On Thursday, March 16, Stoneleigh Fellow Nicole Pittman was invited by the House Judiciary Committee to share her expertise on the unintended consequences of federal laws intended to protect children.
She spoke specifically about how laws requiring the registration of youth as sex offenders can cause children and families irreparable harm without improving public safety. She cited many examples of kids on the registry who were struggling with developmental disabilities, were victims of child sexual abuse themselves, or were arrested for consensual but inappropriate incidents with other children. She strongly urged the Committee to carefully reconsider and narrow the scope of all federal legislation requiring children to register as sex offenders.
