The names and faces behind the nearly one million women, men and children on the nation’s sex offender registry represent untold stories of shattered lives left behind by the harm suffered by victims and their families as well as those whose crimes are posted for public display.

Women Against Registry is a St. Louis-area group of advocates who have taken on the task of supporting registrants — an unlikely cause in the minds of many people.  Last week I accompanied three members of the group to the Bloomington Police Department as they supported Charles Henderson, an 18-year registrant on the list, in his dispute with police.  His story illustrates the challenges of registrants as they navigate a world of assumptions by people who do not know their story.  To be clear, victims of sex crimes deserve justice and understanding.  But the devastation of such crimes often goes beyond the consequences to victims and their families.

Here’s a link to the story published on WGLT :

https://www.wglt.org/post/advocacy-group-challenges-sex-offender-rules