Near Paris, Texas, Charla Roberts lived with her family and went to school like any normal child growing up. Around the time he was ten, he pranked one of his classmates at his public elementary school and pulled his pants down. She was subsequently prosecuted for “indecency with a child” and was ultimately required to be entered into the state's online sex offender database for the next ten years. Like many others, he had probation requirements such as an evening curfew, a ban on leaving the country or an inability to live in the same vicinity as young children. Robert's victim later learned of his future probation and explained to Sarah Stillman, author of the article, "When juveniles are found guilty of sexual misconduct, the sex offender registry can be a life sentence ", that the incident was an "act of public humiliation, instead of sexual act”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? it is so unusual in the case of "minors" who are registered as sex offenders during their childhood. After being found guilty, most of the time their punishment is to be placed in some sort of therapeutic treatment center and registered as a sex offender. sex offenders for a minimum of ten years An article titled “When Kids Are Sex Offenders” by Sally Mairs examines a Human Rights Watch report describing the effects of child sex offenders. One of the report's key findings explains that, "...including a study of a cohort that included 77% of young people convicted of violent sexual offenses, they found a recidivism rate for young sexual offenders of between 4 and 10% and a 2010 study found the rate to be 1%.” So if the recidivism rate is low, why would these kids be registered on a list that could negatively affect their future for a act that they do not consider “sexually inappropriate.” Following their registration, these children often suffer psychological harm, including isolation, stigmatization, harassment and depression leading to suicidal actions. Is this the right sentence to give to these children for sexual harassment and does the prosecution really help them? It is difficult to have a definitive answer to this question. On the one hand, you might say yes because what the minor did is still a crime , and they should learn that crime must be punished. However, crime stays with them for the rest of their lives, so having to live with that stamp on their name is a permanent barrier to jobs, social environments, and so many other things because of the harsh stigma around the name alone. For example, "The List" by Sarah Stillman of the New Yorker describes the lives of some young adults who were placed on the sex offender registry at a young age and how it has affected them since. The article begins with Leah DeBuc, a twenty-two-year-old college student who was placed on the sex offender registry at age ten, trying to put her past behind her. This situation, according to Stillman, is not new to her. Before DeBuc, he spoke with several people accused of sexual crimes as minors who ended up in public records. With the recent development of social media and technological connections, it would not be so unreasonable to say that this has caused a large number of juvenile sex offenders to increase. A good example is that oftwo teenagers, one male (17) and one female (16), both placed on the public register of sex offenders for "sexting" explicit photos back and forth, accusing both of sexual exploitation of a minor. For children, these behaviors are very common, but they may not be as harmless as they seem. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in six boys and one in four girls have experienced some form of sexual abuse before the age of eighteen, with one third of such crimes. were committed by other minors. Although very few have committed violent sexual assaults, many of them stem from non-consensual contact and abusive behavior. The article returns to Leah DeBuc and what happened after her conviction boy in another Michigan city, had to check with local police or face felony charges While trying to fill out some paperwork, a local officer told her to leave “before I take you back and shoot you myself ". which caused DeBuc to fail. In filing a complaint against the policeman, the station lieutenant apologized for the policeman's behavior. When a crime has occurred, should the age of the criminal change the punishment? When it comes to being a registered sex offender, it has a huge impact on the rest of his life. For example, finding a job becomes very difficult and most people lose family support the moment the crime becomes public. Therefore if a person is under 12 years old the sentence should be less since the criminal is simply a child. According to Sally Miars of the Boston Review “in 2011, there were approximately 639 children on the sex offender registry, 55 of whom were under the age of 12…”. This shows that 639 were at least under 18 years old and 55 were under 12 years old, so the children's lives were changed forever at such a young age. The crimes that can make you a sex offender are very surprising because most people associate a sex offender with a person convicted of rape, sex with a minor, or exposing themselves in public. This isn't the only way a person is forced to be a registered sex offender because, according to Business Insider, taking a nude photo of yourself as a minor can make you a registered sex offender. Other examples reported by Business Insider were “visiting a prostitute, peeing in public, having consensual sex with a teenager, even if you are a teenager too.” It was surprising to find this out because some of these seem to be common mistakes a minor might make. This article by Erin Funchs links to the first article by Sally Miars because they both say they are not in favor of young children being charged as sex offenders. The number one problem with registering young children as sex offenders is the fact that after the offender has finished their time and effort, their name is ruined for the rest of their lives. Once in the system you may not be able to attend school or remain in your home with your family. See, the thing is, you can be removed from the registry after some time, but you are still labeled a sex offender. Many crimes committed by minors are then expunged from your criminal record, obviously excluding murder. According to the Juvenile Law Center, “fewer than five percent of adolescents will reoffend in later years.” So if this crime has such a low crime yield rate, then the cutoff age should be 18 and the label should be removed and discarded. Especially since teenagers with this title could marginalize them from.