By C1 Staff
GRAND RAPIDS — With over 500 convicted murderers on active parole, does Michigan need a murderer registry?
MLive reports that other states maintain such a registry, allowing the public to be aware of who’s living in their area. The state already maintains a sex offender registry.
Kent County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Chris Becker said that such a registry wouldn’t necessarily deter violent criminals from offending again, but it would provide valuable information to residents.
Police in specific cities are notified when someone convicted of second-degree murder or manslaughter is paroled, but not the public. Offenders convicted of first-degree murder are not eligible for release.
Nearly half of those incarcerated for murder are arrested for a new offense within the first five years of their release from state prison, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2014.
People may look up information on inmates in the state’s Offender Tracking Information System, which shows the offender’s name, age, photo and their crime and sentencing information. It does not show their current address and there’s no option to search for offenders by geographic area.
One caution that officials have about a registry is that it could create a false sense of security; one of the biggest failings of the sex offender registry is the self-reporting requirement.
Others argue that a murderer registry could create a stigma and publicly brand offenders as they attempt to re-enter society. They believe it could lead to harassment from neighbors and further stigmatize ex-convicts who have worked hard to turn their lives around, which could ultimately push them to reoffend due to having a harder time functioning in society.