New cell phone applications are released daily to make our lives easier. Apps provide simple ways to access information for whatever questions we may have. For those who are concerned about safety, they may want to know about crime in a particular area. For instance, parents looking for a park or school for their children may want to know how many convicted sex offenders live nearby.
The good news is that there is an app for that. Offender Locator is one app that displays information about sex offenders in a particular area. Users enter an address, and the app delivers a list of registered sex offenders within a ten-mile radius of the location. The app displays pictures and addresses of the offender, and also provides information about the particular crimes for which the offender was convicted.
Creators of the app point to the public's need to know about sex offenders living in their neighborhood. Providing this information allows residents to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior. While the offender may never commit any future crimes, perhaps this increased awareness can help prevent other crimes from occurring.
While the app is designed to make parents aware of past offenders, some have expressed concern about some potentially negative consequences that may result from misuse. If the data used by the app is not correct, people could find themselves mistakenly labeled a sex offender. This could lead to unfortunate encounters and unnecessary explanations for those wrongly listed.
Additionally, the address of the sex offender is listed. Offenders already have several restrictions on where they may live after release. Those that are deemed to no longer be a threat face the difficult task of trying to adjust to a normal life. Neighborhoods are alerted when offenders are moving nearby. By posting addresses on the app, those who harbor ill will toward the offender are given a wealth of information if they wish to confront or injure the offender.
Released sex offenders are allowed to live peacefully after they have paid their debt to society. If they have been rehabilitated, apps like this subject the offender to continued harassment. Users of the app can potentially make an offender's life very difficult, and the offender may have no one to stand up for them.
Contact a Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you have been accused of a crime, it is important to seek the guidance of a knowledgeable criminal defense lawyer who will work aggressively to fight against the charge. A defense attorney will protect your rights at every stage of a criminal proceeding.
