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TELL US: Should Level 1 Sex Offender Information Be Public?

A Wakefield man and tutor who faces numerous child sex charges was a Level 1 sex offender.

 

On Thursday afternoon, news spread quickly through the region about the indictment of a Wakefield couple for numerous charges stemming from an illegal day care operation where graphic child sexual abuse occurred.

The Middlesex County District Attorney's office alleges that at least 13 children were abused while under the care of John Burbine, 49, at the Waterfall Education Center, which offered tutoring and day care.

Burbine was a level 1 sex offender, which means he had been convicted of a sex-related crime but was deemed least likely to re-offend.

Sex offenders are classified according to the degree of dangerousness they pose to the public and their likelihood to re-offend. A Level 1 offender has been classified as a “low risk.” A Level 2 offender has been classified as a “moderate risk.” A Level 3 offender has been classified as a “high risk.”

Once an offender is classified as a Level 2 or a Level 3 Offender, his/her sex offender registry information will be available to the public. Level 1 information is not public.

Does this case affect how you feel about the Sex Offender Registry? Would releasing more information about all levels of sex offenders prove helpful? Or, do you think level 1 offenders don't deserve to have their information made public? Tell us in the comments.

Related Topics: Sex Offenders and Sound off

Andie

6:12 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Make them all public. This guy was a Level 1 sex offender but it seems he moved up to a level 3 offense. As a care provider I would want to know. Level 1 means "low risk". That doesn't cut it for me. A risk is a risk.

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RL

7:04 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

why the levels? Either your a sex offender or not. If 2 16 yr olds mess around, well call their parents. if there is rape/sexual abuse of a child, Prison with lifetime of Monitored parole and in a 1/2 way house. We pay alot of money on prisons, how about we take some of that money and get a 100% monitoring system. If you rape a Women or a child you have pretty much destroyed their lives, so in return we never let you out of our sites again!

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Northborough Resident

7:56 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Even a Level 1 sex offender's information is available to the police. You can bring the name of a potential babysitter (and address) and that should give you the information you need. Only Level 3 offenders are listed on the Internet.

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A.Taner

7:56 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I agree with Andie and RL. You're either a sex offender or you're not, and a risk is a risk. No levels!! How can parents protect their children fully if they don't have all the information. How many of the parents that hired them both would have done so knowing he was a level one sex offender. NONE!!

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Tara Vera

8:27 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

The dilemma comes when you have an 18 year old senior in high school who dated a 15/16 year old and the parents file charges against the older person. That is enough to put them on the registry. But if you look up the registry it doesn't tell you those circumstances. That said, I have to go with protecting the children at all costs. I agree with RL, when you rape a child you have killed something in them and they have to carry this 'thing' in their spirit for the rest of their lives that can potentially ruin any hope they had of a normal life. But have to ask, if the daycare was illegal to begin with how would he have been flagged to the parents even if his status was made public? I think I read somewhere that the statistics on who actually checks the registry is pretty low. I wonder what difference it would really make.

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Aimee Blair Federico

8:31 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

This piece of garbage is the lowest of the low. I agree that there should be no levels. If you've violated a child, you should have the words "bottom feeder" tattooed across your face! These "people" are not fixable. Put them all on an island and let them fend for themselves.

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Kathy King

8:49 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

It is our job to protect young children from these monsters. All sex offender names and pictures should be published. We post the people that have been using a prostitute-when both parties are consensual but we don't when these monsters sexually assault children. Time for a change with no time to waste.

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Melissa Roeder

8:55 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

If his previous record of abuse was made public these assaults would not have happened. My god the youngest was only 8 days old!! Wake up MA, why should something this horrific have had to happen to have a Law pass that all levels be made public. There should be no levels, either you are a Sex Offender or not!!

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JoJo

9:50 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

A sex Offender is a sex offender no matter what stupid level he is so, enough already, get all their parts cut off or get them neutered and put our kids first! This whole thing is absurd with him and the pathetic wife! How on earth could she have had a daycare with no license.I think their town should be held responsible for this too!!!!

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D B

10:47 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

This is a stupid question! These screwballs should have their pictures posted in every public building, internet, etc, etc, etc..!!

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G.G.

10:52 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I believe the registry should flat out have the charges with no levels. There should only be catagories- rapist, repeat rapist, child rapist, child abuser, etc. I think that those with IRREFUTABLE evidence of thier crime should be killed, even if you neuter them they can still harm their victims. The irrefutable bit is hard though, my ex raped me and then moved on to stalking his next ex, breaking into her home and possibly causiing her to have a miscarriage! He wasn't even old enough to graduate highschool at the time...

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Mojo

11:00 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I agree a sex offender is a sex offender point blank . 18 y/o Pete who had sex with 16 y/o Mary when dating is not, I don't care how applauled her parents are.

This person should receive a quick death penalty along with his wife and be done with it. The town or state is not responsible the daycare was illegal so unless one of the parents had done their homework and report them who was to know.
You would think that somebody would have done some rescreach when the wifE was openly saying that her husband was not good to be left with children

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Ray Fellows

11:25 am on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Doesnt a day care need a license? Wouldnt they do a background check on him? The bigger question is. how did a sex offender get licensed to open a daycare? A sex offender is a sex offender, I dont care how you dice them up. You should never get a second chance to harm a child

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Mark Cain

12:15 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Hey guess what, this is a Democratic state! Proud of yourselves? You have no one to blame but yourselves!

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Tara Vera

1:20 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

That's right... Because the democrats raised this scumbag? Give me break. Instead of blurting out random phrases, why not add a little intellectual and factual content to support your statement? Otherwise you are just distracting from the original question.

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Ron Goodenow

2:03 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Intellectual and factual content from this timeless flamer is both a logical and neurological impossibility.

Remember When

2:57 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

He is worse than a sex offender, he is a pedophile.
What he does he thinks is OK. This is a deviant behavior, which some out there may not want to hear. but do some research, the repeat rate is ridiculous, and that's only when they get caught. This unnatural attraction is scary, and you let them back out?

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carol a.

5:22 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

There is no question as to the punishment for this sex offender. Put him in jail and throw away the key so no more children will have their lives ruined.

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Jerri Holmes

6:04 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I agree, pictures posted everywhere. Media needs to spend time on outing these pedophiles and less on garbage stories.
There is no cure even if you take away their privates. It's in their MIND! I worked as a Correctional Officer with juveniles under 18. Had a 11 year old who molested children and I know when he gets out of prison, other children will lose their innocents to him and other pedophiles. I had a unit of 140 and 75 % were molesters. Some of these prisoners were also molested. The molested children lives will take a turn that others will not be able to comprehend. I would just like us to have public stockades where everyone can walk by and _________. Society-we need to make changes!!!!!

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Maggie Harling

6:17 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I agree, this 'level" thing is stupid because a risk is a risk. I think all sex offenders should be classified by the nature of their crime. This man would have been a "child molester" and should have been discoverable to everyone. In response to Tara, I think a high school "statutory rapist", would be questioned about the nature of his crime and a reasoned judgement made of him...

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Tara Vera

10:11 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

See Tippy's comment below. The levels system is broken. A young man charged with statutory rape by the girls parents will live with that level one status even after he marries the young girl in question. My only point being that while I think it would be unfair to them inparticulate, I would be willing err on the side of overkill by publicly outing the small percentage who are victims of the system if it would save a child from this horror. But it is something that should be examined. The very idea that this man had access to those children is terrifying and why do people think these monsters can be redeemed?! I'm sad to say it, but I think that the video evidence should equal automatic execution. You have a video of a man raping an eight day old baby!? We do not need this person existing in this world.

Tippy Doodle

7:17 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

This whole level thing is a joke. What geniuses decide what level a person is classified under? Did you know if were caught urinating in a back alley or parked your car on the side of the road and ran into the woods, depending how the police wrote you up you can be prosecuted and placed as a level one offender? And this guy was deemed low risked After he already had been CONVICTED of a SEX CRIME on another child? . Has Sex Offender Registry Board lost their F@#@# minds?

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Tippy Doodle

7:21 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

I cant wait for Deval's explanation on this one. Wonder who is going to pass the blame on ????

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Tara Vera

10:13 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012

Please explain why he needs to pass blame? Why should he accept blame? I am curious why you say this.

Ed Bertorelli

7:15 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012

Worried now ? Read the article in the liberal-liberal Boston Sunday Globe today about the failure of the Immigration and US Prison System to protect us from illegal aliens who commit felonies in the U S and how they are released back into the U S society rather than deported. Something is very wrong with this picture.

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Ed Bertorelli

7:21 am on Sunday, December 9, 2012

The entire legal system is broken and few people seem to care except those whose lives are tragically affected by these predators both citizen and non-citizen alike.

bernard johnson

10:53 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013

everybody's talks about save the kids well what about the black and latino kids that are shot every day no word on that I know a guy who is a level 2 sex offender who lives next door to me who committed a rape over a decade ago now has a family works and has not committed any type of crime in years I also knoow a guy who I just happen to k ow who just came home from ja for shooting a kid and adult he has no remorse and probably is going to kill someone tell me who sbould I watch the guy who's changed his life or the one who will be on the news before the year end

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