Florida Law Leads To Shantytown For Banished Sex Offenders

The New York Times:

They used to be invisible, the four or five convicted sex offenders camping out on the Julia Tuttle Causeway connecting Miami to Miami Beach. But for three years now -- pushed by local laws that bar them from living within 2,500 feet of where children gather -- more and more criminals have moved in.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[LiberalBuzz]

Onceagain, These laws are barbaric to the extreme.

The kneejerk reactions by what I safely believe are our trog "compassionate conservatives" are without a doubt exceptionally ill informed.

Sex offenders actually have the lowest recidivism rate of any crime. The vast majority are NOT hands on offenders. Not rapists, not child molesters etc. The majority are those who committed what we now call sex crimes. Get caught whacking off at a nude beach. Having sex with your younger girlfriend, sex in public, etc.
One guy in Georgia spent a week in jail and has to register as an S.O. because he scratched his nuts while getting the morning paper in full view of a 6 year old who told his parents.

In L.A. the Channel 9 news destroyed the life of a man who got busted at 19 for picking up a 15 year old hooker which was 28 years ago. They decided to harass him, go to his neighbors while conveniently leaving out HIS age when it happened and told the neighbors he was an S.O. who had been convicted of molesting an underage girl. Within 24 hours he was thrown out of his apt, was fired from his job where he had been for 9 years and was homeless.

EVERY case is different and the kneejerk reaction that having an S.O. conviction means you are a child rapist or any other such offender has GOT to stop.

These laws are bad, mostly BARBARIC.

[pokemon]

Yeah, they have the same trouble here. Still they can live in the county away from schools, etc.

[MNmommy]

Let me start by saying that firmly against capital punishment except in the case of peds. They destroy lives and give up the right to live in doing so.

That said, we need better classifications about who is what sort of sex offender and better categorization of punishments.

[tweeter1]

So you consider sex offenses against minors to be worse than murder?

[MNmommy]

Not all minors. I referred to something specific.

And yes, pretty much.

Do you know any survivors that struggle every single day due to PTSD?

[tweeter1]

You are right about the need for categorization. You shouldn't label all SO's the same. If it was up to me, I would set it up like this: you have a 3 tier system....Tier 1 is for people who are convicted of things such as statutory rape and public urination (both of which should not get you on the registry anyway, but we will ignore that for now). Once these people serve their time in jail or whatever their punishment is, they would not be subjected to any residency or work restictions. Tier 2 is for people convicted of internet crimes or other non-violent sexual crimes, although not nessecarily consentual. These people would not have residency restrictions but would be subject to some work restrictio­ns...obvio­us stuff such as not working in schools or day care. Now Tier 3 would be what most people think of when they hear "sex offender"...rapists and child molestors. These people would be subject to stricter work requirements and residency requirements (although I think residency requirements are pretty much worthless, this would be done just to make the public happy and provide a false sense of security). The bottom line is that if an 18 year old guy gets his 16 year old girlfriend pregnant and is charged with statutory rape, he should not fall under the same umbrella as the old man who rapes a 4 year old.

[Turtleposer]

I have no sympathy for sex offenders--I had been molested by someone when I was a child. However, banishing sex offenders only puts them in neighborhoods where the locals there don't have the resources to again banish them. It concentrates them in poor neighborhoods.

On the surface, it looks like a good idea to banish these people. The reality is is that these are people who were actually caught. Most of sex offenders aren't caught. It provides a false sense of security. My child is aware of where the sex offenders live in our neighborhood, however, I warn her that anyone can be a sex offender & don't assume a person is harmless just because someone isn't listed as one.

[LeighAnnes]

I'm probably going to lose my bleeding heart liberal credentials on this one but this is a group of people I just don't care about. I wish they were not let out of prison to begin with.

[BVictor1]

You have to attempt to show empathy for all. People make mistakes. The 18 year old who had sex with a 14 year old shouldn't be looked down upon.

[FogBelter]

Then perhaps they should simply be executed for their crimes. Would that be acceptable to you? I'm being serious here, if these individuals are beyond rehabilitation then why waste millions of dollars on them in prison ... wouldn't execution be the proper answer in a janitorial context?

[tweeter1]

I am reposting this because my previous post never showed up, so forgive me if it comes in twice..... Another thing I don't get about residency laws is this: they can really only control where you sleep at night (the address you have to register with the sheriff's department). It's not like these people are just going to stay at their home address all day; you can't stop them from walking around. I'm sure if an SO really wanted to reoffend, they would not mind walking the 2,500 feet to do it. If you are letting them out of prison, then the goal should be rehabilitation. The best way to rehabilitate someone is to have them get involved in their community in a positive way. These people are much more likely to reoffend becuase they are probably thinking "who cares if I commit a crime and go to jail; it can't be much worse than the living conditions I am in now".

[LeighAnnes]

Rapists and child molesters cannot be "rehabilitated."

[tweeter1]

You are making the same mistake that many lawmakers do when coming up with these laws....labeling SO's with a broad brush. The vast minority of SO's are not child molesters or rapists. One of the most common types of offenses that gets you on the SO registry is statutory rape. If you read one of my earlier posts on this topic, you will see where people have people have even had to register for public urination because they were charged with indecent exposure. So obviously most people aren't sympthetic to rapists, but SO doesn't always mean that is what the person is.

[missviv]

Did you know that urinating in public can land you on a sex offenders list in some states? I'm no fan of child molesters and rapists, but the laws are too broad and if part of the punishment means that an individual can potentially end up living under a bridge completely ostracized from society, it needs to be far more specific.

[BVictor1]

How do you know? I wonder if you attitude would be the same if one of your relatives was in a situtation like this? Or are you possibly a victim of abuse?

[sunnybunny]

As a Christian, I believe ANYONE can change any behaviour they want to if they
truly decide that they want to change. This is the entire basis of my faith. All of Christ teachings and our belief that our sins can be forgiven (we must repent - or change for this to happen) are based on this principle. I'm not saying that people who are non-christians should believe in rehabilitation for this reason, but we Christians should.

[rudolph]

These may not be the most pleasant of human beings, but human beings they are, with human rights and human dignity.

If they pay the penalty society sees as fitting, they do not deserve this persecution and humiliation.

[apoyo]

This is called cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[wdw505]

no everyone knows where not to go

[HekmabaJuzimax]

If you mean that the public knows where these offenders are and how to avoid them, the whole point of the article is that those areas where the offenders are living are getting LARGER. Soon there may be no way to avoid them. The government has to find out what makes them tick and reprogram them.

[MNmommy]

Don't live in Miami Beach, do you?

[tweeter1]

The problem with these types of laws are the sweeping generalizations they use. I remember reading a story about a Florida man who was registered as an SO for urinating in public after leaving a bar about 20 years ago. He now has a wife and kids, but was recently forced to move from his home (too close to a school) when new Florida residency laws went into place for SO's. Although I'm sure cases like this are rare, many people don't realize that there are people on the registry for things such as public urination (charged with indecent exposure). So basically what you end up with is people like this guy being subjected to the same residency laws that child predators are. The same situation exists with statutory charges, such as an 18 year old and 15 year old in a consentual relationship. The problem is politicians don't want to stand up against these laws, because they are afraid it will hurt their image and lead to people thinking they are soft on SO's. Also, when murderers get out of prison, I don't believe they are subjected to any residency laws. Here's my question...I know when someone is on probation, they usually can't leave the state...can they typically not leave the county either? Can they have their probation transferred to another county or state where the residency laws are not as strict?

[wdw505]

i don't know about FL but ohio convicts can

[apoyo]

If drunken public urination leads to being labeled a sex offender then that twisted logic dictates that no bars should be allowed in towns that have children.

[wdw505]

that is a leap on both parts

[LeighAnnes]

I hope someday the politicians change the laws so that all rapists and child molesters go to jail for life without hope for parole on their first offense. They can be treated with dignity in prison where they will not rape another woman or child. Then we can just eliminate the registry for the lesser offenses. Problem solved.

[DCinFrance]

It's all about the men, isn't for you? I seem to remember some high profile female high school teachers doin' young boys. Problem solved is putting extremism behind bars.

[BVictor1]

You are a sad individual. Not all sex offenders have committed sexual acts. Some people have been caught with images of under age individuals, but committed no hands on acts.

The problem isn't solved by your plan.

[Majus]

"They can be treated with dignity in prison "

What planet are you from? Not this one, obviously.

Sex offenders, especially rapists and pedophiles, while in prison are subject to a very high degrees of physical and mental abuse from the so-called straight convicts, up to and including being murdered.

[ashabot]

I am so sick of the do gooder laws passed clueless minders of everyone's business. These self-appointed brother's keepers, poke their noses into everything, over manage everything they touch and almost invariably make matters worse.

[noudidnt]

are U an SO??

[kathy001]

are U an AH?

[Reality Czech]

Headline edit:

Sex Offenders Breaking Florida Law Leads To Life In Shantytown

[FogBelter]

That's all we need, a bunch of ostracized Sex Offenders longing for the good old days in prison.

[rimofheaven]

What is the answer? Our first priority it the safety of the innocent, no matter what the cost. I don't believe that the Florida restrictions are unrealistic. Yes, they cause a huge inconvenience to the offenders themselves. This inconvenience, however, does not outweigh the needs of even one child to remain safe from trauma (that will last a lifetime), or even death. The situation beneath the bridge is ridiculous. If sex offenders were not the biggest outcast in our society, it would never be tolerated. The best solution may be a form of housing that is strategically located in an area that is reasonable for all parties. Would society stand for tax dollars being spent on housing for sex offenders? Not likely.

[Congzilla]

No matter what comment I make I cannot possibly assit you in sounding more ignorant than you have done on your own.

[rimofheaven]

Hi. Just my opinion. I can't help it if it bothers you. What you could do though is tell me how I'm ignorant. I'm not ashamed to admit to being ignorant in areas, so I am ready to listen.

[KMan1]

I rather pay for offenders to be housed than to have them wondering the streets. The current solution in Florida is just a disaster waiting to happen it's just not practical or safe for all involved.

[rimofheaven]

Me too. Realistically it might be the fairest option.

[wdw505]

"Would society stand for tax dollars being spent on housing for sex offenders?"
yes the housing is called prison

[TheGoodShepherd]

Put them all on a C-130 and drop them off in Iraq.

[Fishstory]

Is it named after Bill O'Reilly?

[rich3324]

Lets send them to Alaska. After all you can see Russia from there.