Longtime Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall's observations on developments in law, business, medicine, culture, sports, and other matters of general interest to the Houston business, professional, and academic communities.
Many registered sex offenders pose no threat to the public, yet they are forced to be identified this way. Texas has recently passed Romeo and Juliet laws to exempt some of the offenders and remove them from the registry, but the process can be long and difficult. When you overload the sex offender registry with people who committed lesser crimes—such as public urination—it becomes a less effective tool for the public.
Many registered sex offenders pose no threat to the public, yet they are forced to be identified this way. Texas has recently passed Romeo and Juliet laws to exempt some of the offenders and remove them from the registry, but the process can be long and difficult. When you overload the sex offender registry with people who committed lesser crimes—such as public urination—it becomes a less effective tool for the public.