Texas Sex Offender Residency Laws Endangering Offenders Families (Howe: sex offenders, crimes)

[CIVILRIGHTS?]

State law places a 1000ft buffer zone upon registered sex offenders. This is an area a offender may not reside within and is set in relation to schools, parks, public or neighborhood pools, day care centers, arcades, or any other regular gathering spot for children. This is supposed to be for our childrens protection. Some cities have expanded this even farther to 1500ft to 2000ft. In many cases this has effectively blocked 70-80% of many cities residential areas to said offenders. The exceptions to this rule are offenders who were already in place prior to these buffer laws being estabished. They are grandfathered as long as they don't change addresses. All newly released offenders, those looking to make a new start in life, or even those who have bettered themselves and simply want to establish a home for themselves and their families all now find themselves at an extreme disadvantage in finding homes. These buffer zones have created pocket areas where sex offenders can legally live and, since there are so few pocket areas, they are becoming almost solely populated by offenders. "Fine, let them live together" some would say but here we go again with creating problems from solutions. Everyone has family. Sons, daughters, nieces, nephews..........many of these have no say where they live and have to follow their parents. If one of these parents happen to be a low risk sex offender who has been deemed fit to live with his or her family and this family lives where it has to in order to keep their family together then the laws we have established to protect our children has just endangered them as well. So what do we do? Do we continue isolating these people into smaller and smaller communities.......Like Hitler did the Jews? Do we set aside reservations like in the case of American Indians? What is to be done? One thing for certain is that current guidelines are flawed and need to be rethought.

[kkwilli1]

Very good point! Unfortunately though, I think that lawmakers would probably be committing political suicide to ever stand up for rights of any sex offenders or their families. And we all know that most politicians are more concerned with their job security than justice and civil rights. Not to mention the cash cow that sex offender laws have created for the states! States are now being federally funded by the number of offenders they supervise. And because of this, there are major discrepencies in the registry list because when an offender moves from state to state, they are often "mistakenly" left on the list of the previous state. And I read somewhere than when an offender dies, the family has to petition the state to have their name removed from the list. And this doesn't even begin to touh on the amount of money paid out by the offender for community supevision fees, various andrandom victim's assistance mandatory fees, and so-called rehabilitation classes. This has turned into big business for the states. I also read that in one state, all allegations of a sexual nature are automatically indicted and the majority are coerced into sweet plea agreements as long as the defendant agrees to register as a sex offender! Meagan's Law started off with good intentions, but I think as time passes, and the laws become more warped and corrupted, it becomes more clear that it's really just a "feel good" law than any real protection. Why can't I find out on the internet if my neighbor is out on parole for breaking into a house and murdering a young family? This is a bigger concern for me, especially since most child sex offenses are committed by family members and friends, the vast majority of offenders are not predatory. This is the equivilant of a modern day scarlet letter. There should be some system in place, but I agree that the current system doesn't do anything but scare people and cause further violence and endanger those family members that are guilty by association.

[MSLGWCEO]

The Justice Policy Institute states SORNA,is a barrier to success.

"Expansion of sex offense registries, community notification laws and other punitive policies related to sex offenses will have a marginal impact at best in making children and the general population safer." However, it will increase the number of people who cannot meet their basic needs (housing, employment, etc.), and weaken the foundation on which people achieve positive life outcomes and stay out of prison.

[Houston3]

I can't believe that you compared sex offenders to Jews!

An why do you care so much about sex offenders? Does it hit close to home?

So you're OK with a sex offender that raped a 10 year old girl moving next to children?

If he lived next to me I'd put a sign in my front yard pointing out that he lived next door...

[getmeoutofhere]

Because sex offenders (real ones, the kind that rape children and suck, not the 17-year-old guy that had sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend) typically don't get "rehabilitated". It's a disease that prison doesn't cure.

And when they do whatever it is they did, they forfeit rights.

[Fillmont]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

Because sex offenders (real ones, the kind that rape children and suck, not the 17-year-old guy that had sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend) typically don't get "rehabilitated". It's a disease that prison doesn't cure.

And when they do whatever it is they did, they forfeit rights.

One of the big problems is that, in terms of these buffer things, there is no difference between the super creepy child rapist and the guy who sleeps with his underage girlfriend.

I tend to agree with those that say if you do the time, pay your debt to society, and are rehabilitated, then you should absolutely be able to live wherever you want.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by Fillmont

I tend to agree with those that say if you do the time, pay your debt to society, and are rehabilitated, then you should absolutely be able to live wherever you want.

We take away of lot of rights when you are convicted of a crime.

[Fillmont]

Originally Posted by getmeoutofhere

We take away of lot of rights when you are convicted of a crime.

True - felons can't vote, etc. But we don't ban convicted arsonists from living in certain areas.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by Fillmont

True - felons can't vote, etc. But we don't ban convicted arsonists from living in certain areas.

But computer hackers are banned from computers, drunk drivers from driving cars, etc.

So we ban sex offenders from living next to large concentrations of victims.


The reality is that most true sex offenders are mentally ill, and no amount of prison will rehabilitate them. It merely houses them, not addresses the true reasons behind their crimes.

But they chose to do what they did. They have to live with the consequences. So they have to look extra hard for housing. What about the children they raped who have to live with the nightmares?

[Dallascaper]

Originally Posted by Fillmont

True - felons can't vote, etc. But we don't ban convicted a living in certain areas.

FYI...felons can vote in Texas once they have completed their sentence.

Source: Texas Secretary of State. (http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/faqs.shtml - broken link)