Where sex offenders can live still is a riddle
Tuesday's lead editorial.
Two years ago, the General Assembly passed tough rules on where sex offenders released from state prisons couldn’t live. What it failed to say is where they could live. Now that issue needs to be resolved.
A short-term solution in the 2008-09 budget proposes that ex-offenders stay for a while in hotels at state expense. But it doesn’t add up.
Nationwide, laws that prohibit convicted sex offenders from living near schools, child-care centers and parks make it extremely difficult for them to find housing once they leave prison. In a few extreme cases, parolees even have asked to return to prison rather than wander the streets.
Of course, it’s unfair to force people who have already served their time back behind bars because they have nowhere else to go. It’s also expensive. The state pays $26,000 a year to feed and house each inmate.
Putting up released offenders in low-cost hotels, which already can serve as magnets for criminal activity, seems equally ill-considered. But these individuals have to live somewhere.
North Carolina released more than 1,400 sex offenders last year after each served time for crimes ranging from horrific acts against children to consensual relations with a minor. Without an address, convicted sex offenders can’t comply with strict registration requirements.
That makes law enforcement’s job more difficult and limits the public’s access to online information on these ex-offenders’ whereabouts.
To be fair, a 2007 study by the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch disputes the common perception that “once a sex offender, always a sex offender.” The study concluded that 98.6 percent of those convicted of sex crimes and released from North Carolina prisons remain onetime offenders.
Still, the state needs to proceed with caution in determining how best to release these individuals back into society, for their sake, and for society’s.
One approach may not fit all. Lawmakers should closely examine recidivism rates for specific, sex-related crimes. It’s quite possible that restrictions applied too broadly may unfairly penalize a sex offender who poses no more of a danger to the public than any other ex-offender.
Vastly limiting where a released offender can live places a burden on the state to come up with workable alternatives. Among the possibilities are arranging contracts with homeless shelters and halfway houses. (North Dakota chose to use state funds to build temporary housing.)
Instead of buying time by using hotels and motels as a stopgap measure, the legislature needs to start looking, now, for a doable permanent solution.
Comments (8)
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This makes sense it is finally backfiring on the lawmakers. My son is to get out of prison next year for 20 months of "parole". I called parole officers in both states he can live, in Texas with me, his Mom, or in Louisiana (where he is in prison) with his dad. Both states make it almost impossible to even make it on parole. In Texas he cannot drive by (within 500 feet) of a church, day care center, school, park, arcade. That sounds easy, not even close. When you live in a "one road town" it is impossible. I can go 3 miles one direction and 2.5 miles the other before I run into at least 4 churches. In town (if he could get there) there is at least 3 churches on the strip, a school, and a park! You cannot DRIVE BY these places! I was SHOCKED! In Louisiana the footage is 1000 feet!!!! How can you get anywhere in these two states without passing BY these places? It's impossible. I talked to a Louisiana Parole Officer and he kinda laughed and said "Yeah, 99% of sex offenders on parole go back, they can't make it with these rules". Dah! This system is a system set up for their failure. And it's no matter what they did, from streaking to the most heinous crime, they all have to follow the same rules. Unbelievable. It has to change. And restrictions on living? The reporter is right, read the Human Rights Watch reports. It tells the truth.
Posted on June 10, 2008 11:27 AM
With huge hysteria around sex crimes, and any sexual thing in USA, I would
not beleive anything government is trying to say.
What I can say, government make pariahs from any sex offender, without any opportunity to lead normal life, like job, housing. What can you expect?
These laws are huge danger for our children.
Posted on June 10, 2008 3:49 PM
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Posted on September 6, 2008 7:13 PM
It's so sad what these poor sex offenders have to give up and after they've been through so much.
Seriously, I'm all for keeping them locked up. Punishments are much harsher in many other countries...they should be thankful to be alive and intact. Forgiveness is good, but neglecting the safety of law abiding citizens doesn't have to be the cost.
Posted on September 13, 2008 5:38 PM
I am all for keeping up with offenders, but this whole thing stinks of McCarthy-ism to me. Why don't other convicted felons have to register? Especially violent ones? I think it is a little strange that some guy who flashed some lady 10 years ago has to go through this, but an armed robber or even someone convicted of murder doesn't? Maybe I missed something...
Posted on March 15, 2009 1:21 AM
i understand that there are people out here that hurt little children!!and i truly believe that they should be dealt with...but they need rights too!! because god made you,he made me "and" he made them!! we are allllll gods people!! but what most people dont seem to think about are the ones that are convicted because 'some little BITCH' got angery at her step dad and turned him in for a false allegation!! the test PROVED she was lying and yet they "still" made him serve 3 years in prison and he has "never" been to prison before and then having to go with THAT CHARGE!!! and to come home and find out that while he is on parole he isnt allowed to be around his kids and his WIFE!!!??? THIS IS ALLLL BULL SHIT AND THE LITTLE TEEN AGER GIRLS NEED TO BE STOPPED BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME A GAME IN THIS TOWN FOR THESE LITTLE TRAMPS AND DONT COME DOWN ON ME...I HAVE "4" CHILDREN...BOYS AND GIRLS AND THEY ARE ALL ABOVE 9 AND I CAN TELL YOU,THE GIRL WILL NOT BE FOUND LOOKING OR ACTING LIKE A LITTLE HOOKER IN MY HOUSE!!!!!!!
PARENTS ...YOU NEED TO PAY WWWAYY MORE CLOSER ATTENTION TO THESE GIRLS,THEY ARE DOING THIS "SO CALLED GAME" THINKING THAT THEY ARE UNTOUCHABLE AND WHEN I GET ENOUGH OF THESE FALSE ALLEGATION WIVES TOGETHER WE'LL SEE WHO IS UNTOUCHABLE!!!!!!
Posted on March 20, 2009 2:31 PM
Our son was accused of this by a girl that he could prove she was lying so the DA just had her change her dates times ect..and did I mention her uncle was a policeman? She did it because he refused to return her months of calls and she had a fatal attraction to him so when his girlfriend answered she told her lie. She has done this to others also and posts nude or nearly nude pics of herself online also stating she is 6+ yrs older than she is. You can't drive down a street without passing a park or church or school the law they have made is ridiculous. Yes someone that takes a small child is a monster but some are girls with drug addict mothers and are out their drinking and screwing their way thru life and lying about their age.
A sex offender in the next county tried to move when all the neighbors posted signs about him but the housing market was bad so in retalliation he did the only thing he could do. He advertised 2 rooms for rent saying he would rent to sex offenders, bank robbers and theives. Is this what you want people? Whether you like it or not not all of these guys are guilty they just have over zealous DA's trying to get re-elected and show they arrested and imprisoned someone and a little girl that didn't get her way. The Duke La-crosse team boys would be in jail, for a preg. hooker ,if they hadn't of had the money to fight it. But for the ones that were, don't live by them, you move. They did there time and leave them alone.
This is a very diff. time and you need to be with your children instead of farming them out to sitters and nanny's and letting them run the neighborhoods. Their are bad people out their and it is not safe, how many adults come up missing all the time? You wanted and had kids its your responsibility to keep them safe. I can't tell you how many outta control kids come down the neighborhood streets vandalizing peoples possessions in there yards and majorly misbehaving or sitting on the corners doing drugs. I don't want to live by them or have them running the streets so maybe we should have more all adult areas and resturants so I don't have to be subjected to any of them. Oh that's right yours are angels.
Posted on April 3, 2009 12:19 PM
when my son was 11 years old he and a babysiters daughters who was 8. were found exploring with thier hands. when the babysiter found out the girl said she did not let my son he was arrested for agg sex assult and arrested.
they keep him in jail for 2 weeks and charged me $102.00 a day. they told us to hire a lawyer
and to go see their therpist that i had to pay for
the therpist said my son was to young to know he was breaking the law but the DA charged him any way. this was in 1997.
the lawyer told us if we did not take the deal they were offering he could be in jail for a long time and it would cost me $10.000 for him to only loose. so we took the deal witch was 2 years probation to reg as sex offender for 10 years sex ed classes comm service and to see a therpist.we tried to get back to some what of a normal life he was only in the 6th grade he had a hard time at school for the next 6 years.
once he tuned 18 it really got bad any time he got pulled over they treated him like he did it that day trying to get a job was a joke as soon as they checked his back ground they would say no or just get out he tried to move out 1 time only to be turned down. now here we are 11 years later. my son was so down he
started to do drugs and ended up leaving myhome .he did not call right away and change his addresss so they arrested him in 07 and gave him 2 yaers in prison when he had never recommited any thing near what they chared him with. he spent 1 year in jail and was released to a halfway center in beaumont texas
they told him he can not see his kids till he gets off parole even though he did prier to going to jail they will not let him come back to our home becouse his 5 year old sister lives here even though she did prier to him going to jail he also lived here with us.now they tell him to go find a job where they want him to look also where they send the other people to look. my son ask me to look in the phpne book for local glass companies within 5 miles on the center because that is his trade so I did. I found 1 that was willing to interview him even though he was in the center. when my son spoke to probation officer he said no because my son would have to ride by daycares and schools to get there.my son even offerd to put on montiering braslet they said he di not fall in that
catagory but he does every thing else.my son is ready to go back to prison or worse because they will never let him get this behind him he can never go to collage with out going in front of board can not go in the armed forces for gods sake he was only 11. THE LAWS NEED TO BE CHANGED AND THIS BLANKET TAKEN OF THESE SEX OFFENDERS THAT DO NOT BELONG UNDER IT MAD MOM
Posted on April 14, 2009 10:37 PM