RSOL: Scope, Purpose, and Goals

Kelly R Piercy

RSOL: Scope, Purpose, and Goals

Introduction:

Reform Sex Offender Laws (RSOL) began as a national effort from beginnings in Massachusetts (See History.) Effectively, RSOL as an identifiable organization began in 2007. Though some members of RSOL had previous associations with previous groups opposed to registries, From its inception, RSOL is a unique organization that has no affiliation or ties with any other organization.

Front this beginnings, RSOL has operated under the guidance of its stated position with respect to the registry (See The Statement Explained.)

To further clarify RSOL, the following Scope, Purpose, and Goals is presented.

Scope:

RSOL is concerned with the preemptive justice represented by the registry and civil commitment.

Preemptive justice is contrary to the nature of a free society. This sort of 'preventative' justice cannot work when it is applied to a category rather than an individual. RSOL recognizes that there are individuals who are and continue to be a danger to the community. However, this is not the norm, nor is it a significant fraction of those convicted under the general category of 'sex offender'.

RSOL recognizes that a society has the right, if not obligation, to define the terms and conditions (laws) under which that society, and members of that society, will conduct itself. However, those terms and conditions, when clearly in violation of individual rights, must be protected from the majority or the society becomes one of government by whim and a tyranny of the majority.

In that understanding, RSOL does not work to change any law regarding conduct, including sexual conduct, except in the below stated areas.

• RSOL does support and works towards the decriminalization of non-coercive sexual conduct between minors.
• The important distinction is that RSOL does not seek to 'legalize' such activity between minors, the effort is to decriminalize such conduct.
• RSOL works to remove minors, in any circumstance, from any criminal registry, allowing such persons to seal or expunge any juvenile record upon reaching their majority.
• The removal of conduct without specific sexual conduct from the category of 'sex offense'.

Thus, the scope of RSOL is to end the practice of public registry and residency restriction as it represents; preemptive justice, establishes a class, proscribes that class, and thereby violates Bill of Attainder proscriptions of the United States Constitution, is ineffective in addressing the issue it is meant to solve, is a violation of civil rights of individuals who have served their sentences and successfully completed any counseling/therapy ordered, and removes any meaningful effect of such counseling/treatment by removing any positive goal from the process.

Outside the Scope of RSOL are such issues as age of consent, age differential, specific sexual conduct, the issue of consensual sex, and concerns of the increasing number of false accusations.

Those issues being outside the Scope of RSOL does not, in any way, prevent RSOL from supporting ad hoc consortiums among RSOL affiliates and others in opposing such statures or legally attempting to change or enact such statues.

RSOL takes as its limit, the opposition of the preemptive justice represented by the registry and endeavors to end the registry and replace it with policies of real justice based on sound research.

RSOL recognizes that justice has three components; punishment, education, and restitution.

• RSOL supports reasonable punishment based on proportionality.
• RSOL recognizes and supports the concept that the most effective justice for the victim, the offender, and the society is to educate and rehabilitate the offender.
• RSOL recognizes that in cases of violent behavior, restitution may be a difficult process for the victim. Nevertheless, vengeance can never be part of a just society and such restitution as is possible must suffice in these cases.

Purpose:

RSOL maintains itself within the above Scope to fulfill the need of society to effectively address the issue of violent sexual offense, where the violence is actual as opposed to imputed.

In this Purpose, RSOL recognizes that the registry does not address the issue in any effective degree and must be ended so that effective resolution can obtain.

Goal:

RSOL is focused on ending the registry, bringing rational sentencing and justice back to the society, and emplacing effective programs of education, awareness, and treatment to effectively impact the incidence of violent sex crime in the society.

Conclusion:

RSOL is dedicated to the protection of society and children. RSOL opposes any conduct, and any law, that is contrary to the safety of society or its children.

RSOL is opposed to any act of society or government that, not being based on sound research and fact, limits the freedom, rights, or civil rights of any member of that society.

RSOL believes that a person who makes a mistake, commits a crime, can change and can become a positive part of society, if that society allows such change. RSOL does not condone any act that harms another person, nor does it condone excessive punishment by a society.

RSOL believes that disproportionate sentencing and post sentencing registration and restriction represent vengeance based punishment, thus becoming punishment for the sake of punishment, thus rising to the level of cruel and unusual punishment and being a clear violation of the Eight Amendment proscription against such punishment.

Therefore: RSOL is concerned with the registry and not the offenses that lead to registration, except in the case of consensual conduct between minors, or where no actual sexual conduct is an element of the offense. RSOL has the single purpose of ending the registry and replacing it with rational justice based on sound research and proportionality, emplacing education, awareness, and treatment in place of excessive sentencing and registration/restriction. RSOL maintains the ultimate goal of emerging from this hysteria into a society that treats its fallen with justice and compassion and works through effective methods of education, awareness, and treatment to positively impact the incidence of sex offense and protect children, allowing society to focus on larger issues facing society and children such as poverty, nutrition, homelessness, and physical, mental, and emotional abuse.