Domestic Violence Registry Website

Team B chooses to use a web blog (website) format to convey our domestic violence registry to the public.  Using a website or web blog will be the best format to reach our groups intended audience. This format allows us to reach a large volume of people in many forms of media. For example, our website is accessible from a mobile device, tablet, or computer. It is an easy format to share information.  By using a modern form of technology and with the help of social media one can connect globally to a younger generation. This format is not limited to a specific time zone or area code.

Why is a Domestic Violence Registry Needed?

In 1994, 7-year-old Megan Kanka from New Jersey became a victim of rape and murder at the hands of her neighbor by using a puppy to lure her into his home. He was a convicted child molester (Tabriz Combs, 2011).  After the death of their daughter, Megan's parents make a declaration that if they were aware the neighbor was as a convicted sex offender, they may have prevented her death (Tabriz Combs, 2011).  Similarly, a domestic violence offender registry may help prevent potential abuse. 

The case of why a domestic violence registry is necessary is clear. It lets people know the location of domestic abusers within a specific proximity of their neighborhoods and schools.  If this program receives successful implementation, it may prevent someone from unknowingly dating a domestic violence offender

Accepting the registry will provide incentive to those who wish to seek help for their problems through the psychological testing and therapy that the registry will provide.  In addition, creating and implementing a domestic violence registry will provide a service to those entering into a relationship and give them the information to make informed decisions regarding their relationship.

For instance, a woman or man begins dating someone.  They can check the registry to see if this person is there.  They can see their offense and their progress in recovery, which leads to removal from the registry.  In essence, the registry may save lives.

This registry could also help enforce the Laughtenburg amendment to prevent firearm sales to a domestic violence offender. The shame alone will prove to be a large deterrent. This program could also include a removal process to help a domestic violence offender actually receive help and reform their life preventing continued abuse. This program will encourage someone to seek help to break the cycle. This program will also include a map to allow you know potential problems in your neighborhood.

All the police need is proof of same way and they can charge you with domestic violence even if the partner does not want to charge. So it needs to have a ranking system mostly on the severity of the offense. You could push someone in the wrong way and get charged. So what they need to do is keep it to where it may not make some look like the others not all are as bad as the others so we need to try to help make it look that way.

Overcoming Obstacles that May Arise if a Domestic Violence Registry is Implemented

Before researching the topic of domestic violence abuse registries one must imagine why anyone would be against it.  After all, domestic violence registries allow the public to maintain safety in their communities by providing information on the types of people moving into their neighborhoods or those they are dating.  One must also consider the people who might object to having a domestic violence registry and their reasoning as it relates to the benefits that a domestic violence registry provides.

  

Subsequently, some people may consider a registry for domestic violence abusers too harsh.  Similar to other laws, like the sex offender registry, simple offenses like urinating in a public place may carry the same label as a violent rapist because the sex offender registry does not make those distinctions.

For instance, if a one-time domestic abuse offender is arrested and his or her name becomes a part of the registry, this can cause duress in the family, especially if that person is the sole provider for the household.  Children may suffer undue consequences for simple offenders, like an abuser who is accused, but proved innocent.  An existing domestic violence registry seems to be undergoing similar scrutiny.  According to their website, which seems to be user driven – meaning users upload the information to the site – have recently changed their qualification requirements.  One may assume this change is taking place because of prior abuse or harassment resulting in the database.  It does not seem to be a government run website like the Sex Offender registry (National Domestic Violence Registry, 2014). The National Domestic Violence Registry labels their initiative a “social credit report”, which may be a violation to privacy (National Domestic Violence Registry, 2014)

However, this is the reason the site submission requirements request a police report and conviction affidavit to ensure no privacy violation rights are in violation of the law.  Arrest records are public, negating any litigation that may arise to privacy concerns. 

In addition, our target audience my reject our idea for a domestic violence offender registration because they feel it will not actually deter potential offenders. They may also feel such a list would have an irreversible negative affect the offender.

There are several reasons why people will not like the registry, because it holds them accountable.  It is a very public thing that can be viewed by anyone and with that being the case everyone that looks it up will know what happened and that person will get judged and criticized and be treated with disrespect. And it would probably also be taken out on the family of the person that it would directly affect. People only care about this type of thing when something like this get proposed people don’t like it. But other times people really just don’t care.

Reporting Rates

"Domestic violence is one of the most chronically under-reported crimes.  Only approximately one-quarter of all physical assaults, one-fifth of all rapes, and one-half of all stalkings perpetuated against females by intimate partners are reported to the police.1"

Found at - http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf

Why do a registry? The sex criminal register does not work as a deterrent, so why will it work for domestic violence?

"Laws requiring sex offenders to register with law enforcement and notifying the public of their location may make us feel safer, but two scientific studies of these laws found they really do not do much to protect the public.

In fact, one study found that making sex registry information available to the public may actually backfire, producing higher overall rates of sex crimes."

From -http://crime.about.com/od/sex/a/Does-Sex-Offender-Registration-Deter-Crime.htm

References: 

Petro, M. (2014). The soapbox: the case against sex offender registries. Retrieved from http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-03-19/the-soapbox-the-case-against-sex-offender-registries/

National Domestic Violence Registry (2014). Social credit report. Retrieved from http://www.domesticviolencedatabase.net/