Do you know anyone who has been on the sex offender’s register?

[Kris02]

Or anyone who has a criminal record for some kind of sex offence? Do you treat them differently (keep your distance, etc)? I recently found out that a friend’s brother was on the register for grooming. It has really shocked and disturbed me. If my friend hadn’t let it slip, I would never have known or suspected. Shouldn’t there be a way of finding out if a new neighbour has a record? I’m now suspicious of everyone.

No, there should not be a way that the public have access to this knowledge. There is a similar thread on AIBU that picks up on some of the reasons why. Additionally, a substantial amount of people would feel compelled to take the law into their own hands and that never ends well.