My husband was convicted of sexual assault in 1988. The victim was my 16 year old daughter. He admitted what he had did and took full responsibility for it. I made him leave our home and things fell apart. I couldn't pay the bills, my other 2 children blamed me for their father not being with them. So, with the approval of my oldest daughter, {the victim} I let him come home. I loved my husband very much and I felt he could be saved. 

We lost our business and then our home when news of his arrest became public. He was a plumber. At that time there was no sex offender registry, so we moved to another state to try to start over. He reported to the probation office and did everything that he was asked to do. 

He and I both went to counseling, plus he voluntarily went to private therapy. We were the most law abiding citizens around. My husband stopped a robbery at the risk to his life and did several community service projects. These were not required. After serving his 10 years probation, we thought we were finally through with the system. However, the day he finished his probation, he had his picture taken and was put on the Sex Offender Registry. Two weeks later everyone in our neighborhood got a letter in their mailbox {they were placed there, not mailed, that is illegal} with his picture telling the people to watch their children. I was devastated! 

So we immediately contacted a lawyer who told us that he did not meet the criteria to be on the registry and he wrote a letter to the state protesting. Nothing was changed. They can do what they want it seems as they also put the victims age at 13 which was entirely wrong. Our lawyer told us to just move to another state. So we did. BIG MISTAKE! Within a month of us moving a very big, masculine female police officer came to my door. My youngest daughter was home alone and this officer terrorized her by telling her that her Dad was going to jail as soon as they found him. 

She called me at work in hysterics and I came home. We immediately contacted the lawyer who had handled the case originally. He couldn't help us. As it was mandatory that my husband register as a sex offender. So he went to the police station and went through the process. That was 5 years ago. How long must he be punished for his crime?   It's not only him, it's all of us because we ARE a family. I live in fear every day that someone will put letters in everyone's mailbox again. We are getting older and all I want to do is retire in the mountains where there are no people.  I pray to God every day that people will realize that there are different levels of sex crimes. 

Some people SHOULD be on a registry, but there are a lot of people who SHOULD NOT be there. I have learned what it is like to be discriminated against. I long for the day when common sense prevails. I am also attaching a letter that the victim wrote that says it better than I can. 

Thank you
-Scared
in Texas