The damage of the label

I honestly think that the label sex offender, child molester,rapist or pedophile reinforces the behavior rather than decreasing it. It becomes this is what you are. This is who you are. Any good you have done or will do will forever be overshadowed by this act you did. The registry pretty much guarantees that you will wear this label the rest of your life and no one will ever look at you the same. You are unable to change! I will not be surprised if we begin to see a increasing recidivism rate with the registry. It won't happen because a person wants to repeat his behavior but more as a self fulfilling prophecy. On the one hand we tell people what you did was wrong and you mustn't do it again, but on the other hand we don't believe you can help yourself. So we will label you as sex offender so everyone will know what a bad person you really are . Once everyone realizes this it will help to protect society. We will haunt you for the rest of your life. It will become next to impossible to find legitimate work. Most of society will spurn you. Your every move will be scrutinized the way that a turkey vulture circles it prey watching and eagerly anticipating its last breath. Those who love a sex offender will feel the shame and reproach that comes from loving them. They will be embarrassed to have anyone learn about your past. This is if they are lucky. For many life will be much worse. They might be get killed like the couple in North Carolina. Their children might get ostracized at school. They might lose their jobs when the boss finds out they are involved with a sex offender. Society tells you its important to have a healthy self esteem. You need to have a decent amount of self love in order to grow, in order to make progress. Does the label sex offender, help a person to love themself or does it create self loathing and despair? When in the history to do we find that self hatred is helpful? when has history taught us that depression about who you are or who you could be helps to make a person stronger? I think if we study history and the effects of social isolation that we will find it is dangerous for society. According to Anthony Robbins in his book Awaken The Giant Within page 224 "We have got to be very careful of accepting other people's labels; because once we put a label on something, we create a corresponding emotion. (what do you think is the corresponding emotions you create with the sex offender label) Nowhere is this truer than with diseases. Everything that I have studied in the field of psychoneuroimmunolgy reinforces the idea that the words we use produce powerful biochemical results." What if the label sex offender and the stigma attached to it begins to biochemically affect the brain creating a vicious cycle and corresponding domino effect? I would like to know how can we help sex offenders and their families negate the negative impact that the label has on them? How can we reduce the risk of recidivism with the greatest benefit to all? How can we foster change in a positive way without using labels that damage? How can we seek justice for hurt person in a way that promotes healing rather than giving label of victim which is damaging and diminishes a persons internal power as well?