Sex-Offender Residency Rules
We need to be very careful about how wide we cast the net on registry rules. If you force people into a corner they will just go underground.
Indeed, Lyons - population 1,680 and only a square-mile in area - has found itself quite unexpectedly involved in the national debate over whether to limit where sex offenders live.
Proponents of residency restrictions - most such laws include buffer zones around schools, parks and other areas where children gather - say they keep the community safe.
"Common sense tells you that if you can keep sexual predators physically away from children, then they are going to victimize children less often," said state Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, who sponsored a residency restriction bill in the legislature this year that died in committee.
But critics of the laws argue that they isolate sex offenders in places where they can't receive treatment, broadly group all sex offenders regardless of the details of their crimes and may force more sex offenders to go underground.
"It is not making the children any safer," said Cathryn Hazouri, the executive director of Colorado ACLU. "It is a feel-good move. ... All it does is prevent the person from living in a particular area. It doesn't prevent the person from being in a particular area."
Twenty-seven states and hundreds of cities have laws limiting where sex offenders can live. Last year, Greenwood Village became the first city in Colorado to pass such a law. The Denver Post
13 comments:
In response to the post by mojekearthe:
Hmmm. According to the Colorado Department of Corrections, many of the registered 'sex offenders' in Colorado are NOT "child rapists" as you so endearingly call them. Statistically, most of the actual 'child rapists' are family members, so mojekearthe, please look close to you home for those who most put YOUR child at danger.
Your 'opportunity' to place absconding sex offenders back in prison lasts only until they are released AGAIN -- UNTREATED and perhaps ready to re-offend. Think this through. Your irrational fears appear to be blinding you to the realities of the situation!
I exhort you to also THINK!
You people need to get a life and realize that you only hear the bad stuff about sex offenders. Step back and look at your selves. Have any one of you ever done anything with anyone 4 years younger than you under the age of 18? If so, you are a sex offender? Ever flash someone of peeded in public? If so, sex offender again. You will never hear about someone going to treatment and never doing it again because this country is so messed up its not even funny when it comes to sex offenders. I'm not saying that the people that sexually offend over and over again should get away with it but there should be different levels of cases that should be known to the stupid people out there which is everyone that is perfect. Which is NO ONE! Maybe you should talk to your kids and see what they think cause I'm sure that one day maybe one of them will be a convicted sex offender and you will be eating your own words.
I agree with the previous statement. My boyfriend and the father of my child is unfortunatly a registered sex offender because his ex-wife's daughter from another father, who blew an inoccent mistake out of proportion. (She wanted to get rid of him and try to get her parents back together.) They threw the book at him because they could and it hanuts him every day of his life. He is a good, kind, loving man, who never hurt anyone and he is NOT a predator!!!
It's true that people who do prey on children should be locked up and have the key thrown away. But the system is messed up. We should ask law enforcement to have some accountability just as we do the offenders. The label "Sex Offender" is very broad and has the worst of stigmas attached to it. But I'm very saddened to say that those who don't necessarily deseve it (such as those who have consentual sex under the age of 18)will have to bear the burden of that stigma the rest of their lives.
I agree with the comment above! My husband will have the label "Sex offender" on him for the rest of his life due to the fact that his suicidal ex-wife want to get back at him for leaving her and said that he touched her daughter and then after he took a plea, she came out and said "oh I was just kidding, he really didn't do that. You can let him go now." Now he has to live with that for the rest of his life. He is SUCH a kind, caring, loving man. He is having a hard time gettign work because of this. I think society need to punish repeat offenders but give those who either made a mistake or were falsely convicted a chance. Most of them would never hurt a soul.
So i'm not sure what the laws are like in Colorado but I live in Oklahoma where if you rape and molest a child, have sex with and underage boyfriend or girlfriend or urinate in public or "moon" someone as many kids have always done, you are a sex offender in the eyes of the law and you are discriminated and viewed in the public eye as equals with these sick twisted people that do harm men, women and children. There are no levels of differentiation and there are many living restrictions that make it to where they can't live within 2000 feet of a daycare, park, any kind of teaching facility whether it be a preschool or college or even a learning center for afterschool tutoring. Now for the people that are violent offenders that are rapist and molesters these rules should apply if they are released from prison but for the ones that the other situations apply such as having sex with their 15 year old girlfriend when they are 19 is a little unfair I think which is my situation. Not to mention the fact that they have to tell anybody and everybody that they are a sex offender which is a huge burden! Not to mention the fact that Oklahoma is now making them put it on their drivers license. I work in restaurants and have for 10 years. In oklahoma you have to have a personal liquor license to bartend, serve or manage a restaurant and cannot recieve one if you have a felony on your record of any sort which with my profession makes it impossible to work in the restaurant industry unless you cook or wash dishes. I think people should only be labeled with the scarlet letter of a sex offender if they indeed did committ a horrible violent sex crime such as rape or child molestation. I blame the press for not giving all the facts and just the ones that will get ratings. Not all sex offenders are rapists and child molesters.
My current boyfriend is a registered sex offender. His crime, L+L with a child under 16. Almost half of the registered "S.O"s in Idaho are slapped with an L+L W/a minor child under 16, they seem to hand them out like candy. When it came time for him to go to court on this charge the "victim" told the police and the prosecutor(as well) that she lied. He was still prosecuted. Now, because of The new "Adam Walsh" law, he can never petition to be removed from the registry. So, our child that is ours, will never have a "normal" life, his father will never be able to attend any kind of school function. How is that OK? Point being; for some of the people who have been charged with a crime like this, should be allowed to redeem themselves and live a "normal "life. Not banished, or stuffed away. Look at the crime and find out facts and don't rely on a "label" that the government has placed so carelessly on people.
what most of the narrow minds don't realize is the safest offenders are the ones that are registered and in treatment!
the real threat are the people you don't know about, family memebers, neighbors etc...
people are going to have to look at the even bigger picture, the number of people showing up as offenders is increasing and you can't lock them all away most are very productive citizens that got caught taking a leak on the highway or some stupid thing like that.
one thing people need to know is there has been talk from harder offenders(you know the guys who go underground who you think you'll catch) if they molest again they will kill there victim because no witness and they rather be called a murderer than as you call them a "child rapist". so as a final word be careful what you wish for if people go underground you don't know who or where they might be?
I agree with alot of what is said, if they are repeated sex offenders then they should be registered but, my son to was charged with sexual assault by a 14 year old, he was 16 at the time. After he graduated he moved to Colorado to live with me, after he was here a year he found out The state of MI put out a warrant for his arrest for sexual assault. The girl waited 3 years before filing a complaint. My son went back to MI to confront the police about the charge and they arrested him on the spot. Later the girl told the police it wasn't true but they would not drop the charges. He went to court before a judge and was sentenced to 1 year in jail and 5 years probation, and a life time on the sex offender registry. Even though the girl told them it wasn't true he was convicted anyways. Now he is paying a high price for something that didn't happen. He hasn't been able to get any work because of the felony charge, he can't even be around his nephew even if his sister is there with him. The law is not always fair and to punish him for something he didn't do for the rest of his life is extreme. He will be off probation next May but forever on the registry. How fair is that? My son could have never went back to MI to confront these charges, but he did and now he is paying the price for doing the right thing. Not all people are what they are charged with and there seems to be alot of people paying the price because girls get mad or jealous with them and make false accusations. It is a stiff punishment for the innocent.
I agree that you can not look at the registry and truly get a real picture - we are ruining many lives that shouldn't be. It's true that someone may be listed for a childhood prank of mooning, or someone may be listed for urinating in public. And what is not mentioned the many many who had to take a plee guilty or not becuase our system doesn't operate on innocent till proven guilty - it's take this plee or we are going to sock it to you and give you the max. Do you want to take that chance? Five years - life....hmmmmmm take your pick. It's pathetic the way our just system operates. And there is no serving your time. Regardless if it is trivial, wrong conviction or not you serve a life sentence. You are uable to improve and move on. You are marked forever. There really should be some kind of vindication for them. Someone's hurtful vendeta and your screwed. No recourse. I think it pushes them into further issues how are they to redeem theirselves? You are better off being a murderer it more widely accepted. How can they once time is servered come out be productive and live their life? There is no coming back from a charge of this nature whether it be true or false.
For us who are registered I offer this word of advice: find a country [Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia] that has no restrictions on sex offenders, relocate there and start a new life. A 30 day visa can be extended forever with a small monthly fee. Colorado law enforcement does not care if you go and plan to stay. I found this to be true when I recently visited Indonesia with my spouse. Once I left this country I was de-registered from this state and free from all restrictions that came with it. Since I returned I re-registered without problems and now continue my life. I plan to return to Indonesia, where I can work, worship, and play without community and social restrictions.
Its all about money, your state doesn't give a flying f*** about your children or you, the authority's and jails and prisons and probation office's all make big bucks off you as a sex offender,and the government doesn't want to spend the money and or man power to seperate different case by case situations,.it is a situation that the government can exploit becouse most peaple, until they offend or have a loved one who offends jump on the hatred bandwagon as well, and the upper echelons no this. And who is gonna vote for any person who might actually see the wrong in not making exceptions for different cases involving peaple under the words SEX OFFENDER, not many,I'm under a L&L under 16,that was 18years ago, and I have listened to friends who dont know, and they are ignorant you can imagine how fast they change there toon when I tell them my story, I dont care about me anymore, I have delt with it for 18years I care about how it effects my kids and family. Its unfair, and unconstitutional but the government can do what they want thats just all there is to it.
Not all sex offenders are child rapist. They're all grouped together and that's wrong. Some are young adults that were caught peeing in public. Or maybe they dated someone that was 3 years younger when they were over 18. It's not fair to make them all have to register the same way and give them all the tital sex offender. Then because they're all grouped together the not truly sex offenders can't live where you and I do. Absolutely group together the child rapists, but let's separate them from the non rapist and opps I made a mistake ones.
Is there anyway we can lobby and petition for them to stop making small offense or wrongfully charged people from having to register? I don't know how to start something like that, but I can help. To many people are labeled for their lives when they made an opps as a young adult. For small offenses there should be a 3 strikes your out and now you have to register, not one time, now I'm ruining your life. It's a horrible stigmata. And I agree the government benifits financially from it. Disgusting.
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