http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=11171555NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A local mother opened up to state lawmakers about the rape of her 5-year old son. Tiffany Lightsey is pushing lawmakers to pass a bill that would create a juvenile sex offender registry.
The mother from Crossville faces an uphill battle. In one of the most public settings, Lightsey told her private story to state lawmakers.
"He was raped by a 15-year-old," said Lightsey. "He had asked him to stop, explained that it hurt. The boy did not stop. He kept forcing himself on him."
Lightsey shared her story with hopes to convince lawmakers that like an adult sex offender registry, a similar one is needed for juveniles.
"People need to be aware of it, if people are not aware of it, how do they know to protect their kids," said Lightsey. "The juvenile sex offender's mother even agrees to this."
Both mothers are fighting for the same thing.
"I am the mother of the 15-year-old sex offender," said the offender's mother.
Lawmakers agreed a juvenile's crime does not need to be kept quiet.
"We don't want to brand children unnecessarily, but we don't want a rapist to hide, just because he's 15 or 16 years old," said State Rep. Henry Fincher.
Some child advocates and groups like the Department of Children Services are against the idea.
"I am very concerned about the negative impact of putting children on a sex offender registry," said Linda O'Neal, Commission on Children and Youth.
To them a juvenile sex offender registry can mark someone for life.
"We really need to give these children a second chance because the research is very clear that treatment is effective, and that most of them, overwhelmingly in the 90 percent range, they will never re-offend again," said O'Neal.
"What about the 10 percent that are not rehabilitated that have committed a violent sex offense, like rape of a child, I mean are we going to let these ten percent continue to rape at will?" said State Rep. Debra Maggart.
The mother of that convicted 15 year old sex offender said her son maybe part of that 10 percent you cannot rehabilitate.
"Upon more therapy, he actually confessed that he had confessed that he had stalked several other children," said the offender's mother.
The testimony was part of what's called a summer study committee for lawmakers.
"I think it's more important to protect our young children, our young innocent children, than a sex offender's name," said Lightsey.
Rep. Maggart will again file a bill that would create a juvenile's sex offenders registry in Tennessee. She has pushed different versions of it over the past two years.
If Tennessee does not create a juvenile sex offender registry, the state could lose out on millions of federal dollars, through the Adam Walsh Act.
