Ohio's scarlet letter, redux

Ohio made news a while back with their "scarlet letter" campaign of giving repeated DUI offenders a bright yellow plate for their car(s). Now they are attempting a similar move for repeated sex offenders:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Lawmakers want to take another crack at tagging certain sexual predators, now that they've got a license plate color - fluorescent green - that no one seems to object to.

State Sen. Kevin Coughlin and Rep. Michael DeBose introduced identical bills Wednesday that would require the most serious sexual offenders to place the plates on their cars for at least five years.

The bills would require all habitual and child-oriented convicted sex offenders to display the easy-to-spot tags.

I feel like I should have Paul's disclaimer because I don't think this is necessarily a "good thing". For one, it's not like people can't take tags off their cars. Second, I think it plays into creating a false sense of security--people without tags aren't necessarily non-predators and, as I said, the tags aren't permanently put on the car. Also, it will probably create more problems with regards to vandalism and vigilantes going after the driver of the car (who may not actually be the original offender but someone else who borrowed the car).

I don't think that these plates are going to make anyone much safer in the long run. If more punishment is needed--as that is what this is--then the sentencing guidelines for these particular (habitual, child-oriented) offenders need to be adjusted. Frankly, I feel that they should rot in prison until they die. That seems like it would keep people safer from a relapsing pedophile than a green license plate, no?