IOWA:  EXPERT SAYS RELEASING MORE INFORMATION COULD PREVENT VIGILANTISM

According to the Associated Press, any vigilantism against registered sex offenders intended to harm or scare them could jeopardize offender registration laws.  Bob Schilling, a police detective in Seattle said, All it's going to take is one federal judge to say it's causing too many problems, or that it's double punishment, and we've lost it, all across the United States.  Iowa press releases list the offender's picture, name, age, address and physical description and some include a little information about their crimes.  According to critics, the public is not told the difference between a child molester and a man who had illegal sex with someone closer to his age.  This causes anxieties by not giving enough

information and causes vigilantism.