Without a doubt, it was not as bad for me as it could have been. I never spent a day in prison. I successfully completed five years of probation with no violations. I’ve heard horror stories about mandated group treatment programs, but my experience with a group wasn’t so bad. I came off the registry … Read more
An op-ed was published on Saturday, January 11, 2020 about the sex offense registry in CT and can be found at this link: https://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-gilchrest-sex-offender-registry-0110-20200110-ribwhef6wbafjm254nfv6c3mmu-story.html Below is a paragraph by paragraph response to that article. The first line in each section is intended to be a paraphrase or quote from the article. The commentary follows. Paragraph … Read more
I recently posted on Twitter that I have 9 months left on the Connecticut registry. Here I am, coming to the end of a very long period in my life, starting with the pain that drove me to commit an offense in 2008 and ultimately branding me as a convicted felon on the registry beginning … Read more
In the fall of 2008, I was arrested in a police sting which resulted in a felony conviction in 2010. I was sentenced to five years of probation which included ten years on the sex offense registry. Immediately following my arrest, I was told by a professional recruiter and friend that he would never be … Read more
I was approached by someone on the registry in another state who would like to share his story while remaining anonymous. It’s not long, but he talks about the difficulties in finding a decent place to live, supportive friends who don’t know how to help, and judgmental family. Can anyone relate? Words of Anonymous: “My … Read more
Past President’s Corner [Our current Temple President] asked me to step back into the role of Past President and, honestly, I had to give it some thought. While on the board, I gave the Temple everything I could. I didn’t do it for me. I did it because I was grateful for all that the … Read more
In the months leading up to my arrest, my entire world had reached a level of high stress. I mean, there’s stress that comes from everyday living and then there are times when the world seems to be imploding. The year 2008 was in the latter category for me. I wish I had been equipped … Read more
Today, I mailed letters to 40 State Senators and Representatives on the state’s Judiciary Committee regarding a bill that would modify my state’s registry. When I testified in person, I spoke about the need for the bill to be inclusive and not leave others behind. But, in my letter, I wanted a more personal touch. … Read more
Once the Temple fall-out settled down (see part 1) somewhat, I knew what I had to do: speak up. I needed to find a way to use all of the negative events that happened to try to help others. For the most part, I’ve been anonymous in my advocacy as I work up the nerve … Read more
Fall Fiasco With 21 months left on the registry, life was going great and I was on a high! There was light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that light was an out of control train heading straight toward me. Picture this: Yom Kippur is our holiest day of the year. We learn about … Read more