I have a problem with registering sex offenders. The purpose of registering them is so that everyone knows where the sex offenders live and to protect their kids from the sex offenders because there's no curing a sex offender. If that's the case, then why aren't they still in prison? Maybe we should keep those in prison that we believe will continue to commit the same crime over and over again upon their release. I have the same issues with the possibility of registering those who have committed domestic violence. If we think there's such a risk that they'll do it again that we have to register them, maybe they're not ready to leave prison.

I'm kind of with unfunny feminist-either you're safe to be in society or you aren't, none of this registering b.s. What would be the rules? you aren't ever allowed to live with anyone else? no romantic relationships ever? or no roommates-because how would you prove the nature of your relationship with a roommate? and while they could do it better for a future d.v. registry, the sex offender registry as it is now doesn't have only violent/dangerous offenders. Is your kid really in danger from someone who got picked up for prostitution? or urinated in an alley? before anyone accuses me of being soft on child molesters, I know both of those don't necessarily automatically get you registered, but both can, depending on the place and judge. it doesn't prevent anyone from reoffending. it just makes it harder to have a life that might make offending again seem not worth it. I don't know that it would inherently be the same for a future list, but I can't support this.

Same.

This isn't a solution, this is a stop-gap. The criminal justice system doesn't solve problems, it punishes individuals and operates in a way that is discriminatory towards subordinate groups.

A registry could work to make law-enforcement officials take domestic violence more seriously and to stigmatize and de-normalize domestic violence. In that way it's helpful. But I think it might also make a systemic problem look like a problem of deviant individuals.

Men who perpetrate violence against women (and other men) are not born, they made (there may be hormonal factors, whatever, but those can be overcome). And they can be unmade. In highschool we had a speaker come to talk to us about male-on-female violence and encourage us to take part in the Walk Against Violence Against Women. He spoke passionately and compellingly against male violence. Earlier in his life he had abused his partner. Now he was identifying as a feminist and telling high school students why they should be too. (Of course the concerns/criticisms of men identifying as feminists apply, but the context was the lack of students raising their hands when asked if they were feminist, and the scoffing of douchy teenaged boys, so I think his assumption of the feminist title was warranted)

This is important because domestic abuse is not a problem that can be solved by locking up all the abusers, or by tagging them. Our culture will always produce more. We need to change the way men see women, and the way that men see themselves. This is achievable. And the justice system is one of the tools we can use, if it is given more of a rehabilitative focus.

You may not agree. But at the very least, the criminal justice system is highly problematic, and while a necessary part of our response to domestic violence, it is a blunt tool, and in attempting to remedy one kind of inequality, it can reinforce another.

*As I total aside, “since the beginning of time” is an essentializing generalization. Sorry to nitpick, but those sorts of statements make it easier for people to think that a certain set of circumstances is natural/impossible to change. Depending on the environment and who was in control of the resources, some hunter-gatherer societies were extremely equitable. Which further illustrates that individuals who commit violence against women are not born irredeemable misogynists, that social and structural factors matter a great deal.

Also realize that domestic violence and offenders (as opposed to what we know of sexual offenses) are not limited primarily to males. What would be your reaction be to seeing every mother who was arrested for striking their child where it could be witnessed (as seen on Oprah), alongside murderers of partners and children?

I kind of like the idea of this. That way women could look up somebody they were interested in beginning to date and check to see if they have a record of abusing past partners. (Of course, they would have had to have been charged, so not finding anything wouldn't be an automatic clear.) Most domestic abusers are not "out of control" they are very much in control and attempting to control others so these records could also be a deterrent and making it harder for them to get guns sounds like a great idea. Of course, there are also some drawbacks, like partners may be less willing to report the abuser and the abuser may go to more extreme lengths to make sure the abused doesn't report him or press charges. Still, though, I overall am leaning for this idea because abusers are often extremely manipulative, charming and good at hiding who they are and misrepresenting themselves to future partners. A registry like this would give some potential victims a clearer idea of just who they are dealing with in the beginning when it is easier to get out or not get involved romantically.

I don't see that it solves anything.

If it's just a registry, with no teeth (ie, it doesn't come with restrictions about where you can live and blah blah blah), then it serves no purpose that cannot currently be fulfilled other ways. You can easily find out if anyone you know has ever been convicted of domestic violence, or if there is a pending case. That information is in public records. If they were charged and the charges were dropped, or they were acquitted, the case will be purged... and this is how it should be, because our justice system presumes innocence until guilt is proven.

If it's a registry that comes with penalties, like the sex offender registry, it's a *terrible* idea. Victims will consistently suffer the brunt of those penalties. If a DV registry denies an abuser the right to live with a domestic partner, the partner that he abused will be forced to move, or forced to divorce him, and there are a lot of good reasons why victims don't want to do that. This will lead to people refusing to report their abuser.

I do recommend that anyone planning on dating someone new (male or female) Google them and maybe run a background check; it's not that hard to find out if someone has a criminal conviction (and you know, abuse isn't the only danger; what if you find out that a loving, gentle guy you were planning to marry has been arrested for embezzling and tax evasion? Do you really want to tie yourself financially to such a person no matter how nice he is?), and you shouldn't be *able* to find out if someone made an accusation that was later retracted, found to be unfounded, or the person was acquitted.