Troy R. Hoopes
Contact Information:
15410 Spring Coral
San Antonio, TX 78247
I am a Supporter of Texas "Sex Offender" Law Reform:
All sexual crimes committed are not equal and therefore the offenders' punishments should be tailored to the gravity of their offenses. It is ridiculous that a young girl is arrested and labeled for life as a "sex offender" for the rest of her life, just because she was under the age of 18 and so was her boyfriend when she sent a nude cell phone snapshot of herself to him. The same goes for an 18 year old boy who kept a couple teenaged nude pictures sent over the internet by supposed friends. Come on! Teenagers sometimes make bad choices like these, but a lifetime punishment for these mistakes is not warranted. There should be a major distinction between a crime like the teenagers above and a serial rapist, yet ALL are required by Texas law to register as "Sex Offenders" for life.
It is not that I would condone moral indiscretions such as in the teenagers cases above, but we need to have a reality check regarding the "punishment to fit the crime." With our current laws, once someone commits a sexual offense, the state of Texas requires for the rest of the life of the offender to register annually, get a new driver's license or ID annually, report where they live and are checked up on by local police to verify their living arrangements. They basically must get permission to move. Further, all "Sex Offenders" are restricted in where they can live--not near schools, parks, etc. And their identifying information is published on the web with their addresses, exposing them to harrassment by supposed do-gooders.
All the tactics we currently employ still do not protect the public adequately from those we truly should fear--sexual predators. We spend a lot of tax resources tracking individuals who are NOT predatory, just to try and ensure the dangerous offenders are under observation. It is required that all who are found guilty of sexual crimes receive psychological counseling. During this counseling an evaluation of the perpetrator's danger to society is performed. This evaluation is accurate and should be used in determining who should be tracked/monitored and published as a true "Sexual Predator" and danger to society.
We should stop using a shotgun approach and treating all sex crime offenders the same when the crimes, the dangers and risks are not the same. I ask you to please help us support legislative change by contacting our state senators and visit the following web site for more suggestions: http://www.txvoices.com