Registered Offender Branding

Mary Sanchez, KC Star columnist, in a commentary last Monday wrote about the new practice of the State of Kansas to add “Registered Offender” to the license to drive of persons convicted of sex, drug and violent crimes. She likened it to a “Scarlet Letter”. I believe that this “branding” is a violation of the “equal protection” clause of the U.S. Constitution. Persons who must have “Registered Offender” displayed on their licenses to drive are not treated equally under the law, because this marking has nothing whatsoever to do the privileges bestowed by a license to drive. No one is made safer by this branding. The only reason to attach such an appellation to a license to drive is to demean and, thereby, punish its holder, which the courts have already done.

Mary Sanchez ended her column by writing, “…it seems that human, or at least legislative, nature is to create pariahs out of ever-widening groups of people.” It should cease immediately by repealing the statute that permits it and order new licenses to be issued to replace the ones issued under this law. I urge you to contact your Kansas legislative representative to support repeal of this law for all offenders past and future.