Green_Licennse_Plates

Green License Plates to Identify Sex Offenders in Ohio In the United States 25% of all children are sexually abused prior to their 18th birthday. That means statistically 1 out of every 4 children are sexually abused. Only 16% of child victims ever feel comfortable telling someone they are being abused and only 3% of sex offenders are caught and prosecuted. 1 out of 3 people with be raped through out their lifetime, 1 out of 4 are women. Ohio is a similar microcosm of the same nationwide statistics. Therefore, requiring sexual offenders in Ohio to have green license plates in one important step in identifying sexual offenders and protecting victims from further offenses. Only convicted sex offenders that used violence or preyed on minors would have green license plates. Also right now people have gotten D.U.I’s have yellow license plates with red numbers and letters. In Ohio the largest group of sexual offenders were those who victimized children under the age of 13. 93% of all sexual offences involved children victims. Children who have been sexually abused have higher rates of suicide, antisocial behavior, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, alcoholism and drug abuse. Research also indicates that severe forms of sexual abuse can have deteriorating effects of normal brain development. When an individual is raped it affects their relationships, their view of the world and their ability to trust or feel safe and often causes psychological disorders. There is evidence that people who had been sexually assaulted repeat the cycle and are more likely to sexually assault someone else. Sex offenders thrive on presenting themselves as a person who is safe and fun to be around children. Sex offenders are often the person that parents trust the most with their children. Given the fact that the majority of Ohio’s sexual offenders are offenders who pray on children; it appears clearly evident that the people of Ohio must implement laws that allow children to be protected. Furthermore, it is time for Ohio to start protecting victims, by allowing sexual offenders to be readily and easily identified, it allows people to keep themselves safe, and it also makes it harder for an offender to offend. “It would give people the tools to make informed decisions for the safety of themselves and their kids,” said Ohio’s State Senator. One study found that 42% of offenders re-offended after they were released. Risk for re-offence was the highest in the first six years after release, but continued to be significant even ten to thirty one years later, with 23% offending during this time. Released rapists were found to be 10.5 times as likely as non rapists to be re arrested for rape and those who served time are found to 7.5 times as likely as those convicted of other crimes to be rearrested for a new sexual assault. Identifying offenders with a green license plate is one way to make an offenders whereabouts and possible intentions easy to detect. This will then lesson an offenders opportunity to reoffend. Not only will boldly identifying sex offenders help to keep victims out of harm from these dangerous sex offenders, but perhaps more victims will be encouraged to report their abuse when they know that it will not be quietly swept under the rug as we as a society have done in the past.