Protecting Sex Offender

Opinions have been divided for years about whether judges and magistrates should be free to suppress the identities of serious sex offenders. Most people would agree that sex offenders should be punished, however whilst some people believe that these criminals should be named and shamed, others believe that the offenders can be rehabilitated and that by allowing the public access to their names, these people will forever live in fear from angry attacks. 3AW radio host Derryn Hinch, has been actively working for over twenty years to pass a law to prevent judges and magistrates from suppressing the identities of convicted sex offenders. Hinch was sent to prison after attempting to alert unknowing parents to the ‘predatory behaviours’ of priest Michael Glennon, whose victims include multiple teenage boys and a ten year old girl that he raped.  

These sex offenders can be found in many community positions involving work with children. Such as the psychologist who sexually assaulted a brain damaged young rape victim, and the number of registered sex offenders who were given the green light to work with children. Many people believe that though these people have done terrible things, once they have done their time in prison, they should have the right to live the rest of their lives as law abiding citizens. There, of course, are those who do not fit back into society and continue to break laws regarding sexual conduct. These are the minority in which Derryn Hinch and his followers believe should be named. Because there is no way to differentiate these people from the ones who have learnt their lesson, it is suggested that all sex offenders should have the same rules.

Defenders of suppression orders believe in rehabilitation, freedom and privacy, whilst people who want to prevent judges and magistrates from suppressing criminal identities value justice and the safety of Australian citizens. People against suppression orders claim that by protecting these names, the...