True story from a Nebraska courtroom:
The former sex offender, who never went to prison but was placed on probation — for good reason — petitions a state court in Nebraska for a set-aside, as the law permits him to do.
It has been many long years since his offense. He has letters from psychologists saying he is not a re-offense risk. The psychiatrist/attorney who evaluated him says he is NOT a pedophile. He completed all terms of his probation without a problem.
He tells the court that the set-aside will not remove him from Nebraska’s public shaming/lifetime punishment State Patrol Sex Offender website. All it will do is help him in finding work because he has a family to support and bills to pay.
The sputtering, bursting-with-rage prosecutor opposes the motion. Her argument? “He’s . . . he’s . . . he’s on the registry!”
Wait a minute. Right in our own backyards, we have scientific proof that being on the registry has little value insofar as determining whether someone is fit to work, pay taxes, be a good citizen, etc. Which is all this guy wants to do after fully paying for his crime.
The judge meets our low expectations and sides with the angry prosecutor.
Connecting the dots: If you are a Nebraska sex offender and you successfully complete your sentence, you successfully undergo treatment, you successfully re-integrate with your family and community — your reward is that the state will help prevent you from working and put your family in danger with its politically motivated Nebraska State Patrol Sex Offender website.
This judge and this prosecutor support the idea that no matter what this individual does, the criminal “justice” system’s intent is to keep its jackboot on his throat for the rest of his life.