BY JASON RANTZ
Talk Show Host and Columnist at Seattle Red AM 770
Democrats prioritized a new bill that demands “person-first” language to address how violent sex offenders are labeled. The intent is to stop defining a sex offender by his or her crime, so they can destigmatize them. It may not even be the most offensive piece of the legislation.
Among the prescribed reforms, HB 2177 changes the name of the Sex Offender Policy Board (SOPB). If passed, it will now be called the Sex Offense Policy Board. It gives the dubious impression that the board reviews focuses on sex offenses, and not the criminals who commit them. HB 2177 also adds a convicted sex offender to the SOPB, with proponents arguing the felon’s “lived experiences” is “invaluable.” It does not restrict the membership to level 1 sex offenders, those who are least likely to recommit a sex offense. The bill allows the most dangerous felons, Level 3 sex offenders, to join. The sex offender will serve alongside another new representative to the board: victims of sex crimes.
