"Untouchable" Film Screening

The LSU Ethics Institute will screen the documentary Untouchable on Tuesday, November 9th from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. The screening and discussion will be held both in person in Coates 143 and over Zoom (Meeting ID: 961 1880 1113; Passcode: 440624).

Nearly 800,000 Americans are currently registered as "sex offenders" in the United States. Those legally classed as sex offenders are subject to a network of state and federal laws prohibiting living and working in proximity to schools, public parks, places of worship, and other public spaces. In many states sex offenders remain subject to these prohibitions and restrictions for life, even after having served their judicially determined sentence. Sex offender registries were originally devised as tools to allow parents to make informed decisions, but since their creation law makers have widely and repeatedly imposed increasingly punitive and long lasting restrictions upon those convicted of sex crimes and the public has increasingly demanded public disclosure of sex offenders' identities.

Untouchable confronts the audience with the stories of survivors as well as the experiences of those convicted of sex crimes. The film points to a number of misconceptions about who is labeled a sex offender, for what acts many are labeled sex offenders, and the widely believed but statistically inaccurate view that sex offenders have high rate of sex crime recidivism. It challenges the audience to question the justice of creating a permanent class of people who will never fully regain their rights, the effectiveness of sex offender registries to prevent future sexual abuse, and the common intuition that there are those who are forever "irredeemable." 

Discussion immediately following the film, moderated by Dr. Chris Wells.

Content Warning: This film contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault, sexual violence, and harm to children.