. In Texas, a child sex offender testified against the use of the GPS program stating that while he was wearing the monitor, a child came to his home (though not in his case, it could have been a girl scout selling cookies). Law enforcement was unaware that the offender had a child in his home since the alarm does not go off if a child is near. In several other states using the GPS program, the courts have several law suits where the families of sex offenders are suing due to their violation of privacy. The GPS program uses cell phone towers for their location. As you are much aware, many areas around Salisbury are dead zones. Since the use the cell towers, many environmental factors would interfere: heavy wind, rain, snow; tall ,dense trees, low lying areas, buildings that houses machinery or steel; etc. THE GPS MONITORING SYSTEM WOULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THE SARAH FOXWELL TRAGEDY. For one, Leggs was a Tier II and would not have been wearing one. He could have removed it or simply stayed in the dead zones. The GPS monitors are being placed on Tier III. Studies have shown that Tier III, the offenders who have spent the longest time in prison, also have the lowest recidivism rate. A few of the Tier III have had convictions greater than 20 years and have never done another crime of any kind. Studies also show that the longest the time between the original conviction and without any further criminal actions, have the lowest recidivism rates. Do you really want all these additional problems for Maryland? I think not. I can guarantee that there would be several of those law suits in the courts for evasion and violation of privacy. I am sure there will be more than several, since when one is filed...others will decide to do the same. Do you really want the MD courts to be swamped with cases from the family and friends? Do you really want law enforcement to have to go out on 35000 extra calls to investigate the GPS alarms? How can you justify the raising of taxes for a program that has been proved a failure by many other states? How would you be able to look another mother or father in the face and tell them that "No, the GPS monitor hasn't given us any useful information as to where your child is." Please do not make this a law that is passed just because it is another one of those "feel good" laws and will gain you more votes during the next election. I see it back firing when the program fails and you loose those votes. Or when several of officers are on a possible false alarm call and they didn't make it on another call to save someones life who was in real danger.

Thank you for listening. I hope all of you decide not to support the GPS program.

My life: Update of Us

2010-12-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone for their comments. I know I have been neglecting my blog but things have gone from bad to worse. Between my back injury and the new Sex offender laws, I have been so depressed, I have not felt like writing. My husband still has the same Ass hole for a PO and he has gotten more retalitory. Always calling the Sheriff's office in an attempt to get them to arrest Michael. I was harassed my a MD state trooper. Now, my husband's parole hearing will be coming up in Jan. 2011. I have no hope that they will take Michael off supervised parole although between the 20 years he spent in prison and the 10 years of supervised parole equals his initial mandatory sentence of 30 years. (You only get credit for "street time" if you are arrested and facing more prison time. WTF?) My husband has been working as a CDL driver for this one company for the past 3 years. Now, they are closing that facility as of Feb. 1, 2011. These days there are NO JOBS. And with the new RSO laws, plus his PO changing the conditions of his parole every time the mood stikes.....He will be unable to get another job. I work 10 hours a week due to my back injury. (Thanks to worker's comp, I have suffered a $50,000/yr loss of income)

So that's my story update. Please continue reading and writing to me. We all need to feel some kind of support.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I will try to write more regulary in the future!

Sex Offender Laws: helping or contributing?

2010-01-04T17:56:00.003-05:00

I am sure most of you have read or heard of the 11 year old girl in Salisbury who was abducted by a child sex offender who had been dating her aunt. At this time, he is only charged with kidnapping, but little Sarah was murdered and her body dumped in the woods. During the search for Sarah, which started Wed. 12/23, 2 state police stopped by my house and 230 a.m. Thursday morning. They were questioning all sex offenders in the area. Sarah was an 11 year old. Why in the world would the state police spend precious minutes to question someone who was not a CHILD sex offender, someone whose conviction was over 30 years old, someone who has never re-offended nor even violated any aspect of his parole? They only had the Wicomico County Sex Registry in their hand. Unfortunately, the Wicomico County registry does not seperate the child sex offenders from those who are not. Since Sarah's abduction and murder, many citizens are demanding another sex offender law be put in place "Sarah's Law". Why in the world would we want another sex offender law when there are too many now? First, the sex offender registry needs to be cleaned up. They need to take off all the Romeos, all those that peed in public, or "streaked". They also need to remove those whose convictions are greater than 15 years old providing that offender has not re-offender nor has not violated conditions of his parole. With 174 sex offenders on the Wicomico County Sex offender registry, there are not enough law enforcement nor enough money in the budget to properly identify nor monitor those who are at a high risk of re-offending. If they can not properly manage the registry...how can we expect them to enforce all those sex offender laws. Add to the responsibility of monitoring 174 sex offenders, add to that the increased crime, increased gang actvity: its way too much for law enforcement. Although Wicomico County does not have residency laws. they do not work either. When you take everything away from a man or woman, they will do whatever they can to survive. It is human nature.

If I didn't think they were serious, it would be absolutely hilarious at some of the solutions that the citizens of Wicomico County have stated in comments: 1> execute all sex offenders ( we all know that there are innocent men and women on the sex offender registry just waiting for the day their appeals are heard...so what happens if an innocent were to be executed...just going to say to the family.."OOOps, sorry."? 2> Castrate all sex offenders (again, what if they are innocent?) 3> Ship all sex offenders to a remote island like they use to do to lepers 4> Keep them in jail for longer sentences (prisons are over flowing now..do we let out a murderer, a serial killer to keep a sex offender?) 5> put them in prison with all the other prisoners, have the guards turn their heads, and allow the other prisoners have their way with the sex offenders. These so called solutions sound sick, don't they? Well, the little hick newspaper printed them along with the interview with a resident of Wicomico County who said that all sex offenders names and photos should be published in the newspaper for those without computers. If you can remember, I wrote a comment earlier that this same hick newspaper did just that!

I don't know about the rest of you but I am sick and tired of everyone lumping all the sex offenders together and all of us, the offender and their family, are treated like lepers. I keep asking but no one can give me an answer: why all the hype about sex offenders when no one gives a second thought to the drunk drivers who kill children, when drug dealers get little kids hooked on crack, when families keep guns in their homes and a child is accidentally killed when playing with one?

I was hoping 2010 was going to be a better year. It has started like all the rest: Politicians can't wait to get back in session so they can present yet another feel good law, a law guaranteed to get them re-elected, Sarah's Law. Its time for citizens to get smart and realize what these politicians are doing and realize that the more laws but on the books, the more ineffective they are because law enforcement do not have the man power or the budget to ensure all laws are being followed.

Happy Freaking New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Friend's Story: I am a wife of a Sex Offender

2009-10-16T10:17:00.002-04:00

A friend asked me to post her story. It is a scary world out there and this story shows that even the most harmless act can cause a sex offender to be forced back to prison.

I AM ALSO THE WIFE OF A SO, AND A RN...I HAVE BEEN MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND FOR MANY YEARS WHO IS AN ENGINEER, WE ARE A BLENDED FAMILY THAT ACTUALLY WORKS...THE KIDS NOW ADULTS CONSIDER THEMSELVES BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

MY STORY STARTED IN DECEMBER OF 2008, I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL NEAR SHIFT CHANGE WHEN I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE NURSIN ADMIN TO COME DOWN TO THEIR OFFICE, HECK I DIDNT EVEN KNOW WHERE IT WAS IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE I REALLY DIDNT NEED TO KNOW...I WAS MET BY 2 VA STATE POLICE OFFICERS INFORMING THAT MY HOUSE WAS BEING RANSACKED NOT THEIR WORDS AND MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN AN INTERNET STING...I WENT INTO COMPLETE SHOCK...NOT MY HUSBAND, NOT THE MAN THAT I THOUGHT HAD SUCH HIGH CHARATER MORALS AND VALUES...I WAS NUMB...I COULDNT THINK AND SAY WHAT I REALLY WANTED TOO...THE VERY SECOND THEY TOLD ME WHAT MY HUSBAND WAS ARRESTED FOR, I KNEW RIGHT AWAY WHAT HE WAS DOING..I EVEN TOLD THE ARRESTING OFFICER ...I INFORMED HIM THAT FOR YEARS MY HUSBAND STUDY ABUSIVE PARENTS, SEE HIS FIRST WIFE WAS ABUSIVE TO HIS 2 BOYS, MY HUSBAND ALWAYS FELT HE DIDNT PROTECT HIS CHILDREN AND CARRIED THAT GUILT...I KNEW THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE MOST EVIL MOTHER....ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND WHAT EVERYONE IS THINKING BUT NO ONE KNOWS HIM BETTER THAN I DO....NO ONE...HE KNEW I WAS ABUSED FROM THE TIME I WAS 7 TO 17...HE AGAIN WANTED TO GET TO THE VERY SOUL OF THIS TYPE OF WOMAN THAT ALLOW THEIR KIDS TO BE ABUSE..

LONG STORY SHORT, HE IS IN THE COUNTY JAIL WAITING TO BE MOVED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS...MY HUSBAND GAVE ME FULL ASSESS TO THE EVIDENCE, AND IN THE COMING WEEKS I LEARNED ALOT OF MISTAKES HAD BEEN MADE...I BOUGHT THEM UP TO THE ATTORNEY, WHO REALLY DIDNT CARE,..ALTHOUGH AT THE TIME I THOUGHT HE DID...NOW I UNDERSTAND HOW ATTORNEYS OPERATE....THE DA IS LIKE A GOD TO THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY , THEY WANT TO KEEP THEIR RELATIONSHIP ALWAYS IN A FAVORABLE WORKING ENVIROMENT....WHAT I EXPERIENCE AT THE SENTENCING HEARING WAS A MIND TURNING EVENT...

I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TELL SOMEONE....AND BE AS OPEN AND HONEST AS I CAN BE...I M SCARED...

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Sex Offender framed by Fed. Judge Thomas M. Coffin when he was a U.S Attorney

2009-08-24T15:48:00.003-04:00

Thomas M. Coffin, A Federal Judge in Oregon, framed a man for murder and rape when he was a United States Attorney. Not only did he frame this man but he asked the judge to give this man 2 life sentences and to have this man surgically castrated. How did he frame this man? Being the prosecutor on the case, Coffin, withheld evidence that would prove the man's innocence. Coffin also introduced circumstantial evidence that were obtained through an illegal search and seizure due to the fact that the search warrant had never been executed. Let me say before I give you the story, that before this man went on trail for the murder/rape, he was offered a plea bargain: A Guilty plea and he would do no more than 7 years in prison and he would be eligible for parole in 24 hours (He had already spent more than 1 year in prison because he would not let his parents put their home up for bond.) He was offered the plea bargain 3 times, and turned it down each time stating "I am innocent!" Let it also be known, that after his 3rd trial, the trial that finally got a verdict, it was overheard that several jurors questioned "Why wasn't he found with blood on him?" "She was beat, so why didn't any close ups of this man at the time of his arrest show any bruising, wounds ?". Then years later, it was found out that there was a statistician among the jurors who had convinced all the jurors of this man's guilt by "running the numbers."

Read on:

I wish to tell you a true story of the cover up by federal officials and prosecutors of evidence, an illegal search and seizure, conveniently destroyed evidence precluding DNA exoneration, and eliminating certain government witnesses. These facts are supported by:

Victim photos/crime scene photos
Crime scene investigation notes
Trial transcripts
FBI Reports
Forensic Reports
Tape Recordings of investigation

The actions of federal officials are no different than those committed by the prosecutor in the Duke University Case.

The case that I am about to tell you reflects not a pursuit for justice- but a sating of career ambitions and appeasement of the Mexican Government. It will also tell how not one but two suspects were investigated. One suspect, Michael Kennedy, my husband of 2 years, was employed by the Federal Protective Services in San Diego, California. His job was akin to local police officers duties except on a federal level. Michael has no history of sexual mis-conduct, no history of violence and was living with his parents at the time. His only crime was that he smoked “Kool” brand cigarettes. The other suspect, R.B., who was also a federal protective officer. He had applied for a US customs position that Michael had ultimately received. R.B. had a history of sexually abusive behavior, pornography, and a history of violence and disciplined for making sexual remarks to children. R.B. also had a brown belt in Karate-strangulation could have been caused by a karate chop to the throat- and a former motorcycle gang member. Two witnesses were not allowed to testify. One was R.B.’s girlfriend who was going to testify about his tendency to violence behavior and his sexually abusive behavior. The other one was a female colleague who was going to testify that R.B. had asked her out, when she denied, he stated: “You think you’re going to end up like the other one? You are as dumb as she was!” To a woman, this is threat. It signifies that he may have asked Maria for sexual favors, and when she turned him down, he proceeded to take those favors by force. Interestingly still, despite R.B.’s history, and the fact that he was “O” positive blood type, the investigation on him did not continue as 1) he did not smoke 2) he was a secretor.

On Friday Nov. 23, 1979, Josephine Felix, a resident of Corcoran, California, drove to Tijuana, Mexico, for the purpose of smuggling her sister-in-law, Maria Lopez deFelix, into the United States. Maria was in the trunk of her car and at the Port of Entry in San Ysidro. A customs inspector discovered Maria and turned the two women over to the Immigration Officer for questioning. Both were photographed, and put into separate cells. Around 1:30 a.m. on November 24. Maria was released. She was pointed toward a set of double doors behind which a corridor would take her back to Mexico. Passing through the double doors, Maria encountered Michael Kennedy, who was just returning from the cafeteria. As Maria appeared lost, and Kennedy not knowing any Spanish at the time, he escorted her over to Customs Inspector Clooney, who directed her towards the corridor to Mexico.

On Monday, November 26, 1979, around 10:00 a.m., some thirty three hours after Maria was ordered back to Mexico, she was found murdered in an alleyway behind the Old Customs Building at the Port of Entry. She appeared to have been beaten, raped and strangled. Investigation disclosed that she had been murdered in the Old Customs Building. In the surrounding area, investigators found pieces of Maria’s gold chain, a torn tassel from her shawl, a slip of paper containing the address of Maria’s aunt, and Maria’s gold-plated religious medallion. Her shoes and purse were found hidden in the toilet tank of one of the adjoining cells. Investigators also came across several “Kool” brand cigarette butts and pieces of masking tape.
Michael Kennedy became a suspect because he was one of only two people on duty that night that had possessed a key to the pad-locked gate to the area that the murder occurred, and because he smoked “Kool” brand cigarettes. Michael was scheduled to work from 12 midnight on Saturday Nov. 24 to 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, 1979. He routinely walked as part of his patrol the area where the murder had occurred. After his first 2 trials ended in hung juries, Michael was convicted at a third trial of the rape and murder of Maria Lopez deFelix and sentenced to 2 life sentences. (Thank God Coffin did not get the other he demanded: Castration!)

Time of death is crucial to the guilt or innocence of Michael Kennedy as Maria was found on Nov.26, 1979 at 10 a.m. Dr. Thomas Naguchi, an expert witness for the defense and Chief Medical Examiner for L.A. County, testified that the victim died 4-6 hours before she was found. The key here is that the close ups of the victim’s face were not released as evidence at any of Michael’s trials to substantiate Dr. Naguchi’s testimony. The victim did not have any fly larvae deposited in her eyelids at the time her body was discovered. Per Dr.Naguchi, fly larvae would have been deposited in the victim’s eye lids 4-6 hours after death. Counting back the hours, Michael was not at work when her death occurred. For the prosecution, Dr. Luibel, Chief medical examiner of San Diego County, placed time of Death 24-36 hours before she was found. Thus, the with-holding of the victim’s close ups of her face was necessary by the prosecution to get a conviction.

Another example is the removal of former FBI Special Agent Frederick Wallace after his testimony as an expert witness as a hair identification expert for the government. Agent Wallace’s testimony was contrary to the government’s case. He testified at Michael’s first trial that the four or so hair strands found at the crime scene did not match Michael’s hair. Special Agent Wallace was unavailable to testify at Michael’s 2nd and 3rd trials due to “medical” problems. Another FBI hair expert was consulted who testified that they could have been Michael’s hair.

The other evidence that was submitted was the result of an illegal search and seizure. This is just further demonstrated to the lengths that federal officials were willing to go to obtain a conviction. The search warrant was never executed. Rather, FBI agents Jerry L. Barnett, Kenneth A. Vardell, and James M. Bird, told Michael’s parents, that they had a warrant and would need to search the house. During this search, they seized one uniform jacket, uniform pants, uniform shirts, shoes, pocket knife and a roll of masking tape.

Other evidence not released during trial:
2 separate FBI investigative reports placing time of death 8-10 hours before body was found
An investigative page from Special Agent Kenneth Vardell that reflected:
Blood grouping analysis of a bloody tissue at the crime scene was “O” positive
Blood grouping analysis of the victim was Type “A” positive
Blood grouping analysis of Michael Kennedy was Type “A” positive.

Information on the testing done for secretor/non-secretor (a secreter secretes his blood type in his semen, a non-secretor does not). It was found that since the victim had not bathed nor changed her panties for more than 24 hours, that would result in the natural build up of bacteria. Couple that with the build up from the urine that was excreted at the time of death, destroys the ability to identify a secretor from a non-secretor. Further note that all possible body fluids were accidentally destroyed by other evidence collection processes and could not be used later for DNA testing as it was unavailable in 1979.

I need to also point out, that during his investigation and trials, the Federal Officials investigated Michael with the rape and murder of Ramona Hernandez in San Diego. They seized his car and demolished it while searching for evidence. They found blood, which turned out to be canine. The previous owner of the car when questioned stated that her dog had been hurt and bleeding and she used her car to transport the dog to the vet. Several witnesses’ testimonies and time of death made it clearly evident that Michael did not commit that crime. That murderer, too, has never been found, as once again, the federal officials spent so much time and energy in trying to also convict my husband of it.

For years after his conviction, my husband continues to claim his innocence and continues to fight for justice. All of his appeals go unheard. The most recent denial: Judge Larry Adam Burns, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California, issued an order barring the filing of any document related to the criminal conviction of Michael Edward Kennedy, to preclude any inquiry into the actions of his former colleague and long time friend- Thomas M. Coffin, now a federal judge in Oregon. Coffin was the prosecutor, along with FBI Special Agents Barnett, Vardell, and Bird, did not notify the court that the items involved in the search and seizure were obtained illegally without the execution of a search warrant.

My husband has been very cooperative: underwent 4 polygraphs, submitted his blood for the national DNA data base and never once has violated the conditions of his parole. He was released in 2000 after serving 20 years in Federal Prisons all around the United States. Federal Prisons transfer their prisoners every 2-5 years to another prison. He continued to go to his psychological counseling that was ordered by his parole officer since 2000 in the Sexual Offender Program. Normally, the counseling is only for 2 years, but the PO, in his attempts to break Michael down, forced him to go 2 x month. (The counseling is currently suspended as Eastern Shore Psychological Services refuse to see Michael since he is suing them) Every parole hearing, he has attempted to be taken off supervised parole. The last one he was turned down was in Dec. 2008. Their reasoning being:

1. He is currently appealing his sex registration. (Under Maryland law he is not required to register as his conviction was prior to 1997.)
2. He has not been currently employed for 3 years. (He was laid off from work in Aug. 07 and began a new employment in July 2008)
3. He has not been at his residence for 3 years. (This is an error. He has had the same residence for 5 years)

I hope when you read this, you will want to see justice done as much as we do. To think that these federal officials are still out there and could be possibly repeating the same cover-ups is an injustice to everyone. Of course, we know they are, as we read in the news just a couple of weeks about the man who was released after serving 21 years for a rape/murder that he did not commit. Not only are they out there repeating the same cover ups but they are profitting from getting difficult convictions. Isn't that true Judge?

New Rental Ordinance Proposed For Sex Offenders

2009-08-23T11:34:00.005-04:00

They can't get a residency law passed for sex offenders in Delaware so now one town is proposing an ordinance that prevents landlords from renting to a sex offender if the house/apartment is within so many feet of a school, daycare etc.! In addition, they have to alert everyone within 500 feet of the rental, that a sex offender is living there. In Laurel, DE the town is trying to make this a law. Talk about ridiculous!! When will it stop? All this law will accomplish is landlords will not rent to any sex offenders because they do not want the hassle of alerting everyone within 500 feet of the rental. Nor do they want to deal with the huge number of complaints they would get from these residents once they are told that a sex offender lives within 500 feet of their home. We all know what happens then...many more sex offenders will become homeless. These "feel good" laws that these stupid politicians are trying to get passed is just them trying to make themselves popular and to gain votes. This is never going to end until every sex offender and their families and friends decide to come forward with a petition or publicly express their concerns. Right now because of the fear of vigilantism, retaliation from parole officers, law enforcement and the like, many stay quiet and just take what ever is handed to them. Our numbers are strong and then add in wives, girlfriends, mothers, other family members and friends, we would be a force to reckon with. Together, we could make changes.

America prides itself on its education, its Constitution, and its freedom. Yet the very people who are voted in to uphold the American way are working tediously to deny these things to a small group of people. When you consider other criminals, such as drug dealers, who do not become a scum of the earth, nor are they denied all rights, but yet, they have one of the highest recidivism rates. They, too, cause long lasting harm to the children. Giving away candy laced with drugs just to get the children addicted, then forcing them to buy it after they are addicted. So, to get this wonderful candy, the children turn to stealing. Many will grow up still addicted, doing anything for their next high. Talk about education. No one in legislature is interested in educating the public on the facts. They would rather use fear tactics, lie about the facts, and shine with proposing "feel good" laws that do nothing to protect but do everything to make matters worse.

To be quite honest, I'm ashamed of what America has become. Government goes out of its way to do everything in its power to encourage non-Americans to come live in America. Reduced mortgage rates, tax free purchases of homes and businesses. Haven't you ever wondered why so many foreigners are buying up all the Mom and Pop markets? Reduced to zero mortgage rates for 7 years. So after 7 years, they sell the business to an Aunt, Uncle, or cousin. They do this for non-Americans and then they think they can strip all rights away from sex offenders.

My husband's lawyer once told him, "You do not have the same rights that a John Doe off the street has." He was being nice. My husband, just like all other sex offenders, does not have any rights. He can never be the victim. If he were beaten on the street, just for being a sex offender, law enforcement officials would find some way to blame him for being beaten. When my husband went to register as a sex offender, I went with him. I was worried about vigilantism. So I asked the deputy about it. He told me that they were very tough on vigilantism and all I would have to do is call "911" and they would be there in a flash. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Did I really believe that anyone from the sheriff's dept or from the state police's dept would "come running" when a sex offender's address pops up on a "911" call? HELL!! NO!!!!! But I am concerned if we need to call "911" for a medical emergency. How slow would they respond? I'm so glad I am a nurse, even though I can't work because of my back pain, I still know enough to keep someone alive until help arrived, even if they did do a slow crawl.

I guess I am done venting. When I read that article on the computer on WBOC's website, I just had to write my thoughts. Every so often, things build up, to keep from exploding....I blog. Laugh if you will. But until you try it...you don't know what your missing. You can write for anyone to read, remain as anonymous as you want. It feels empowering when someone comments, even when it is negative, because someone actually reads what you write. I am really moved by many of the comments I get from those who are suffering just as we are. It helps to know that we are not the only ones though some days, it sure does feel like it.

The Maintenance Polygraph

2009-08-15T12:12:00.002-04:00

On Aug. 13, 2009, my husband had his maintenance polygraph. He said that although it was not videoed, he believes it was taped, though he was not apprised of the fact. Thank God this man who gave my husband the test was not an Ass Hole like his previous one. He did not get bent out of shape when my husband refused to sign the documents stating that he released them from anything nor did he sign the document stating he was undergoing this polygraph willingly. This polygrapher did prepare my husband for the test as per protocol, unlike the first guy. The questions were: 1) Have you lied to anyone who trusts you? 2) Have you lied to anyone in the position of authority? 3) Have you engaged in any unwanted sex since your release? 4) Have you ever had any sexual activity that you would be embarrassed of it became known? 5) Have you lied to me when you stated that you would be honest with me when you answered the questions? 6)Have you done anything to violate the conditions of your parole? We are positive that his PO is going to be livid about the questions asked. Why? Because none of them were about the Walmart incident, or about any of the things his PO is trying to pin on him. (If you recall, his PO is trying to put my husband behind bars...he told me so when the PO first met me during his 45 minute rant, trying to get me to NOT marry my husband.) Although my husband was not happy with having to take the polygraph....he was happy with the way the polygrapher conducted himself and the test. (The polygrapher even gave my husband a cough drop when my husband had a coughing spell courtesy of his severe bout with bronchitis) Now, we are hoping that the polygrapher continues to be professional and not lie about the results of the exam. My husband and I are positive that his PO had quite a long talk with the polygrapher before we got there. (Yes, I did go with my husband as I always do to offer support and my love.) We are sure that during the PO's conversation with the polygrapher that he mentioned how manipulative my husband is(that's the PO's opinion. My husband is not manipulative...just fighting for his rights and for justice) and he wants my husband back in jail. We are also positive that if this polygrapher doesn't, that his PO will schedule him for another polygraph with a different polygrapher A.S.A.P. If that's the case, the P.O.'s supervisor is going to get a call from me. At present, my husband is preparing some kind of legal document that includes the polygraph. (He does so much legal work: appeals, habeases, etc. that it's hard for me to remember which is which. LOL.) I don't know if I have ever mentioned it, but my husband used his 20 years in prison to study federal law. He is quite capable of litigating his own cases.

Needless to say, I have not heard back from the PO's supervisor after I talked to him about the conduct of this PO towards me (the inappropriate remarks, verbally forcing me to leave the preparation of dinner to sit down with my husband and listen to his BS...the dinner ( shrimp) I had to throw away because it had sat out for 30-45 minutes, uncovered while the PO stood over it....yuk!!!). I really didn't expect any response. While researching the job descriptions of Parole Officers, I found (not surprising to me) that his PO does not do most of the things he is supposed to do. Such as supporting and aiding his parolees to finding resources and employment to help them improve their lives. All he does is harass my husband, lie about things and to do anything he can do to get my husband back in prison. I still wonder how he can monitor his other parolees since he is sooooooooooo obsessed with my husband.

Oh well............This is my life, Wife of a sex offender, and though I wish things could be different, I love my husband and will always be by my husband's side. So this is our life....and we are living it the best way we know how. His parole officer, the conditions of his parole, the having to be registered....none of that nor anything else will make me walk away from my husband and our life together.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading my blog!!! I hope my blog helps other's out there in the same position. I know I have connected with alot of people through my blog. Like I've told them and this goes for anyone...Keep in touch and if you ever need to just vent...I'm here for you!!!!

The Injustice of it all

2009-08-05T13:36:00.003-04:00

My husband's so called maintenance polygraph is scheduled for later this month. It will focus on crimes he may have or may not have committed while on parole. It was not court ordered, nor ordered by the parole commission, but was ordered by his obsessed P.O. My husband, who must live his life under a conviction for a crime he did not commit, has been the perfect parolee. He has never broken any laws, he is married and we have a happy marriage, he has been at the same residence for 5 years, and he is employed. But because he dared to argue that under Maryland law he was not required to register as a sex offender (his conviction was in 1979), his PO is out to throw him back in prison. Thus, the polygraph. One deep breath, one skipped heart beat or even one twitch and he is back in prison for failing his polygraph. It doesn't matter that polygraphs are not admissible in court.....the parole commission runs by their own laws. His last polygraph was rigged. My husband was asked a series of questions but when the results were released, the questions were out of order than the way they were asked during the polygraph. (We did ask that this polygraph be taped or videoed and were told that they would try. Which tells me that it won't be!) He did not return to prison, but was continued on supervised parole. (He was told prior to his first polygraph that if he did not answer any or all of the questions but pleaded the 5th, that his parole would be revoked and he would go back to prison!) This polygraph is supposed to be only 5 questions. His lawyer is unable to get any answers as to what those questions might be. The PO nor his supervisor state they have no idea. LIARS!!!!! I use to believe in justice, the government and the law. If there is justice, why was my husband convicted of a crime he didn't commit because FBI agents were allowed to get away with an illegal search and seizure and with holding of evidence? Why won't any court re-open his case when the evidence and facts(including crime scene photos and investgation notes) are presented to them during my husband's appeals? (To re-open the case would mean that if found innocent....every case these 3 FBI agents and this judge have been involved in for the last 30 years would come into question. So it is easier to allow one innocent man to suffer. This is injustice!) Why does the government allow the Parole Commission and the Parole Officers to follow their own laws? (Seems they make up new laws whenever it suits their cause) Why are there such draconian laws that focus on only one type of criminal? ( Sex offenders have the lowest percentage rate of recidivism. ) Why are all sex offenders grouped together under the label of pedophile? Talk about injustice!!!!!!

Once they get away with doing this polygraph, they can demand a new one every 6 months. Who or what will be next.? If it can happen to him....it will happen to every sex offender that is registered. What will they demand next and label it as part of his condition of his parole? It wouldn't surprise me at all if they try to tell him that its against the conditions of his parole to even be married!!!! After all, his PO doesn't like me. I dared to ignore his lecture when he tried to dissuade me from marrying my husband.

I use to be an optimist. No longer!!! It doesn't matter what a person does or doesn't do........or how well a person tries to follow the rules or how "good" a person is..............none of that matters. (I'm still trying to hold onto my FAITH and I still believe it will matter when you are no longer among the living) But while you are still among the living.........once an injustice, always an injustice. Its like he's the scapegoat. Someone got away with doing an injustice to him once...so now everyone is kicking him while he's down. He did have a great Parole Officer once. I think she was promoted so now he's stuck with the obsessed one...the PO with a major attitude problem.....the PO who thinks he is GOD himself. I don't know why his supervisor is standing behind him. Nothing was done about my complaints about his inappropriate behavior. Nor do I expect anything will ever be done!

I just know that unless we ( wives, mothers, daughters, friends of sex offenders and sex offenders themselves) all act as one, we all brave the public eye and stand up for the rights of sex offenders.....these injustices will continue. Politicians will continue to pass these draconian laws because it makes some "feel good". The parole commission, the parole officers, even those who up hold the law will continue to do injustice to our loved ones. And in doing so...... neither they nor us will ever be able to live our lives to the fullest! We will never be able to say that America is a land of the free.......we will never be free unless changes are made.

Thank you for reading my blog and allowing me to vent. Life is just so unfair but we need to act as one.......so that all may be able to live!

Maintenance Polygraph scheduled

2009-07-27T12:29:00.002-04:00

If you've been reading my blog, you know that my husband's PO came up with this unknown monster called a "maintenance polygraph". Well, my husband's is scheduled in August. I can also tell you that my husband is not taking this sitting down. Like I've said many of times, my husband is self taught in federal law. He has gotten several compliments from judges and even other lawyers on the legal briefs etc., that he has submitted. So yes, he has sent in another legal paper. I swear, he is being kept busy with enough legal work for the next year and mostly its all because of his PO. I must say, compared to almost two years ago, I have learned a lot on Federal law and legal language. Ha! Jokingly, I'm sure, I was offered a job in the Federal defender's office if I ever went to law school and passed the bar! Wouldn't that be something. I would honestly consider it if I had the money to go back to school for 8+ years. Oh well, another item to list on my "fantasy wish list"!

Normally, I don't answer any questions that are posted on other websites but one caught my eye this morning. One woman wanted to know if anyone would start a relationship with a RSO. She was being advised to stay away by more than one person. So you know me, I had to put my 2 cents worth in. I have never ever regretted marrying my husband. Since you are reading this, hopefully you know my story. My husband and I will be married 2 years August 18th. I met him Oct. 2006 and on our second date he told me about his past. He was released from prison Jan. 2000 after spending 20years in Federal prison. As you know, his past did not matter to me. It was the man he is now that I was seeing and fell in love with. Along with the BS we have to put up with from his PO and other issues, it is amazing to see him adjusting to life outside of prison. There is nothing he takes for granted......like taking a walk outside just to see the wonders of nature and breathe in the air. For so long he had never experienced that feeling. And yes, I still cry sometimes when he tells me his stories of when he was in prison. I will repeat: I HAVE NEVER EVER REGRETTED MARRYING HIM!!!!!

I invited this woman to read my blog as I have been openly honest about my feelings and what goes on in the life of a wife of a RSO.

Sex Offender's last session with therapist he is suing

2009-07-23T12:59:00.002-04:00

Last night was my husband's last session with the therapist he is suing. What will happen now? We do not know. The parole commission never made long term sex offender therapy (he's been in it for 9 years!) a requirement of his parole but left it up to his P.O. (I'm sure if you've been following my blogs you definitely know how I feel about him. I swear, I don't know how he does his job since he's so obsessed with my husband! Did I tell you that his obsession began when my husband questioned his order to register as a sex offender? ((My husband was convicted in 1979 and Maryland law does not have the ability to register him)) When my husband had his first P.O.((and she was no pushover, she told him one false move and his ass would be back in jail)) he never had to file one legal paper but ever since this one has taken over.....well, let's just say, a lot of trees are being used to fight for his civil rights!) When his P.O. and his supervisor came to visit in what we'd like to call the "retaliation visit", there was a lengthy discussion of his requirement to be in long term therapy. His P.O. is trying to say that the parole commission ordered it. His therapy is being suspended for a little while until an alternative can be found. Then there is the "maintenance polygraph" that seems to be a monster that no one has heard of! During his last session, his therapist wanted to know why he's suing her. Ha! Like she doesn't have a clue! She told my husband that she's worried about his stress level. I bet! My husband said he handled stress just fine during his 20 years in Fed. Prison.....everything since then has been a piece of cake.

I'm curious: Is there any sex offenders out there who have been ordered to have long term therapy? If so...please contact me. Also...if you have been ordered for long term therapy, have you asked for copies of your medical records?

As for me, I'm hanging in there! Started on a new medication that has several side effects that are extremely unpleasant but I've been told the side effects only last about 10 days. So far, the new medicine seems to be helping with my pain. My pain is still there but now it's about a 5 on a scale of 0-10 when before it was an 8.( 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you have ever felt and requires going to the ER)

I'm very supportive of my husband. Helping him with anything I can. He's been through so much. Spending 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit ( Don't bother sending a negative comment on this, I've heard it all before. Those of you who write those negative comments should hold them if you don't know the facts! I've read the court transcripts, the FBI reports and have seen every one of the crime scene photos. He was a scape goat in a political war between California and Mexico), then he has to be stuck with an A** hole of a parole officer who is trying to put him back in prison and even has gone so far as to get some of his friends in law enforcement to lie and make false claims( Such as the one police officer who had his wife say that she was being stalked by my husband. Come to find out, my husband was working as a cashier on one of the days she claimed he was stalking her in the store and the other day he was supposed to be stalking her in the store, he was off and no where near the store.) We also found out that his PO and this police officer knew each other. IMAGINE THAT! How much more must my husband endure before he gets even a wee bit of justice? The only ray of light on the horizon is that his PO retires in less than 5 years but how much more BS do we have to put up with until he does? Do Parole officers have a code of conduct that they have to adhere to when it comes to their parolees and their families?

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Let me know if anyone has any info on anything I have written! Thanks!

Sex offender's spouse harassed!!!

2009-07-14T11:03:00.003-04:00

In my last blog, I told you about the sex offender who is suing his therapist and was facing retaliation by the Feds. In this blog, I'm going to tell you the story of the sex offender's wife( the same sex offender who is suing his therapist) who was harassed by his parole officer... a Fed with a major attitude problem!!! (Big surprise there!!!) Any way, when the 2 Feds came to came to the RSO's house, one of the Feds was a supervisor. The wife of the RSO asked to speak to the super privately as she had never met the past supervisors and could not file an informal complaint. The harassment complaints were as follows: 1) when she and the RSO were engaged, the PO came to the house when she was alone (or was she?) and proceeded to tell her in great detail the facts about the crime her fiance was convicted for. He then explained to her what life with a parolee would be like...the unannounced visits, the conditions of parole, etc. He also stated that this RSO would never get off supervised parole and would be going back to prison. He kept stating the same things over and over again for 45 minutes even though the wife said she knew all about it, didn't care because she loved this man and everyone deserves a second chance. She also stated that she could live with the unannounced visits and the restrictions of the conditions of his parole. Nothing swayed him....he continued to argue and preach until about 30 mins before her fiance was due home from work. 2) During one unannounced visit, the wife was preparing 2 pounds of shrimp to make shrimp Alfredo. The shrimp were already peeled and de-veined so all she was doing was pulling the tails off. The PO came and demanded she stop immediately and sit down. Let me give you the picture, her kitchen is a very small galley kitchen. She was at the stove doing the preparation as there is no counter space. Her husband was sitting at the table directly behind her. The PO was standing immediately to her left, between her and the door. There were no knives or other weapons close by. No water had been boiled. Anyway, she was forced to leave the shrimp unattended for 30-45 minutes. After she sat at the table with her husband, the PO went and leaned against the stove, directly over the shrimp, stomping his feet when he wanted to make a point. After he left, she had to throw the shrimp away. Why? It had been out for 30-45 minutes and she had concerns about it being out too long plus he had been standing directly over them, stomping his feet and she didn't know what had might have fallen off him into the shrimp. After all, he had made other visits prior to visiting them. YUK!!!!! 3) The PO often makes comments on the color of her hair or the darkness of her skin So, she had told the super of her issues. He didn't comment on 2 of the issues but did state that the reason she was told to sit was for the safety of the PO. Well, if that was the case, he could have been more polite and allowed her to put the shrimp in the refrig. But no!! He treated her like she was his parolee and was very rude!!! The only other comment that the super said was...if this really happened. So he doesn't believe her!!! Guess he will if she decides to file a complaint with the office of professionalism and brings a witness with her. She knows why the PO was making those comments to her and often enters her personal space when he catches her home alone (you know the personal space is that space between you and another person that you feel comfortable) is to try and make her husband mad and hopes he tries to do or say something so he can violate him. After all, the RSO and his wife were told personally by local law enforcement when he went to register that the PO had called them demanding anything they could get on the RSO so he could put his ass back in jail. Just another day in the life of the wife of a sex offender!!! So exciting!!! My life is far from boring. One challenge after another!!! I'll keep you posted!!

Sex Offender Sues Therapist!!!!

2009-07-11T16:46:00.003-04:00

A Parsonsburg, MD RSO sues his therapist and others involved: Kathryn Seifert and Karen Ray of Eastern Shore Psychological of Salisbury, MD and a past employee, Paul DesPres. According to the claim, the suit includes Kathryn Seifert's refusal to turn over his personal health information as per HIPPA. The claim states that once he received his information there were several discrepancies within his records. These discrepancies, according to the claim, include: 1)Seifert stating that the RSO had received over a dozen evaluations, 2 of which were over 5 hours long ( The RSO claims he was given none and since those evaluations were not disclosed to him as Seifert and Ray stated they were "Trade Secrets" but state and Federal law require them to release his answers and raw test scores. To date they have not done so.), 2)The summary of the evaluations was signed by Seifert and DesPres in July 2007 (the evaluations were supposedly administered in 2001 , DesPres had ceased his employment for Eastern Shore Psychological in 2002 , in 2007 DesPres was not licensed as a counselor in MD, DE, or VA, and the RSO has never met DesPres.) 3) Several forms within the RSO's medical files contained the RSO's forged signature. Interestingly still, according to 2 Federal Officials, Eastern Shore Psychological receives all the federal contracts for all sex offenders east of the Bay Bridge. (There are more discrepancies, but the few listed were the high lights). Sex offender programs are normally 12, 24 or in extreme cases 36 months in length. According to the claim of this RSO's law suit, he has been in Sex Offender Therapy for 9 years based upon the results of the falsified evaluation supposedly performed by Kathryn Seifert and Eastern Shore Psychological. It is also noted in the claim, that this RSO had 2 previous evaluations done: one at PRMC and one with a private practice: both evaluations determined that this RSO did not need therapy. Yet a few months later, Seifert states that not only did he need therapy but also long term therapy. In the claim, the RSO stated that one of his previous therapist at Eastern Shore Psychological , had told him that he(the therapist) had recommended to Seifert in the presence of the RSO's Parole Officer that the RSO be discontinued from treatment. The therapist stated that Seifert stated that the RSO will continue with treatment for monetary reasons only. The RSO's parole officer was present when Seifert stated this according to the therapist. Hmmmmmmmmm!

Ok!! More interesting events. On July 9, 2009, the RSO was visited by 2 Federal officials. One of the topics of discussion: Eastern Shore Psychological were refusing to continue to see the RSO because he was suing them. According to the Feds, this was a condition of the Parole Commission (but in truth, the Parole Commission had left it up to the Parole Officer). Then, there was a discussion about a supposedly new Federal law (I searched and googled and contacted everyone I know and I can't find it!). This federal law requires maintenance polygraphs to be given as often as every 6 months if necessary. This polygraph will be referencing any possible criminal activities that the RSO may have done since his being on parole. (Let me point out that a federal parolee can be violated and returned to prison for such things as a speeding ticket, accidentally running a red light, etc.) Not to mention that this maintenance polygraph violates the fifth amendment and other constitutional rights. Then there were the discussions that were basically BS: old cell phone number on parole report, need to know exactly how many hours are actually worked in a week( the RSO is a salaried employee, considered full time, drives a semi ) So it doesn't really matter how many hours he works, he gets paid the same amount of money each week whether he works 10 hours or 70. The conditions of his parole is that he keeps a full time job.....and he has a full time job. What's the problem? In other words, the July 9th visit was in retaliation for him suing Seifert, Ray of Eastern Shore Psychological.

Let me ask all of you this: If you had a contract with a company, and found out that they were being sued for falsifying records just to maintain a lengthier contract and get more money out of the people who had hired them, wouldn't you be more interested in the outcome of the suit then at retaliating at the one suing? After all, if they had falsified the records of one company....did they falsify any others for purely monetary reasons?

And life goes on in the life of the wife of a sex offender...............I'll keep you posted.

Sorry....I haven't been good!!

2009-06-15T20:39:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't written in a long while. I know I told you about hurting my back. Well, I am no longer working because my back pain is so severe. I've been told I can never go back to working as a clinical nurse again. Guess I'm not going to be able to work anywhere because I tried after 2 office positions and when they heard I hurt my back, they said they didn't think the position was for me. My poor husband is carrying all the financial burden since my short term disability carrier won't extend my coverage after April 30th saying they didn't have enough to go on but I could appeal it...which I did and am just waiting for a decision. In the mean time, I'm getting nothing from worker's comp but I do have a hearing June 23rd!! So, I surrendered one of my cars since my husband couldn't pay for 3 and we recently had to drop our health insurance I received through my company because it was too expensive and will be going with his company's but for 30 days...NO insurance. That's scary in this day and time.

I have resigned as MD state organizer for ReformSexOffenderLaws.org as most days I can't even get out of bed and stay doped up on vicodin and oxycontin for pain. But they are a great organization and hope all of you go to their site to see what they are doing.

I do have a small garden and we planted lots of corn and watermelon and cucumbers to sell plus multiple yard sales...basically doing anything to get some extra cash.

I hope to write again soon...but I can't promise anything!!! Let me know how you all are doing.

Sex offenders are always the bad guys!!!!!!!!!!

2009-06-15T20:09:00.003-04:00

My husband recently stopped at WalMart in his truck. Before he was able to get out, some woman climbed up in his truck (a semi) and demanded $50 or she was going to call the cops. He told her "Let's see who can call them first!" Then he stepped out on the side bumper and called 911. When the lady saw that he was truly calling the cops, she got out and went over to a dark blue SUV, opened passenger door, spoke quickly to the driver then they both took off like a bat out of hell. When the cops came, one took my husband's info while the other attempted to look for the car. THE COP TOLD MY HUSBAND THAT IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS THE VICTIM OF AN ATTEMPTED ROBBERY!When my husband got home, he told me all about it. A couple days later, his PO called wanting to know why my husband didn't call him and let him know that he had contact with the police. My husband told him that since nothing came out of it he didn't think he had to. His PO told him, that whenever he had any contact whatsoever with the police, he was to call him immediately!!! (That's right...my husband's PO has his name, phone number etc., flagged so that he can know right away what he does or who he calls!!!) Anyway, my husband began thinking, so he called his lawyer and went to the police dept and got a copy of the report. Everything on the report was as he stated but the last paragraph that the cop wrote was ALARMING! It stated that the police were going to further investigate why he had called the police and if there were any ulterior motive. He also reported that they (cops) were going to go to Walmart and get a copy of their surveillance tapes. (I guess, after running my husband's name, they found out he was a sex offender). And it gets better!! When my husband went to re-register for his 6 month registration, the deputy asked him about it and that his PO had told them to get all they can on the incident as he heard there was a witness that said the woman got in the truck. (Made it sound like my husband was soliciting) But there were no witnesses. The deputy also told my husband that someone ( he assumed it was his PO) had called the main dept of Maryland's sex registration dept and told them to list my husband as a violent predator. But the deputy called them and told them to change him back to what he was because he did not fit the criteria and they would need a court order to do so!! Again, my husband called his lawyer and updated him plus to request that he (his lawyer) ask for a copy of Walmart's tapes too.

This is just one real life example of the fact that a sex offender will never be a victim!! If my husband had been shot or stabbed during the course of a robbery, car jacking or mugging, it would somehow be made out to be that he had did something wrong!!!

Just another day in the life of a sex offender's wife!!!

Report on My Husband's Parole Termination Hearing

2009-02-10T18:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged for a long time. Have been busy with my husband's parole termination hearing. I'm sure you all, like we were, aware that it is a waste of time!!! The parole commission is a bunch of hypocrites. Last year, it didn't matter that my husband and I just got married. This year, it was one of the main reasons he didn't get off supervised parole: because he hadn't been married long enough to be considered a stable marriage. How many years must a couple be married to be considered in a stable marriage? I was married to my first husband 24 years before divorced him just pror to our 25th. Was that a stable marriage? Don't think so. My husband and I have a more loving and stable marriage then all the 24 years I was with my first. The other reasoning: He hadn't been employed long enough. Ok...so he just got the job in July 2008. Wasn't his fault. His PO put so many restrictions on his out of state travel that it was extremely hard to find a local run as a CDL driver. Then...he hadn't been living at his residence long enough. Ok...5 years isn't long enough? GIVE ME A BREAK! Then of course...his challenging his forced registration since under MD law he wasn't required to register since his conviction was almost 30 years ago. And then, the fact he didn't have a current polygraph. Let's forget the fact that the polygraph they want is not for therapeutic purposes but so investigate to see if he has been involved in any criminal activities other than the one he was charged with. And they want the same psycho to do it that is being investigated for falsifying his mental health evaluation, forging a counselor's signature and numerous other complaints. Stupid, ignorant people being paid to be the parole commission. More ignorant people being paid to be parole officers if they all are like my husband's. Course we had a visit from our favorite ass hole...his parole officer. He tried to give us his take on the parole commisions verdict....he thought that if my husband did everything they wanted, that he would be off supervised parole in a couple of years. Course, he got mad as a hornet when we both told him "NO WAY" and that we would let the court decide if they went above and beyond the law governing the PC. I just love this pony and cart show...and the attempts to make my husband perform like a puppet or a horse after a carrot on a stick. What they don't realize...my husband loves to litigate. He would rather spend a few days righting up legal appeals, challenges, law suits, tort claims, etc., then jump into the 3 ring circus. It gets very interesting around our house most of the time.

Hope all of you have a great week end and I will be writing again soon...I promise!

PS> Still been having a lot of pain with my back...many days I am unable to leave the bed. work is not honoring my doctor's restricted activities...so I get worse every day. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do? I have filed a complaint with the EEOC, my lawyer is working with worker's comp....I just don't know what more I can do. I'm missing a lot of days from work...yet I can't get them to fire me...they are trying to make me quit...but no can do...I'd lose all my worker's comp benefits then. Oh well...such is life!! Jerks to the left and jerks to the right.....

SORNA

2008-12-28T11:34:00.001-05:00

The Controversy of SORNA
All states have to decide by July 27, 2009 whether they will adopt and implement the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The implementation of SORNA is an extensive and costly one. If the states do not implement SORNA, they will be faced with the loss of 10% of Byrne Grants ( used to pay for such things as drug task forces, anti-gang units, police overtime, and other law enforcement activities). On the other hand, if SORNA were to be implemented, it would prove to be much more costly for the state of Maryland and to each individual counties.
Under current Maryland Registration, the following are required from all Registered Sex Offenders:
A registration statement shall include:
(1) the registrant’s full name, including any suffix, and address;
(2) (i) for a registrant under § 11–704(a)(7)(i) of this subtitle or
who is on work release, the registrant’s place of employment; or
(ii) for a registrant under § 11–704(a)(7)(ii) of this subtitle, the
registrant’s place of educational institution or school enrollment;
(3) (i) for a registrant enrolled, or expecting to enroll, in an
institution of higher education in the State as a full–time or part–time student, the
name and address of the institution of higher education; or
(ii) for a registrant who carries on employment, or expects to
carry on employment, at an institution of higher education in the State, the name and
address of the institution of higher education;
(4) a description of the crime for which the registrant was convicted;
(5) the date that the registrant was convicted;
(6) the jurisdiction in which the registrant was convicted;
(7) a list of any CURRENT OR FORMER aliases, FORMER NAMES,
NICKNAMES, CHAT ROOM IDENTITIES, ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESSES,
COMPUTER LOG–IN OR SCREEN NAMES OR IDENTITIES, INTERNET IDENTITIES,
AND INSTANT–MESSAGING IDENTITIES, AND ELECTRONIC CHAT ROOM
IDENTITIES that the registrant has used;
(8) the registrant’s Social Security number;
(9) any other name by which the registrant has been legally known;
and
(10) A COPY OF THE REGISTRANT’S VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE OR
IDENTIFICATION CARD;
(11) THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF ANY
VEHICLE OWNED OR REGULARLY OPERATED BY THE REGISTRANT; AND
(10) (12) the registrant’s signature and date signed.
(b) If the registrant is a sexually violent predator, the registration statement
shall also include:
(1) identifying factors, including a physical description;
(2) anticipated future residence, if known at the time of registration;
(3) offense history; and
(4) documentation of treatment received for a mental abnormality or
personality disorder.
Under SORNA, sex offenders will be required to provide the following information to the sex offender registry:
• names, including all aliases used by the sex offender;
• date of birth, including both actual date of birth and any false date(s) of birth used
by the sex offender;
• all Internet identifiers and addresses, e.g., e-mail and instant messaging addresses;
• all telephone numbers including both land lines and cell phone numbers;
• Social Security numbers (SSN), including both valid governmentally assigned
SSNs and any other SSNs used by the sex offender;
• residence address;
• other residence information (i.e., where the sex offender has a home or habitually
lives) in relation to sex offenders who lack a residence address for any reason
(e.g., homelessness, or living in a house in a rural or tribal area that has no street
address);
• temporary lodging information about any place in which the sex offender is
staying for seven or more days, including identifying the place and the period of
time the sex offender is staying there;
• passport and immigration document information;
• employer’s name and address;
• other employment information concerning the places where the sex offender
works, if the sex offender has no fixed place of employment, such as information
about normal travel routes or the general area(s) in which the sex offender works;
• professional licenses;
• school name and address;
• vehicle information including description and license plate or registration number;
• physical description of the sex offender;
• text of the registration offense or offenses;
• criminal history and other criminal justice information;
• current photograph;
• fingerprints and palm prints;
• DNA information; and
• driver’s license or identification card.
The SORNA provisions were made retroactive. The Act applies to all sexual offenders,
including those offenders convicted prior to the enactment of SORNA (July 27, 2006) or
prior to a particular jurisdictions’ implementation of the SORNA requirements
So what does this all mean to the taxpayers?
Initially, there would be a one time general fund reprogramming cost of $33800 for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. That cost is for only one department. Every county would be responsible to cover their reprogramming cost out of their current budget. Under current law, it cost $1595 to supervise one offender for one year. Currently, Maryland has approximately 500 registrants. Or $797500 spent a year to supervise those registrants. Once SORNA is implemented, every registered sex offender must be re-registered and those who were not initially covered by the retroactive provision will now be required to register. The homeless will now be sought out and registered since Maryland current registration has no way to maintain the homeless. This will be proposed as weekly registrations of the homeless. In addition, there will be approximately 400 additional juvenile registrants to register. The sex offender registry has a total growth rate of 400-600 new registrants per year. Thus, with the increasing number of caseloads, there will be a great need to hire additional agents to handle such an increase. The cost to hire a new agent is about $50,00 per year including salary, benefits and equipment. Where will the extra money come from? Most counties in today’s economy are having to cut corners to trim their budgets. What will this added expense do to an already over-stretched budget? There are some solutions: 1) increase taxes for tax payers 2) take the needed money from other programs 3) Increase sales tax. None of those solutions would be acceptable to the tax payer. (Remember, this is for the state of Maryland, larger states will have increased expense.)
Current Maryland Sex Offender Registration and Classification is flawed. Maryland registries group all sex offenders in one registry “Child Sex Offender Register” and the requirements are the same for all registrants whether or not the offense involved a child. SORNA does not change the classifications, but rather enhances the misconception that all sex offenders are child sex offenders. This serves only one purpose: To deceive the public that SORNA is the only way to keep their children safe. Public is deceived and laws are passed.
SORNA is a costly implementation that only targets a small number of criminals. Interestingly still, is the fact that the very group that are being targeted, has the lowest re-offense rate of all criminals. Without separating the classifications, the re-offense rate for all sex offenders is 12%. This number is decreased with treatment and with time. Some one who was convicted more than 10 years ago, has a re-offense rate of less than 8%. Once the sex offender reaches the age of 45 or older, it drops to 3.3%. At age 60, the re-offense rate is near 0%. The highest incidence of re-offense occurs during the 1st 3 years after release and with the homeless. (Homelessness will increase with the new residency restriction laws that are proposed. Thus, residency laws due more harm the good.)
As a tax payer, we need to look at what is not being told to the public. Rather than spending that amount of money on a small group of criminals, wouldn’t it be better used for improving our children’s schools? Once you have decided that this new regulation, SORNA, would be more costly than effective, contact your state representatives. Time is running out for the tax payers to make their voices heard.

Parole Commission

2008-12-26T09:09:00.003-05:00

My husband's supervised parole termination hearing was Monday 12/22. First, let me say that we went in there knowing full well that it would be a waste of time. But, we had them reaching really low to come up with reasons why they wouldn't terminate his supervised parole. His lawyer was armed with facts about re-offense percentages that I had supplied him. Then of course, he was able to to dis-credit the psych eval since my husband's therapist never gave him the evaluations and were making up the answers. So, from the bottom of the garbage dump, they came up with 4 new reasons:

1) He's challenging his forced registration since under Maryland law he is not required to register since his conviction was back in 1979.
2) He hasn't been married long enough. (ok, we've been married 16 months, but have co-habitated for 2+ years)
3) He hasn't been employed long enough. (Forget the fact that except for the 11 months that he couldn't find a job because of all the travel restrictions his PO placed on him and being a CDL driver, in this day and time, you can't find truck jobs that stay in MD, DE, and VA. And accept applicants with a felony conviction. Prior to that, he has always been gainfully employed. Luckily, the PO changed his restrictions allowing him to travel out of state as long as he calls him before going out and upon return and he has to be back in the tri-state area within 24 hours. He's returned to work in July 2008.)
4) He doesn't have an up to date polygraph. (Ok...this is a biggie. They aren't requesting a polygraph that will ask questions on his conviction or therapeutic purposes, but of investigative purposes. Which is illegal. They want to ask him if he's committed any new crimes.)

As you can see...they were really reaching.....

My daughter went with us and was able to say her peace but when it came to my turn, I was grilled like a felon. Bombarding me with questions. I really felt dirty after leaving that place. Course, my husband's lawyer stated I answered the questions really well and even did a fantastic job on one question. The investigator asked me if I ever initiated a visit with his PO. Sorry, I laughed!!! So, instead of telling her why I really would never call his PO....I simply stated, "I have no reason to" which I haven't. But the fact remains, I don't trust him, I don't respect him. He's a liar, he wants to violate my husband so bad that eventually he's going to make something up. He even told the sheriff deputy who handles the registration that he would love to violate him. That's like telling the man..."Get me some dirt on him!" I thought PO's are supposed to make sure their charges walk the straight and narrow but at the same time be encouraging and supportive. HA!!!!!! He'd rather violate him, then shoot him in the back stating that he was trying to run. Not to mention, this same ass hole spent 45 mins trying to convince me not to marry my husband. State PO's aren't allowed to do that and I'm sure Feds aren't either. The whole purpose of parole is to allow these guys to get on with their life and improve their life. Not to mention the little personal remarks he makes to me when he visits...might not seem like much...but he's crossing the line. Remarks like..."oh, you've darkened your hair!" "Been out in the sun? You are really tan!" No, I don't trust him.

Needless to say, my husband is appealing. Again, not that its going to do any good. And then there is next year's term. hearing. I wonder what they will dig up by then?

No Christmas This Year

2008-12-13T20:47:00.002-05:00

My husband and I have decided we are not having Christmas this year. With my back injury and worker's comp not getting off any $$$ yet, we are way behind in bills and there is nothing left over. This will be the first year in all my 48 years that there will be no Christmas tree, no decorations, no nothing. With today's economy, how can anyone afford Christmas? What if you spent all that money on Christmas, and then the day after, you get laid off from work?

New development with my husband's ass hole of a probation officer. It wasn't enough that he forced my husband to register against Maryland State law once, now he had to go and register in a different county, the county that he works in. There is no such requirement in Maryland saying you must register in multiple counties. Why do such people as his p.o. be allowed to remain in their position. Oh...I forgot to mention, when my husband went to re-register with the Sheriff, was when he found out that he had to register that very day in the other county. Nothing from his P.O. If my husband hadn't gone in early to re-register for his 6 month requirement, he would have known nothing about having to re-register and his P.O. would have violated him and sent him back to jail. I, also need to mention that the Lt. who is in charge of the registration, also thinks this PO is an ass hole. He also told my husband that this PO told him "I would really love to violate this guy!" Bascially, he means..."Get me something on him so I can violate him and put his ass back into prison." Thank God the Lt. is a very fair person whose only requirement his that his registrants abide by the rules of the registration.

New development with my daughter. Her ex found out where her safe room was so we had to move her to another location. It is really sad that he remains free while she remains locked up with her fears. She had to change her cell phone number because she was getting hundreds of blocked phone calls a day. The justice system does not work in favor for the victims. They do not protect the victims or even give them hope. With his past history of assaulting women, he should have never been allowed to post bail. Not only is he harassing my daughter, he tried to run my husband off the road. And every so often, I still see a car parked across the street with their bright lights trained on my house. When my husband is at work, I go to bed at night with a baseball bat, a can of hair spray and a lighter. I figure if he does break in, he has to go through my 115 pound Belgium Shepherd. If he succeeds in getting by those big fangs, then I am going to have a surprise waiting for him. And believe me, I will not hesitate to do what I have to do to keep him from getting his hands on me.

My husband's annual parole termination hearing is this month. We know that the chance of him getting off supervised parole is slim to none, since his PO said it would never happen, but still we try. He's been appointed a new federal public defender. A young guy who was a very aggressive trial lawyer from New York. So while our chances are slim, the hearing should prove to be very interesting.

I think I've caught you up to date with my news. Don't forget to check out my interview. The site is posted in my previous blog. She did include a little about my husband's story on a side bar....so the interview was a success. (Just be warned...the picture of me is terrible. They wanted my serious side..lol)

So, in closing, How have you all been? Thanks to those who have continued to read my blogs and left me comments. I publish all comments, favorable or not. After all, this is supposedly a free country where you are entitled to your own pinion.

Catch My Interview

2008-12-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=9227&type=UTTM

This link will lead you to my interview in the Daily Record, a Baltmore, MD newspaper. Let me know what you think.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Sandy

My Daughter: Beaten and Choked....A look at Domestic Abuse

2008-11-24T19:23:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't been writing lately. Had another form of advocating to do. My daughter's boyfriend of 6 years came home one night and began punching her and put her in a wrestling move which traumatized her shoulder and choked her. Then, he wouldn't let her go to get medical help nor would he even allow her to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. She was sound asleep and was rudely awakened by his beating her. Granted, this is not the first time he has hit her...but this time...Her eyes have been opened. He let her go to work the next morning by holding her dog hostage. He knew he had to let her go to work because he knew that when I couldn't get up with her...I'd be sending the Calvary over there. I took her to the ER and the Sheriff Deputy questioned her and took pictures. Then they went and arrested him. Course, several hours later his mommy bailed him out. Any way...he has a long history of abuse. His last girlfriend pressed charges against him.....he was charged with attempted murder, assault first degree, kidnapping, false imprisonment. They offered him a plea bargain, he plead guilty to 2nd degree assault, spent 18 months in prison and was allowed work release. Not only did he do the same thing to her as with my daughter, but he tortured her for hours by making her stand while he threw "D" batteries at her feet...severely bruising them. He locked her in a room when he went to work and she had to climb out the window. Course, the story he told my daughter was that during an argument, his ex had knifed the inside of his mustang and he slapped her a couple of times. Now my daughter and his first ex are good friends and helping each other. Seems that the whole time he was with my daughter, he was still stalking and harassing his ex. Currently, he is being charged with aggravated assault. (5-10). But they are trying after a tougher charge due to his size compared to hers...he is 5 foot 11...285 pounds. She is 5 foot 4 and 140 pounds!!! So needless to say, I've been writing and calling who ever I can. He's free at the present time, while these women are constantly looking over their shoulders and my daughter can't sleep at night since every sound she hears she gets up to look out the window. And his court date is Jan. 2009.

So my question? These domestic abusers of women never stop. They continue over and over again until they finally kill someone. So why do they not have a registry for those who beat on women? Do they think that sexual abuse is the only crime against women? And look at the nearly nothing sentence he got......no lifetime of probation, no registration...no nothing...free to do it again and again. And guess what would have happened if one of these women were to fight back and accidentally kill him? That's right...life in prison. Yet he got 18 months for attempted murder, kidnapping, and torture (though he wasn't charged with that).

Justice? I don't think so. Justice would be locking him up, throwing away the key...and him getting punked by all those inmates who utterly despise a woman beater. I hope he gets a dish of his own medicine night after night for the next 15-20 years!!!!

That's my baby he beat and could have easily snapped her neck. Her shoulder was messed up, she had several lumps on her head where he punched her, her lip was busted where he back handed her several times when she tried to talk to him, bruises all over her neck from him choking her, pettichaie around her eyes from choking, swollen eye where he hit her on her left temple. Monster is the only word to describe him.

So why are sex offenders, remember the statistics, they rarely re-offend, the object of the Witch Hunts? It's time we change the target to the one group who never stop....the man who physically beats the woman. Normally, sex has nothing to do with it...it's the fear that they get off on.

Yes...I'm rambling. I'm still wired up about what happened. And yes, I'm attempting to make this case as public as I can so there will be no plea bargains this time!!!!

Hello!!! It's been soooooooooo long!

2008-11-16T17:36:00.016-05:00

Boy do I have a lot to tell you. Sorry I haven't written any earlier!!! Remember, I told you about my back injury? Well...worker's comp are still with holding my loss wages and still refusing to allow my pain management treatment. I'm rescheduled for Nov. 25th so keep your fingers crossed!!! Haven't heard a thing from my lawyer...so I don't know what's going on!!I was interviewed!!!! A reporter saw my blog and wanted to interview me!!!! She wanted the wife's side of what its like to love an RSO and the hassles of our daily lives. She also asked a lot of questions about my husband's story......and she is going to interview him Monday!! She even sent a photographer to get my picture. This is really exciting!! Not only is it good for the cause....MD Citizens 4 Sex Offender Justice...but its good for my husband. Just maybe...if his story gets out.....the public won't be so ignorant about the fact that there truly are innocent men and women on the registry. O.K......that's wishful thinking!!! I receive a lot of trash in with the good....You know the kind..."Sure, sweetie...they all say their innocent....." "Why...of all people...did you pick a sex offender?" Course....all those who sent me the trash were also so ignorant as to label him as a pedophile!!! See..that's why its so important to get these registries changed...everyone is grouped together as child sex offenders!! The same laws apply to everyone!! Course, I know I am really going to get trashed once the interview gets out...But at this point...as Scarlet said in "Gone With the Wind" or was it Rhett Butler? Any way..."I don't give a damn!" If my interview helps just one person see the light..then it was worth it!!! If it makes just one person curious to learn more...than it was worth it!!!Nothing to report on my husband's side. He got a new therapist...did I tell you? Any way...he trusts her as far as he can throw her....and she weighs 400 pounds!! She managed to offend my husband and me on his first session by not letting me in with him. His other therapist thought it was important to get to know me and how he is with me to find out what kind of man he is today. But no...not his new one...she keeps dredging up the past....asking him how he managed in prison for all those years....asking him if he's angry....stupid stuff like that. She doesn't care one iota about the man he is today. The fact that since he's met me...he's more at peace...happier than he's ever been...and more hopeful about the future. And that he finally has something and someone to live for!!! I wonder what her initials after her name mean? Can't mean licensed clinical therapist...because she has no clue about being a therapist. And my husband even asked her how she could be an effective therapist if her client doesn't trust her? She couldn't respond to that....LOL. So I'll sign off for now.....How was your weekend? Hope it was great!!!!!!!!

Education is the Key to Understanding and Peace of Mind

2008-10-19T14:16:00.001-04:00

Education: Key to Understanding and Peace of Mind

Americans crave education. Once educated, Americans are no longer victims to the scare tactics used by officials of power. It is time for Americans to be educated on the subject no one wants to talk about: Sex Offenders.
A colleague of mine recently had an encounter in a restaurant. The woman beside him started up a conversation concerning another man in the restaurant whom she recognized from the Sex Offender Registry. She asked a couple of questions: “I wonder what the re-offense rate of sex offenders is?” And “How many on the registry have been falsely convicted?” Long story short, when she found out the answers, she stated “I feel so stupid!” Like this woman, the facts will surprise you.
This article will attempt to answer to answers those questions and more for you. Listed below are 10 Myths and the Facts:
Ten Myths About Sex Offenders
Recidivism is defined as repeat criminal behavior among offenders.
Of all crimes, sex offenders are widely believed to have the highest level of recidivism. However, treatment professionals and criminologists have known for some time that once sex offenders are caught, only a small minority of them will commit another sex crime. Although some pedophiles, before they are caught, have many victims, most have a single victim in or about their own family. . In recent years social scientists and criminologists have combed through an immense accumulation of data from hundreds of studies, which have tracked tens of thousands of individual sex offenders for long periods of time, some even for decades. By 1994, 670 studies of sex offenders had been done and by the end of 2005 well over 700. Many of these studies have been systematized through a methodology called meta-analysis. The resulting data reveal that many common myths about sex offenders are simply false. We outline here some of them.
MYTH #1: "SEX OFFENDERS WILL ALWAYS KEEP OFFENDING."
Recently the Bureau of Justice Statistics published a study which tracked 9,700 sex offenders for three years, 2001-2004. Their findings concluded:
Only 5.3% of these people imprisoned for sex crimes were rearrested for a subsequent sex offense.
Where a child was involved, the re-arrest rate dropped to 3.3%.
Between two adults, the sexual re-offense rate was 2.2%.
A more multifaceted meta-analysis was done in 2004 by the office of Canada's Solicitor General, Karl Hanson. This analysis involved 95 studies tracking 31,000 sex offenders. These studies had an average follow-up period of 5 years and found:
The recidivism rate for once-caught pedophiles was 12.7%.
The overall once caught recidivism rate (includes adult victims) was 13.7%.
Contrary to widespread public opinion, once-caught sex offenders have a very low recidivism rate. With or without treatment, more than 87% of the once-caught do not commit another sex crime. With treatment, the likelihood of re-offending is even lower.
In contrast, according to the 2004 U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics study, 69% of all other types of criminals go back to prison, and they do so within five years. Over a longer period of time, other FBI statistics show, about 74% of all other types of offenders return to prison.
When that figure is compared to only 2% to 13%, the recidivism rate for sex offenders in reality is only a tiny fraction of what it is for other types of crime. This is not what the public believes and certainly not what they have heard. As the trackings of tens of thousands clearly attest, most people learn from their mistakes, and sex offenders are no exception. Just getting caught changes the behavior of most individuals.
MYTH #2: "TREATMENT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE."
The public has been told for years that treatment doesn't work, that "for sex offenders nothing works," but here too a myriad of major studies indicates otherwise:
The Campbell Collaboration analysis of 22,000 individuals found that treatment reduced recidivism by 37%.
Canada's Karl Hanson's 2000 analysis found a reduction of 41%.
Oshkosh Correctional's meta-analysis from 79 separate studies of over 11,000 sex offenders found that people who participated in treatment programs had a 59% re-arrest reduction.
According to Alexander's 1998 study, "Men arrested for having sex with children are usually overcome with shame and remorse and they want to stop. Since 1943 those who were treated in jails, hospitals and outpatient clinics found their way back to prison at a rate that was approximately one-third of those who had no treatment."
By 2005, most all preventative programs showed that re-arrest rates were being reduced by greater than half. With some of the latest deep aversion and victim empathy regimens, reductions were reported as high as 91%.
There is now a credible concurrence that "treatment works" and that new programs are becoming increasingly more successful., .
MYTH #3: "THE GREATEST THREAT TO OUR CHILDREN COMES FROM STRANGERS."
According to the most recent major study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2004), where 9,700 sex offenders were tracked, only 7% of such crimes against children were perpetrated by strangers.
The majority (93%) of molestations of children are not committed by strangers but by people who are known and trusted within or about the family.
Throughout the last decade, other arrest studies have found similar results. Most sex offenses are committed by a family member or guardian/family member (often some parental substitute).
It may be a trusted uncle, father, stepfather, mother, family friend, a teacher, coach or a priest; but in almost all cases the culprit is not a stranger.
If we keep in mind that 93% of the culprits are family or known to the family, and that 87% of sex offenders who are caught do not re-offend, then it would seem that most registries or residency restrictions or tracking of individuals will be very close to a waste of time. Such procedures will not make our communities any safer. In fact, there's evidence such measures will do the opposite.
MYTH #4: "BANNING SEX OFFENDERS FROM PLACES WHERE CHILDREN CONGREGATE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY PROTECT OUR CHILDREN."
To claim school yards, daycare centers and other places where children congregate need legislation or Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) geo-fence to keep sex offenders away may sound sensible, but again the facts do not fit the reality.
The fact is that most sex offenses take place in or near one's home and that only 7% involve strangers. Furthermore, only a tiny percentage of sex offenders have any history of kidnapping or molesting children unknown to them.
Perhaps among the safest places for children to be are those where they are together in numbers. School personnel are paying more attention than ever before, and older kids are keeping more of a watchful eye. People --even kids-- look out for each other in public places.
Finally, making it difficult for sex offenders to find places to reside means that they will have a much harder time re-integrating themselves into society, which is what most of them want to do.
MYTH #5: "TOUGHER LEGISLATION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION."
In the U.S., our judges are learned and principled and render few decisions without due diligence. Very stiff punishments for child murderers are certainly called for, but punishment is just only when it is proportioned to the severity of the crime. Such judgments should remain in the courts, subject to very specific deliberations --they should not be rendered in the legislatures, where careful deliberation is impossible.
If legislation is based on the false premise that recidivism is inevitable rather than rare, and if blurs the line between sex offense and murder, then it will result in laws that promote public shaming and permanent exclusion. These laws presume and promote lifelong guilt, ruling out all hope of change. Thus they not only clearly violate the Constitution, but they actually encourage more of the very crimes we are trying to reduce.
If we truly want fewer victims, we should adopt a more holistic approach to reintegrating sex offenders back into society. The focus should shift from more and harsher punishment to the funding of good treatment programs. Although such a shift may have little current appeal among the public today, treatment is the only sure way that we will see fewer victims of these types of crime.
Given all the degrees that sexual offenses can take, one type of sentence does not fit all. What do you do with a 17-year-old who had sex with a 15-year-old? What do you do if he was 19? What if it was consensual? Does he get registered for a lifetime as a sex offender? What about an 8-year-old who plays doctor? What if he's 14? That fact is that nowadays even juvenile sex offenders are being branded for life.
MYTH #6: "THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THEM IS PUT THEM BEHIND BARS."
Today, with two and quarter million inmates, our country has more people in jails and prisons than it does in all our colleges and universities combined. When three-quarters of all offenders are going back to prison, just funding more prison cells isn't the answer.
If our goal were to mass produce criminals, we couldn't be doing a better job. Without treatment programs, our prisons have become huge breweries, woefully turning out more of the same product, each generation more hardened and more dangerous than the last. If ever we're to make our societies more just and our communities more secure, our goal must be to make some serious changes and not just keep doing more of the same.
If we got more serious about funding preventative programs, then our courts could establish good treatment programs that would start from the first day of a criminal's first conviction. The result would be many fewer victims of all sorts of crimes, including sexual abuse of children.
Presently there is little or no rehabilitation taking place in our prisons; there is just more and more fruitless incarceration. We need to wake up about what we are brewing and start legislating intelligently, so that offenders can really get rehabilitated and contribute constructively to society.
MYTH #7: "MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES ARE EFFECTIVE AND WILL HELP PROTECT SOCIETY."
Although the public may believe that extremely stiff, mandatory minimum sentences and lock'em up strategies send a message that deters crime, history tells another story.
Criminologists point out that such laws, even when publicized, are not all that effective. Often, in the heat of actual violence, perpetrators do not even think about consequences. At such moments of blinding rage and confusion, there are generally few thoughts of penalties or sentences, severe or otherwise.
Conversely, we do know that extremely harsh mandatory sentences have prompted some of the very types of crime they are intended to stem. When a perpetrator is aware of particularly dire consequences if he's caught, that fear can lead him to cause even greater harm for the victim. A person facing a stiff sentence like a mandatory 25 years to life, or even a death sentence, may decide his chances are better if he eliminates the victim and any possible witness. What might have been a lesser crime then often gets even worse.
It may seem a paradox, but the stiffer the consequences, the more Jessicas, Megans and Polly Klaases will likely be the result. It is understandable that with such terrible murders come calls for tougher punishments. However, the problem with legislation launched in anger is that it invariably ends up punishing not only those who deserve punishment, but also those who do not.
MYTH #8: "SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES ARE NECESSARY TO PROTECT SOCIETY."
Posting names, addresses and photographs on a Sex Offender Registry is not only a risk to those on the list; it can also lead to unintended, inappropriate and destructive consequences for the whole community.
Registries tend to treat all sex offenders the same way, without reference to the severity of their offense, their responsiveness to treatment, or current assessment of the risk they pose. It is seen by some as an opportunity to harass the offenders and even worse.
While it is certainly in order to professionally monitor and discipline sex offenders for various prudent periods, we must also try to be fair about how offenders are handled. Permanently branding them on registries or making targets of them with conspicuous tracking devices will only aggravate the problems, not solve them. Unfortunately, when a partially informed public is allowed and encouraged to become watchdogs, sex offenders face greater risk of confrontations by the public, due mainly to anger and hostility. Some people even feel that they have a warrant to harass offenders and make life miserable for them.
Since the start of Community Notification, there has been a growing number of serious beatings, not only of sex offenders, but sometimes of their family members or people with whom they live. Some confrontations have led to tragedies. Two sex offenders were murdered in Maine. In this case, the victims were no longer likely threats; one was simply a young man who at 17 had a 15-year-old girlfriend. Had their names, addresses and photographs not been on the state's registry, had the two been simply monitored by probation and treatment professionals, they would not have been spotlighted by some zealot who apparently thought he was doing the work of God.
A little wall sign at one of NCIA's clinics gets a lot of applause from those in treatment:
"Permanent brandings may be all right for cattle,but they shouldn't be for people."
If we want to be humane, that sign is correct. If we want former offenders to regain their health and not be always on the run, we should not set them up to be stalked. Vengeful prescriptions that call only for more and more punishment will not produce a cure. Since so few of the once-caught remain a threat, there are smarter approaches than alarming communities with registries and turning all levels of former offenders over to the general public for surveillance.
MYTH #9: "TRACKING DEVICES ARE A PRACTICAL AND JUST MEANS FOR KEEPING SEX OFFENDERS UNDER SURVEILLANCE."
If we want fewer victims of sexual offenses, the primary goal should be to reintegrate former offenders peacefully back into society as law-abiding citizens. This cannot be done if we keep them in fear and on the run. Tracking devices that have to be worn conspicuously only make targets of the people we are trying to reintegrate into society.
When offenders are made to wear GPS bracelets, with one worn on the ankle and another on the wrist, they are big, bulky and hard to keep hidden. For anyone who has to wear them, they are a scarlet letter, a crippling stigma of shame.
If we want to keep sex-offenders on track, turning them into prey on registries or spotlighting them with bulky tracking bracelets on both arm and leg is not the answer. Making a dartboard of any human being is clearly more an act of revenge than an aid in stemming crime. The vigilante mentality is still strong in many places: one man on a sex offender registry found the severed head of his pet dog on the front porch of his house.
Sadly, the new legislation being created is aimed more at increasing punishment and appeasing the public than it is at actually making our communities safer. When the public is as misinformed and angry as they are, it is a perilous mistake to give them the addresses and photographs of all sex offenders, particularly without the background of their crimes or updated individual assessments of risk.
The monitoring of sex offenders will always be better handled by knowledgeable treatment professionals carefully coordinating their efforts with police and parole officers than by the varied mercies of an angry, upset and partially informed populace. If GPS devices need to be used, there now exist cell phones with GPS chips, which not only give the person’s precise location but allow immediate voice contact with the person.
Unless we want to go back two centuries to the ghoulish practices of Salem, we should not get caught up in the intoxications of revenge that only fuel harassment and witch hunts.
MYTH #10: "THE EXPERTS SAY THAT STRONG, REPRESSIVE MEASURES ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP SEX OFFENDERS FROM RE-OFFENDING."
Below are some revealing quotes from various experts and authors who have studied sex offender legislation and treatment.
Tom Masters, Program Director, Correctional Treatment Services at Oregon State Hospital:
Unfortunately a lot of crime legislation is a function of politics and does not lead to rehabilitation or community safety.
Margaret Love, former Justice Department Pardon Attorney, writes:
Mean spirited vengeful legislation is only an incitement to vigilante injustice masquerading as a responsible public safety measure.
In the June 2006 issue of National Wildlife, Richard Law summarizes some studies on how we in America have become so overcome by fear. Here are some excerpts:
Fear is felt nearly intensely in suburban Overland Park, Kansas, as it is in urban Philadelphia. One suburban father told me, "I want to know where my kid is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I want to know where that kid is. Which hours. Which square foot. Which telephone number. As a parent, I have felt that fear but consider the facts:
The number of abductions by strangers has been falling for years.
Most abductors are family members.
U.S. children are safer now than they have been since 1975.According to the 2005 Duke University Child Well Being Index, violent victimization of children has dropped by more than 38 percent.
A 1991 study found that in 1990, the radius within which children were allowed to roam on their own from home had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970.
What has increased is round-the-clock news coverage of a few tragedies, conditioning families to live in fear.
In the June 2, 2006, San Francisco Chronicle Mark Martin, Peter Firmrite and Greg Lucas wrote an article that made the following points:
Residency prohibitions on sex offenders have become increasingly popular across the country, despite any statistical evidence that they limit assaults on children. At least 18 states have some restrictions on where parolees live.
Niki Delson, a licensed clinical social worker who has worked for 30 years with sex offenders and their victims and who is chairwoman of the California Coalition on Sexual Offending, says: "Where someone lives has no relation to the commission of a crime". She calls residency requirements "a smoke screen that does little to help children".
Jill Levenson, a professor at Lynn University says: "Restricting where parolees live can actually do more harm than good. Such requirements tend to push them out of metropolitan areas where they are further away from job opportunities, families, treatment options and all the things we know that will reduce recidivism.
A review of residence restrictions Levenson published noted that both Minnesota and Colorado prison officials studied patterns of sex offenders on parole and found no correlation between new offenses the parolees committed and where they lived. Neither state adopted residency requirements.
Corwin Ritchie, Executive Director at the Iowa County Attorney's Association, stated:
In 2002, Iowa enacted a law that prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or daycare center. The law has overburdened law enforcement, has concentrated sex offenders in areas where they are allowed to live, and has led to an increase in the number of sex offenders who have stopped registering with local authorities and gone missing. I defy anyone to try and convince me, scientifically or logically, that those requirements have any affect at all. It makes great sense politically, but has no affect whatsoever on public safety.
James Poniewozik, staff writer for Time Magazine, wrote on October 16, 2006:
Strangers make up 7% of child molesters; the vast majority are family members. But you wouldn't know it from watching TV. When stranger predators are everywhere on TV, it suggests that they are everywhere in the real world: in your school yard, roaming your street, and --especially-- climbing the DSL line into your kids' bedrooms like an ivied trellis.
Robert Freeman-Longo, former director of the Safer Society, stated:
You ban somebody from the community, he has no friends, he feels bad about himself, and you reinforce the very problems that contribute to sex abuse behavior in the first place. You make him a worse sex offender.
CONCLUSION
Knowing of NCIA's work and having seen this report, author/researcher Henry Scammell volunteered the following:
The public has been misled into believing that sex offenders are around every corner and that even those who have been caught will go on to offend forever. The first fear is irrational and the second is less true of sex offenses than of virtually any other type of crime. The only public policies with any hope of success are those based on reliable research instead of fears, and on scientific facts rather than easy political fixes fed by misconceptions. Fear is a poor basis for public policy. It raises a nearly unbreachable barrier to the truth. And a policy that is based on the realities --of low recidivism, of responsiveness to treatment and of the relationship between the vast majority of offenders and their victims-- offers the only hope for reducing or eliminating one of our society’s saddest and most challenging problems.
If we keep in mind the reality that once a sex offender is caught, most of the problem ceases, that preventative programs can cure almost all the rest of the once caught, then clearly treatment must be the goal. When you hear a politician calling for tougher sentences and not backing it up with dollars for treatment programs, then he is looking for votes, not solutions. The public's fear would not be so intense today if it were not being propelled by all the exaggerated and often totally false recidivism claims. There have been too many "scarathons" that claim that the boogeyman has become much larger than he really is. Even though the public imagines the molester-kidnapper is everywhere, that simply is not the case. Because of all the clamor and panic, what criminologists and treatment scholars have learned to date has plainly not been heard by the public. Sadly, what has been spawned politically so far, such as sex registries and residency restrictions, are measures that will do nothing to make our communities safer, but in fact will do more harm. If we want fewer sex offenders and fewer victims of these types of crime, we have got to be more levelheaded. We should see to it that the public and our legislators inform themselves better about these myths and learn to distinguish the reality from the many distorted ideas that are abroad.
Copyright 2007-2008 ReformSexOffenderLaws.Org Group

As you can see, sex offenders are one of the least re-offenders. Surprising still, is the fact that it’s not strangers that we need to worry about harming our children, but someone you know and trust. Good to know around Halloween. And did you know, not even one sexual abuse has ever been committed during trick or treat.
So why are they in the news all the time? For one, all though some but not all offenses are against children. This makes it a front page story and acts as a very powerful scare tactic. A better choice for parents and for women in general would be to teach and practice safety. Why s it just during Halloween do we print, educate, and encourage safety? These are rules that should be followed every day. Women, you need to take it one step further: 1) Always lock your doors to your car, your home and even your windows. 2) Ask for an escort if you leave work or the mall at night. 3) Take self defense classes and practice until it’s a reflex. Self defense classes teach more than how to physically protect yourself, they teach you to act smart and think safe. I had myself and my daughter is self defense classes not once but twice. Once when she was 8 years old and again when she was 14. And we practiced. From the time she was a toddler, I preached safety and educated on strangers. We had a password when she was in school and we have one now even though she is 24 years old. It is what you do as a parent that makes your child safer, not what is posted on the internet, or on the doors during Halloween.
The other question to be discussed “How many sex offenders are falsely accused?”
More than you realize. According to the Innocence Project, there has been 223 post conviction DNA exonerations in the United States alone. Common causes of the wrongful convictions were: poverty, racial issues, eye witness misidentification, corrupt scientist, corrupt police, corrupt FBI agents, corrupt prosecutors or inept defense counsel. Unfortunately for many, the Innocence Project only takes on cases where DNA can be tested. There are many innocent men and women, still being punished for a crime they did not commit. Why? Because they have been told that all the evidence collected when they were convicted in the 1970’s and 1980’s had been destroyed. So until we can find a way to help these people, we will never know the true number of innocent people who are paying for crimes they did not commit.
I hope this article helps you make more educated and informed decisions in the future. I also hope it helps you to distinguish what is just a scare tactic and what is fact.
If you need more answers, you may e-mail me at sdk5460@yahoo.com.
Or you can visit the National website www.reformsexoffenderlaws.org

Education is the key to understanding and peace of mind.

Sandy Kennedy
Chairperson
Maryland Citizens For Sex Offender Justice

Might as well give us a flashing red light!!!

2008-10-16T16:23:00.002-04:00

I just found out that not only will we have to put a "No Candy" sign on our door...but they are going to provide the signs....Not mentioning the fact that no porch light....and my husband has to stay home....what happens if he needs to go to work? Well, since everyone will have the same sign...that's like advertising that a sex offender lives here. We haven't got ours yet...but I bet it says somewhere...by the order of the Sheriff's Dept. I bet our place will definitely be the target during mischief night! And I'm going to time the cops to see how long it takes them to get here....6 hours later......if we're lucky!!

So..........HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOU!!

A Salute

2008-10-14T20:18:00.002-04:00

Tonight I received an e-mail from one of he members of the MdCSOJ with a story to tell. He had encountered this woman in a restaurant. She spoke breifly with him and stated that another customer in the restaurant was a face she had seen on the Sex Offender Registry. When he said he was involved in an organization to reform sex offender laws, registries and to educate the public....she asked him about the statistics on re-offence rates and wrongful conviction numbers. Upon his request, I contacted this woman with the information she requested. I must tell you that with the public I deal with on a day to day basis...she is a breath of fresh air!! She actually wanted to know facts instead of jumping to conclusions. What a perfect world it would be if more human beings were like her. This man's encounter has given me hope and also the knowledge that the public does need education on facts instead of myths used in the scare tactics from law makers and others. Thus inspired...I have been given the energy to work diligently on my education piece and hope to get it out before month's end.

To this unknown woman..........Thank you and I salute you!!!!

Has anyone else ever had such encounters that you would like to share? Or maybe some bad encounters that you can share that will enlighten us as to what the public needs so they will hopefully not make such harsh judgements in the future.

Calling All Advocates For Sex Offender Justice

2008-10-12T10:04:00.003-04:00

I recently e-mailed all the senators and other government officials, including the president, the letter below. Please take a few minutes to do the same. It concerns the KIDS Act bill that would require all sex offenders to register their e-mail address, their computers etc. It will also mean, that every time you go on a site from your computer that you will be flagged as being a sex offender. How unjust is that. AND it will cost millions to billions of dollars to set in place. Money to be paid by tax payers. With our economy the way it is...do you have extra money to put out for another witch hunt??

We do not approve the passage of this law. It is just another example of the witch hunt out there targeting all sex offenders. They are all grouped together and the public assumes that they all are child predators. What about the one's who are not? What about the one's who were wrongfully convicted and are just trying to get their case back into court? What about the wives, children and family of the sex offender who use the same computer? Are they going to cause more harm to their family member just because they are using that computer?? It was passed in just a few minutes, late at night by 4 people. How suspicious is that? Our ECONOMY should be your TOP PRIORITY not passing bills that will mean millions to billions of dollars being spent to target one group of offenders.

Sandra Kennedy
Chairperson
MD Citizens For Sex Offender Justice
and
State Organizer
Reform Sex Offender Laws Org.

Feel free to copy and paste my letter to save some time....

Halloween

2008-10-06T08:05:00.002-04:00

I had gotten a e-mail from a couple of people concerning Halloween. Since we haven't received anything as of yet, I googled it. I don't know what the state's plan is for this year but last year...
1) A "NO Candy" sign had to be posted on your door
2) Porch lights had to be OFF
3) Absolutely NO Halloween decorations
4) Could not leave the house during the hours of "Trick or Treat"
5) If you had to go to work...could not travel roads that go by streets where kids go trick or treating
6) Police/sheriff dept will be knocking on doors to see if you're compliant.
7) OH...and you can't have your ownHalloween party with family and friends

The person who wrote the e-mail said to contact your state's ACLU if you are having problems with this.

This really SUCKS!!! I love to decorate for the Holidays...any holiday. This is going a little bit too far....I can see turning the porch lights off...everyone knows..NO LIGHT NO CANDY. But to be made to not put up decorations, to post a "NO Candy" sign like a scarlett letter announcing to everyone that you are a sex offender, can't leave the house and can't have your own party....Come on...that's against my civil rights. If I want to have a party and invite family and friends (who know you are a sex offender in the first place) why can't I? If we want to decorate...what's the harm? Can't even have a pumpkin out...CRAZY!!!!!

Has anyone gotten a letter like this yet for this year? Care to share your experiences for last year?? I heard some P.O.'s went so far as had a meeting during trick or treat hours for all their parolees to attend..just so they would know where they are and make sure they were off the streets.

And the pile of crap keeps getting deeper..

2008-10-01T19:22:00.002-04:00

Sorry. Usually I try to keep this clean...but there are some things that can only be described with one word, crap! I don't know if I mentioned it or not...but my husband has been in the sex offender counseling program for 7+ years and its a 2 year program. All compliments of his PO. Well, there was an issue with his medical records and he complained. So because of his complaint the head honcho at this counseling practice in cahoots with his PO, removed my husband's present therapist from his case. His therapist has been with him almost 6 years. They assigned another therapist...who is a supervisor at this practice and was also directly involved with the incident concerning his records. More stuff happened but unfortunately I can't say. But as his therapist was saying why she was removed and basically saying good bye...I was so angry I was shaking. (Yes, when I can, I go with my husband. After all we are in this together!) My husband noticed and he said he figured it wasn't because I was cold. So how much more is my husband expected to endure? How much more crap is his PO going to make him go through? Are all PO's like this? Determined to make their charges fail in any way they can...even if they have to make something up? Or did my husband just draw the short straw? I hope someone out there will share their experiences with their PO. That way I can tell if they are all that way or just my husband's. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my husband will not say he is guilty of the crime he was convicted of. Why would he say he was guilty when he did not do it? So his PO is just trying to break him....Oh well...what comes around goes around.

Please share with me....

Another Lonely Night On Delmarva

2008-09-28T22:08:00.002-04:00

Here I am again, alone with only my "son" to keep me company. My husband has just gone out on the road. Will be back some time tomorrow night..late. I hate these times but love them too. I hate them because I hate to be away from my husband, my best friend. And I hate them because I have too much time to think. What do I think about? All the injustice that has happened and continues to happen to my husband. No one cares that a innocent man's life has been ruined and is continuing to be ruined by a conviction of a crime he did not commit. I get so angry knowing that the people (the 3 FBI agents, the prosecutor and a couple of judges) are still walking around in positions of power with no guilty conscience of ruining a man's life. And then I wonder...How many other innocent people did they "fix" the evidence just to get a conviction? No one is interested in a 28 year old story. No one cares that it may happen to someone they love since these same people are still in their positions or have even received promotions. We are still waiting for a decision on his judicial complaint. That could take another year or two. More of his appeals have been brushed off. I feel like taking out a full page ad and advertising his story...my husband laughed..."Do you realize how much that would cost?" Course providing that they would print it after I paid for the advertisement. They haven't printed anything to date. Even Oprah and Dr. Phil have been a big disappointment. Nothing, nada. Not even a "Sorry" can't use it. 48 hours and 60 minutes, the same...nothing. (Can't you tell I'm rolling in self pity tonight...no not self pity but frustration that no one wants to help this wonderful man, my husband. No one cares) These are the times that I wonder...why does celebrities get front page head lines because they are loosing too much weight and no one wants to read about a true story of cover up, federal mis-conduct, judicial mis-conduct? What are Americans becoming? Where are those investigative reporters who would have sold their soul for an exclusive?

Then let's go to the sex offender injustice? Did you hear about the GPS implants? Or about the one company who is selling their service that before you buy a house...let them investigate the neighbor hood to see if there are any sex offenders..or bring them (this company) in as a community watch security service and anyone that tries to buy a house in your community they will do a back ground check on them to see if they are a sex offender. And I bet people are buying into this company. I mean, with all these scare tactics running wild....Americans have forgotten to use their common sense.

Every now and then, my husband will reminiscence about his time in prison. I listen and cry silently inside. Can you believe that an official had actually ordered for him to be physically castrated? Thank GOD he won the emergency appeal on that one. He tells tales of all those head-liner famous criminals that he has rubbed elbows with. Actually, one made the headlines again a while back. (Sorry...no I won't name any names)And you know what this sweet wonderful man said to me: "If he had to go through it all over again just to meet me, he would because I was the best thing that has ever happened to him". Oh...man I'm crying. Oh well...good for the soul I guess. I'll sign off now. Work day tomorrow.

Sorry, Haven't written for a while

2008-09-26T17:49:00.002-04:00

My life has been kind of hectic. Hurt my back at work, had an x-ray, found out I have a T12 fracture of the vertebrae. Had bone density scan..no osteoporosis. So how did I get this fracture? My doc doesn't seem to think I got it when I hurt my back at work. But that's the only time I've ever had any trauma to my back. So between, light duty work (you know they don't let you have any missed days when its worker's comp), going to physical therapy and surfing the web for any new ridiculous laws they are trying to pass concerning sex offenders...I've been rather busy.

Any way, my husband is up to his eyeballs with legal stuff...he loves to sock it to them. And its coming along. No further visits from our favorite (LOL) a#* hole PO. No further incidents with the Sheriff's Deputy...so things are going well.

My husband and I were talking the other night about this fantasy town. One that is owned and governed by sex offenders. No visitors allowed unless you register..including parole officers, state officials, etc. We'd have our own businesses, own government, make our own laws. Could walk the streets without fear of retaliation. How cool does that sound? He said we'd probably be such a rich town that so many non sex offenders would want to come live there. And he's probably right. We'd be working for something that is ours...and will have to prove to the outside community that we are not the slime balls that they think we are. Course...it would have to be a town somewhere where it is warm. I hate snow and cold. Have any of you ever dreamed of such a place? Where our kids could go to school without being judged or made to feel ashamed? Where you could work where you want without fear of a criminal background check or the topic of sex offender registration? I have and I love the idea...Our own special town with its own very special townspeople. People like you who want to make a difference in their lives. Oh well...its nice to dream? And how have you been? Any dreams or fantasies that you can share? Keep it clean please!!!!

When I got home from work yesterday...

2008-09-19T15:45:00.002-04:00

I just had to write about this. When I got home from work yesterday, the sheriff's car was at my neighbor's house picking up some teenage boy for something. He stared at me(the deputy in sheriff's car) as I was pulling into our drive way. He pulled out of my neighbor's drive way but then stopped and watched me as I got out of the car and headed into the house. (Yes, my husband had gotten home before me. ) Then he went on his way. Several thoughts were running through my head: Was he checking to see who was going into the house of a sex offender? Or was this some kind of scare tactic to let us know that we are being watched? The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning toward the scare tactic scenario. But, it doesn't scare me...it infuriates me!!! We have nothing to hide! My husband has a clean record and has always walked on the right side of the law. To me, this is harassment. During all these stupid laws and continued witch hunts...my husband keeps saying how glad he is that his DNA is in the national data bank. For this I am thankful too. They can't come pick him up for just "questioning" whenever there is a rape. So while many of you or your husbands, boyfriends, etc., may balk at giving a DNA sample...IT IS FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION!! In this day and time, you can not afford not to have your DNA in the national data bank.

One more thing: Did any of you get the notice that Congress is trying to join up with Oprah with a nation wide task force to keep sexual predators(who prey on children via Internet) to be monitored? They are planning to spend billions of dollars to do so. Since I've written so many letters to congress, I signed up for their newsletters via e-mail. I received this one with an offer to reply on whether or not I support their efforts. I'm sure you know how I responded. I told them that they need to get a handle on these other stupid bills that violates sex offenders rights and to get better educated before they step into anything else. I also suggested that they stop the witch hunt on sex offenders and turn their attention on other issues such as the drug dealers who prey on our children: get them hooked by giving it to them free, have them give it to their friends, and then turn them all in to dealers who also use any means to get more of the stuff...such as steal...

Just thought I'd keep everyone up-dated on my week. How was your week???

Astounded and Speechless

2008-09-13T17:26:00.002-04:00

First of all, if you haven't read any of the comments attached to my blogs, you are missing some really great stories, that are at the same time heart breaking. Thank you everyone for sharing your own life stories. In one of my replies, I stated that America is not the Land of the free nor the Land of Freedom of speech. Its sad to think that our ancestors fought so many years ago to give us the right to freedom of speech for nothing. They died for nothing! Just like our young men and women today, who are fighting so hard in the Armed Forces, many losing their lives, all having their lives changed forever......FOR NOTHING!!! As long as we have people in power who prey on the public with scare tactics...America and for the Freedom that was so diligently fought for, is lost. And, those same people know that they are safe. Why? Because the group of people they have targeted, no longer have the right to vote. And the people who do have a right to vote, such as the families, friends of sex offenders, are not taken seriously and are so out numbered by those who believe such scare tactics. Thus, the people who believe in such scare tactics, continue to keep these people in the position of power because they think they are being protected. Since the majority of you who are reading my blog, know the facts. Sex offenders are the least likely to re-offend than any other criminal. So, while they are targeting the sex offenders, they are blinding the public from the real threat: The high rate re-offenders. Even though sex offenders do not have the right to vote, they and their families, friends should start bombarding elected officials, newspapers, news stations with letters expressing their views. We, as a sex offender community (yes, I can say I'm part of the community as being the wife((or girlfriend, or mother, or daughter or friend))of a sex offender affects my rights as much as a sex offender)should band together, establish groups/organizations. While individual letters are great, just think how one letter with hundreds of signatures will get noticed. We can never give up. We must continue to fight. Oh, and a thought to those in the public who believe in the scare tactics...When will it stop? Suppose the next targeted group is someone close to you. Below, I've added my letter to the editor of the Salisbury Daily Times in Salisbury MD....one of the ones that was never published. (Of Course!!)

Well, Ocean City has gone an done it again. A law was passed that states only MD sex offenders can not go into OC without first checking in at the police station. So, any sex offender from the rest of the 49 states can go in and have a great time. While, some one who lives in MD, pays MD taxes, must first check in before they can have a lousy, over-priced dinner in OC? How fair is that, and who will be next? Guess money talks, so when a large money contributor to OC decides that Homosexuals aren't allowed in the "family" atmosphere of OC, that will become a new law. Pretty soon, you'll have to stop and show your w2's and if you don't make $100 k a year, you aren't allowed in. I am ashamed of what the Eastern Shore of MD has become. Infringing on people's rights, deciding that people don't deserve 2nd chances: doesn't matter if they paid their debt to society in prison time, and if they've kept clean and no re-offense, NO SECOND CHANCES..PERIOD! So what's next? They have become so narrow minded and back ward in their thinking: could it be slavery? banish the homosexuals? get rid of the home-less or welfare recipients? What about the elders and the dis-abled? Are they also not up to your standards? Why just sex offenders?? Why not include anyone and everyone who has a record and a past they would like to forget?? Who cares if they've become out-standing citizens! And you call your self Christians. The word "FORGIVE" is not in your vocabulary. This is a sad world we live in. I for one...am not going to miss Ocean City. that's right, I will never step in Ocean City again because I protest their narrow mindness. I mean, those who committed a crime, any crime, is gonna do it again. Right? WRONG!!! And lets repeat: Its only MD's own offenders that must leave 2 hours earlier for a 6 p.m. dinner date so they can sign in with the police. Not the multi-offender from New Jersey, or the convicted mobster from New York, the just released armed robber from Virginia, or the convicted killer from New Orleans. I guess the color of their money is better. I know...no one under the age of 21 can enter without a parent! That will cut down on a lot of Ocean City's real crime. Good job OC...you just took us 50 years back in time...discrimination.....!! All narrow minded people..hold your hands up!!! I bet you all voted for that one president who couldn't keep his pants up didn't you? Oh that's right, he doesn't live in MD, so he can enter anytime...doesn't matter that there may more people like him, in high places, and with power, will over step the law and family values, yet, its OK to go to OC...if you don't live in MD. Ocean City gets a big thumb down for their newest law!!!

OK, I did get a little carried away. But can you believe this? When is it going to stop? And how much further will it be allowed to go before it does stop?

Maryland Citizens For Sex Offender Justice

2008-09-08T17:31:00.002-04:00

I did it. Completed the mission statement and created the web site dedicated to Maryland's newest organization.

http://mdcitizensforsexoffenderjustice.tripod.com

Don't worry, I'm not going to stop blogging. This is my outlet, like my diary, only I'm sharing with all of you. I was glad to see a lot of you were reading my blog even though you haven't shared any comments(just got a nice comment on my latest blog "Why I'm doing what I do").
Anyway, I'll keep on writing my thoughts and keep you updated on what's going on in my life.

Remember, I wrote about my daughter starting a new job? Well today was her first day. She has had an exciting first day: She learned how to clean out kennels and dog runs, drew blood from a dog, assisted the vet in caring for a dog with a bad tooth and maybe the worst part of the day, was assisting the vet to put down a cocker spaniel. (This dog was up in years and was suffering from cancer)But she was ecstatic about her new job and can't wait to start another day.

So have a good night. Time to go start dinner.

Fighting Fear

2008-09-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

I know some of you are wondering: Why is she putting herself out there in the public eye when a couple blogs ago she stated how afraid she was when her husband had to register? You see, I'm the type of person, when I am afraid, I fight that fear instead of letting it control me. By doing something about these scare tactics, by becoming chairperson for the Maryland Citizens for Sex Offender Justice, I'm fighting that fear. In the process, I hope to help everyone fight their fears. I think education is the key to eliminate the scare tactics used by state officials. Separate fact from fiction. So I encourage everyone to FIGHT THE FEAR!

Why I'm Doing what I do

2008-09-08T00:36:00.000-04:00

It's late at night and I can't sleep. My husband, who is a CDL driver has just left on a run. So, I decided to go into why I took the position of Chairperson for Maryland Citizens For Sex Offender Justice.

Did you know that earlier this summer, Ocean City, MD passed a law stating that any Maryland Sex Offender that comes into their town must register with the police department first? That's right. Suppose your husband and you decided you wanted to dine at one of Ocean City's Seafood restaurants and your reservations were at 6 p.m. You would have to go to Ocean City 2 hours early just so your husband could check into the police station, tell them who he is (and depending on his risk level would have to get finger printed), where he is going and for how long. (Of course, the cops could play dirty and keep him longer for some asinine reason just so you miss your reservation).Talk about the most idiotic law I have ever heard of. Just shows you how far this witch hunt is going. But get this...its only for Maryland Registered Sex Offenders. One from New Jersey could waltz right in and spend a whole week if he/she wanted to.

Other states are trying to pass laws where a sex offender must register his computer and give them his password and list of sites he goes to.

Maryland, earlier, had tried to pass the residency law. This would restrict any Maryland Sex offender from living within one mile of any school, daycare, sports/recreation places. Do you know how many schools, daycares, sport arenas are in Salisbury alone?

One state, sorry, this late at night I can't remember names, won't allow sex offenders to go to church unless he receives permission from the pastor and congregation. (No, I'm not making these up!)

And you know the Equal Housing and Fairness Act? In several states it doesn't apply to sex offenders.

As far as the current Maryland Sex Offender restrictions, my husband is not restricted on where he lives, just where he goes. He can't go onto school property(not even for work), he can't go to a college(without first going through a lot of BS and then he still could be denied), he can't go to any sport/recreation area, he can't go to a daycare...you get the idea.

If you've looked on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry, it has only one category "Child Sex Offenders". Everyone is placed there(doesn't matter if the offense was with a child or not). If you look closer, and pay attention to the conviction dates...you would see several who were convicted 20-30 years ago, with no record of re-offense.

So tell me, when are we going to say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"? Not only do these idiotic laws restrict the sex offender, they restrict his/her family. A father can not go see his child play sports nor pick his child up from school or daycare. He/she probably won't be able to further their education or train for a new career.

It is time for the public and those un-educated people in state/government legislature to become more educated on the facts pertaining to sex offenders. All this fiction that you see on the news is just a scare tactic to keep the public in a panic.

So, are you ready to say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"? I know I am. That is why I'm doing what I do.

Finally...Something I can be useful for

2008-09-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

I am so excited!! I just accepted the position of Chairperson for Maryland Citizens for Sex Offender Justice and Maryland State Organizer for ReformSexOffenderLaws.org. While I really should be working on a mission statement, principals, etc. I had to share my thoughts and excitement first.

Yes, I did discuss this with my husband, and although he didn't want to sway my decision, he said he was very supportive of me doing this. Once I explained to him that I had already made up my mind to do this, he said"I'm so proud of you!" and touched that you would want to do this for me and for others like me. As far as I am concerned, it is a cause worth fighting. So, if you want to contribute, visit my web site and send me an email...I can put you to work as soon as its decided what we will tackle first.

http://supportforwivesofsexoffenders.webs.com

And of course, I am getting some advice from someone who is an expert on SORNA laws (and its not my husband).

Just had to share my news..but I'm going to make this short so I can work on my other duties. Wish me luck!! Wish us all luck in being successful in changing these stupid laws and making the United States of America truthfully the place everyone can live in peace.

Our Voices Need to Be Heard

2008-09-06T20:21:00.001-04:00

I want you to take a look at my new web site. http://supportforwivesofsexoffenders.webs.com
It's not taking the place of my blog site...this is more for advocates for reforming sex offender laws. It's in the beginning stages but I'll keep you updated on the news. Thanks.....Have a great night.

Daily Chores

2008-09-06T11:26:00.000-04:00

I'm in the process of doing my daily/weekly chores. I know, everyone has chores but mine may be a little different than yours. I began my day by copying 7 sets of a legal brief that included 6 exhibits. Not only did I copy but I collated them, placing the "exhibit" divider between the correct exhibits. Then I started my e-mail reviews, checking all my sites for new information. I have also contacted "Dr. Phil" again and will eventually get to elected officials, newspapers, news stations and TV stations. My husband and I talked the other day and decided to see if his lawyer from years ago would be interested in one of his legal issues for a percentage of the settlement. My husband doesn't have the time needed to get it done in a timely fashion while working as a CDL driver, away from home for hours. We were afraid, once submitted, that we would miss deadlines, etc. You see, many of his legal issues, my husband handles himself. Like most men who spent time in prison, he used their education benefits. He took a lot of courses related to law and criminal justice.

Of course, later today, it will be time to take our son to the vet. Because he is a Belgium shepherd, he is classified as belonging to the shepherd family. I did not know that shepherds were prone to anal fissures. I knew about hip problems, so he gets a daily dose of glucosamine. Well, anyway, our son was extremely sick a while back. He had an anal fissure that became infected. So after $700 , he was on a treatment of 4 doses of different medications (some twice a day), a twice daily butt wash and ointment, and twice daily ear drops. The cause? Allergies. So now he is on allergen free food, treats and a daily medication that costs $135 a week. We are hoping his medicine will be decreased or stopped because he is so much better. And his energy level is high, acting like a pup. Ever had a 110 pound pup? I am so glad we both work full time with good paying jobs...but he is part of the family and it is our responsibility to not only love him, feed him, care for him but to ascertain he is in good health.

So, how is your day? I hope you are staying dry. Its raining hard here and very windy due to the effects of a hurricane hitting the coast.

Just a thought worth mentioning

2008-09-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

I hope I don't alienate a lot of church goers out there, if you go every Sunday or 2-3 times a week, that's you're right. I believe in God and yes, my husband and I attend church (every now and then) but I also believe that you can have faith and not go to church. I also believe that God gave us a brain and a tongue to use for whatever cause we feel is worth contributing to. My cause? To get my husband justice and to get justice for every sex offender out there who is trying to start a new life for themselves.

I will tell you a story that proves there is no second chance act: My husband has faithfully sent his resume out to several different state openings. He took the required exams and scored in the highest percentile. He's been getting multiple letters to schedule interviews, which he has gone to. These interviews are for departments all over Maryland, many are 2-3 hours away. Each and every time he has been honest with his conviction, has pointed out that since he has gotten out he has had no infractions with the law, obeys it to the letter, that he recently got married and is just trying to get on with his life. Not one word was said negatively at the interviews. Lo and behold....4-6 weeks later he gets letters stating "I'm sorry but another candidate was chosen." Second chance my foot. Even though he served in the army, the VA won't help him because he's a felon.

One day at work, a couple colleagues and I were having a discussion about the new bill that was passed regarding hiring ex-convicts and giving a big tax breaks to the companies that do so. He asked me if I would hire an ex-con. I told him I would. When asked why, I told him: Ex-cons have something to prove. They will work harder, will be more dependable than some Joe Smoe off the street. He asked me if I could trust them. I said that everyone deserves a second chance and deserve the right to be trusted. I said that you can't judge all by one or two bad apples. My husband is like that. Every job he has ever had, he has always felt he had to prove himself. He works harder, does the jobs no one else wants to do without complaint, works long hours, has never missed a day at work and pulls his load and others too.

Its all so unfair. There are no civil rights or rights at all for ex cons and even less for sex offenders. Families, friends, wives, significant others need to stop feeling ashamed and start voicing their concerns to elected officials or to anyone who will listen.

I love my husband and if his past has made him the man he is today, well so be it. He is a wonderful man, involved totally in our marriage and in me. He helps around the house without asking. Does wonderful little surprises when I least expect it.

Anyway, thanks for listening. I normally speak my mind whether its going to offend someone or not. Its what I believe. And I never give up. Guess that's the Taurus in me. I've sent numerous letters to elected officials, newspapers, news stations, TV shows such as "48 Hours", "Sixty Minutes" and to numerous talk shows. Every week or two, I do it all over again. If I could write a book, I would. I do not give up just because news papers, so called investigative reporters, TV shows tell me that no one is interested. Just makes me more determined and creative in finding ways to get what I have to say out there for others to read or hear.

Visit some of my sites that I have posted on my blog page. They have links to all kinds of resources. Get pro-active!!!

Counting your Blessings

2008-09-03T09:35:00.000-04:00

I have just received a post from a woman who made me realize that we are not alone, as long as we have faith in God. (I posted her blog so that you, too, may read) It reminded me of all the things I should be thankful for. My husband brought me back to the Home of the Lord. Before I met him, I'm ashamed to say, it had been many years ago that I had attended church. My husband's church is a little country church on the right side of a crossroad in Delmarva. I must say, it may be little in size but has a huge heart and faith. Our church family has always been very supportive of my husband. during the time of his incarceration, and were there for him when he got out. They opened their arms to him and continue to support him. If there's a letter to be written, they write them. (Such as to the governor, parole commission). Our church family "walk the walk and talk the talk". They are not the one's who are Christians in church then gossip and condemn once Sunday Service is over. It really is a unique church....that's why I stopped going to many years ago. But I thank God every day for my church family.

Any way, I realized that despite all the frustrations, hassles of our lives, we have a lot to be thankful for. I thank God every day for bringing me this wonderful man who is my husband. I have never met anyone who has made me feel so loved and so special. And believe me, since my husband has met me, he has done a 360 degree turn around. There's a twinkle in his eyes, a smile on his face and just a brightness about him. His brothers, sister and mother all say the same thing. He's so much more at peace and happier than he has ever been. He's my soul mate...you know, the one person you always hope that you would meet. I thank God every day for my beautiful, wonderful daughter. Don't get me wrong...she is not an angel. We've had our ups and downs but she has grown into a beautiful young lady of 24. She just got a new job and is on her way to a great new career. She has always loved animals. When she was younger, she had such pets as a goat, a duck, a goose, a rooster, several gerbils, a couple of horses, not to mention multiple dogs and cats. Her new job? A surgical tech in an animal hospital. God does work in many ways.

While I may have many blessings, there are dark spots in my life, besides working to being an advocate for justice for my husband and dealing with all the issues that come with him being a federal parolee and registered sex offender.....there's the fact of being dis-owned by my own mother and sister. They can not understand why I love this man. But it is their loss.....I still have my good memories and am thankful every day for those.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't give up. Count your blessings. They will give you the strength to go on another day.

Thanks to those who share their stories

2008-09-01T17:54:00.000-04:00

At this time, since I shared some of my story, I would like to share some of my fears and frustrations. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one afraid of the vigilantes out there. When my husband's picture first appeared on the registration list on the Internet, I couldn't sleep at night. every sound I had to investigate...it was hard for me to be alone at night. Just as it was getting better, our hick town's little newspaper, decided to use a full page to report every sex offenders name and address. I've read about the vigilantes who prey on sex offenders. We are small town Delmarva and I could just see some red neck get his buddies loading up in his pick up and start working on the list. Like I said...the witch hunt continues. People do not realize that those names on that list contain names of men (and women) who may be innocent, who may have made one mistake in life and have been paying every since, have families who love them. My husband was innocent and through federal officials cover ups, he paid for it with 20 years of his life behind bars. He continues to pay every single day since he was released. It does not matter that he has had not one infraction of any kind. He has been a model parolee. But he has an A..hole for a probation officer who continues to try to find ways to get him back in prison. He has made my husband go to a sexual offenders counseling program for the last 7 years. (It was a 2 year program) And my husband must continue to go 2 times a month. He was out of work for 11 months because his parole officer has put so many restraints on him that as a CDL driver, it was hard to find work. Every time he goes to a parole termination hearing, they continue him on supervised parole...their reasoning...He does not feel any remorse for what he did. Remorse? they want him to say he was guilty of a crime he did not commit. They consider him still a threat to society because of that. Our night mare continues...but that will be another day.

Thank you everyone who visited and left their stories. I was sooooooo excited to get comments.

What are your fears and frustrations? Please share.

Support for wives of sex offenders

2008-08-31T14:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am the wife of a sex offender. I know there are others out there and I was hoping to get in touch with them...I know that maybe, someone would like a place to unload their fears, thoughts, struggles, just like I would.

Let's get to know each other:

I met my husband in Oct 2006. By our second date, he told me his story. But the man I met, did not fit the description of the man he was accused of being. Plus, I feel everyone deserves second chances. So, we had a whirlwind relationship. Didn't take me long to figure out that this man was the man of my dreams. Have you ever made a list of "your perfect" husband? I had. Right after my divorce from my first husband of 24 years. It was amazing how many markers, that this convicted sex offender possessed. He is my soul mate, the man of my dreams. By Dec 2006, we were engaged. Yes, I know it was quick...but sometimes you just know! In August 2007, we were married, A big wedding too because he had never been married. (After all, you can't meet a wife when you're serving 20 years in a Federal prison.) We had a different but fantastic honeymoon. Course we were limited by where we could go, after all...had to be within the state...a stipulation by his parole officer. So we honeymooned in a tent in a camp ground in the mountains. Did I mention that we took along our son? A big 110 pound Belgium Shepherd. It rained for the first 3 days....but we had a great time. You learn if your marriage is going to survive or break when spending 3 days in a tent with the man you promised to love for life and a 110 pound dog. We laughed, played scrabble, we talked, and even sat out in the rain drinking coronas and just talk. This August 2008, we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. I wish I could say we had a glorious 1st year...but it would have been if not for the issues with the sex offenders laws and restrictions from his parole officer.

You see, my husband was convicted over 28 years ago for a crime he did not commit. (yes, I know, that's what they all say!) but he has proof. Evidence was covered up, expert witnesses made unavailable...etc. I've seen it, read it. And if you knew my husband, you'd believe it too. Plus...would a guilty man turn down a plea bargain that would have him serve only 7 years and available for parole after 24 hours for the crime of rape and murder? My husband turned it down, not once but 3 times. It was not his nature to say he was guilty of a crime he did not commit. He was hoping that justice would prevail. He just didn't know at the time, that evidence would be covered up. Evidence that could prove his innocence.

Recently, my husband had to register as a Sex offender. Why? Since the laws do not apply to him in our state. Because his PO lied and said that a judge had ordered it. I went to the Sheriff's office with him, the day he had to register. It is a humiliating process. Made even more so with the posting on the Internet and in our daily newspapers. But we hold our heads up.

Our lives our consumed with legal fighting for justice. I've picked up where his mother left off...using every resource to get his story told. But guess what...no one wants to do anything about a 28 yo injustice. Its so frustrating. I needed an outlet. although, I could talk to my husband, I don't want to add more worries than he already has. Plus, I felt, by creating this blog site, we, (the wives, significant others) could help one another...just by lending an ear (or key stroke as the case may be).

So that's just a little about my story. Won't you share yours?

DEE

from Maryland