Democrats prioritized a new bill that demands “person-first” language to address how violent sex offenders are labeled. The intent is to stop defining a sex offender by his or her crime, so they can destigmatize them. It may not even be the most offensive piece of the legislation.
Among the prescribed reforms, HB 2177 changes the name of the Sex Offender Policy Board (SOPB). If passed, it will now be called the Sex Offense Policy Board. It gives the dubious impression that the board reviews focuses on sex offenses, and not the criminals who commit them. HB 2177 also adds a convicted sex offender to the SOPB, with proponents arguing the felon’s “lived experiences” is “invaluable.” It does not restrict the membership to level 1 sex offenders, those who are least likely to recommit a sex offense. The bill allows the most dangerous felons, Level 3 sex offenders, to join. The sex offender will serve alongside another new representative to the board: victims of sex crimes.
The SOPB legislation is spearheaded by State Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Democrat who served time for three felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and retail theft in 2011. She pushed to have a sex offender serve alongside sex offense victims and their advocates on the board.
“I think that we all do better when we have a diverse legislature. That’s why I’m here,” Simmons said at a House Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry hearing for the bill. “And I’m proud to be here. I think I bring some lived experience that was missing from here. And while some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.”
An article in Psychology Today best notes the intent of using person-first language for sex offenders. Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau says the language is so you’re not defining sex offenders “by a single attribute” and labeling “them based on the worst thing they’ve ever done.” The author says the person-first language allows us to “communicate more clearly and respectfully,” but not dismiss their crimes. It simply allows the public “to more accurately describe characteristics or behaviors while first recognizing these individuals as people.”
Democrats care an awful lot about sex offenders
Washington Democrats are pushing a campaign to destigmatize sex offenders who deserve stigma. They’re even trying to release dangerous pedophiles into the community.
Last year, Democrats were caught trying to place a child rapist in an unsecured house near a spot where children congregate in the small city of Tenino. Only after pressure did the state relent. But the work is done with the assistance of the SOPB. In 2022, the SOPB recommended the state end a rule prohibiting LRAs from being placed within 500 feet of a childcare facility. It said that “There is no particular increase in risk associated with proximity to the location where individuals who have committed sexual offenses are housed.”
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Article URL : https://mynorthwest.com/3946414/rantz-democrats-change-name-sex-offender-to-protect-rapists-feelings/