On April 21, Danny Jones, mayor of Charleston, in his daily talk show on WCHS radio, discussed my op-ed “How can a sex offender be rehabilitated if following the rules does not count?” on air. Brenda Jones, the execturive director for the organization National Reform Sex Offender Laws, Inc. was his on-air guest. Reform Sex Offender Laws thanks Mayor Jones for his taking the initiative on this subject. One of our goals is education leading to prevention of sexual molestation, and understanding the facts is essential. Open discussion is essential. Several questions or comments during the follow-up question and answer session bear explanation. One caller said, in talking about most things that result in being placed on the public registry, “It’s not like they killed someone.” Even though his comment indicates a belief that murder is a more severe crime than looking at illicit images or sexting or consensual teenage sex or unwanted sexual groping, there is no registry for those who have committed murder, manslaughter, or any other term for taking another’s life. Those individuals serve their sentences and are then free to pursue their lives. While they will always have a record, there is no public listing and no prohibitions and exclusions that set life on the registry in direct opposition to being able to become a productive citizen. Another caller said, “Victims have to live with it for the rest of their lives; why shouldn’t the offenders?” One response is: Often the victim and offender are in the same family, and often family therapy has brought about total remorse, forgiveness and reconciliation. Hardships that affect the offender due to the registry also affect the entire family. The victim does continue to suffer, but it is because the entire family is essentially registered. Additionally, many victims quickly realize that the registry system and focusing on former offenders offers nothing toward prevention because almost all sexual crime is committed by first-time offenders. Many members of our organization seeking to reform the current system are themselves former victims. Many former victims heal. I have heard many say that they refuse to let the former abuse define who they are. One said, “He damaged my childhood; he will not ruin my future.” “Being on the registry” does not define someone’s character and should not, in and of itself, be used to disqualify someone for any job or housing. This is what happened in the case of the legislative intern. The automatic reaction is, “We have a sex offender working around children — OMG!” Looking at each situation individually would go a long way toward allowing those who have not re-offended and are making every attempt to be law-abiding, productive members of society to do so. Sandy Rozek is secretary of the group Reform Sex Offender Laws. – See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion-op-ed-commentaries/20160505/sandy-rozek-examination-of-sex-offender-laws-leads-to-better-understanding-gazette#sthash.UIse27fU.dpuf