Nashville Adult Entertainment: Sex offender maps–what they don’t tell us

11 12 2009

When I searched downtown St. Petersburg, little blips covered the map like one of those terrifying sex ed pictures of an STD rash. When you click on the bubbles, pictures and addresses pop up. I don’t know which is more disturbing, mug shots of the standard creepos–sloppy men frowning–or the photos of clean-cut men smiling. But, surprisingly, the number of sex offenders or their pictures wasn’t what disturbed me most about the site. For me, the most troubling thing was that this site doesn’t provide the specifics of what these offenders were charged with.  All are simply listed under the blanket terms, Sexual Predator or Sexual Offender.
Granted, that to land on these lists, you have to do more than simply engage in a crime related to sex. For instance, most prostitutes and Johns aren’t listed on this site. (If you’re interested, The Palm Beach Post gives a detailed and simple breakdown of the crimes that classify offenders and predators).  Still, there’s a world of difference between a rapis …

See the full article from “Creative Loafing Tampa (blog)”