Some conclusions from studies on residency restrictions.
The analysis suggests that residence restrictions have little potential for preventing sex offenses against children. Most importantly, the data indicate that very few sex crimes against children have been by the offender’s residence near a school, daycare center, or park.
- -Joanne Savage, Casey Windsor,Sex offender residence restrictions and sex crimes against children: A comprehensive review, Aggression and Violent Behavior,
Volume 43, 2018, Pages 13-25, ISSN 1359-1789, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.08.002.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178918300259)
Significantly higher proportions of transient sex offenders were found in counties with a larger number of local-level restrictions, vast territory covered by these laws, wide-distance buffer zones, higher population density, and expensive housing costs. Sex offenders were more likely than the general population to become homeless.
- Levenson J, Ackerman AR, Socia KM, Harris AJ. Where for Art Thou? Transient Sex Offenders and Residence Restrictions. Criminal Justice Policy Review. 2015;26(4):319-344. doi:10.1177/0887403413512326
The transience of registered sex offenders (RSOs) is a major impediment to reentry success, particularly because it has been linked to increased absconding and recidivism, and thus decreased community safety.
- Socia KM, Levenson JS, Ackerman AR, Harris AJ. “Brothers Under the Bridge”: Factors Influencing the Transience of Registered Sex Offenders in Florida. Sexual Abuse. 2015;27(6):559-586. doi:10.1177/1079063214521472
Legislating individuals into homelessness is not sound social policy, nor is it humane. These laws do not conform to what is known about patterns of sexual perpetration and victimization, and thus do little to prevent recidivistic sexual violence. In fact, these policies may undermine the very factors shown by research to be associated with positive reentry and reduced recidivism.
- Levenson JS. Hidden challenges: Sex offenders legislated into homelessness. Journal of Social Work. 2018;18(3):348-363. doi:10.1177/1468017316654811
Registrants subject to residency restrictions had a substantially higher risk of homelessness than their counterparts. Furthermore, residency restriction status and race interacted in their association with homelessness, such that the deleterious impact of residency restrictions was magnified for Black registrants. The results of the analyses demonstrate that Black sex offender registrants disproportionately disadvantaged by residency restrictions and highlight the importance of developing evidence-based monitoring strategies that prevent and end homelessness among convicted sex offenders.
What I find ironic is, not everyone on the registry committed a sex crime against children. Having said that, these restrictions are often applied to ALL offenders on the list. Makes no sense and shows that it is not really about protecting children but making a statement.
That is comparable to taking away someone’s children because the owners abused their dog.
Yet, communities routinely pass even widening exclusion zones. Whether it’s local government law enforcement, advocating for the expanding restrictions is a fear tactic they use to put us on the edge of registry violations.
BWJ
Wait until we have to get a hall pass to go to the store. When I was on probation, I could go about my day as I wished but one time I had gone to Disney with a date. I should not have answered my phone but I did and it was the probation officer.
She said she was at my house and wanted to know where I was. I did not want to be sarcastic even though I did not have to be home so I was honest. I said I was at Disney on a date. She completely lost her mind and said sex offenders were not allowed at theme parks. I calmly stated I have my rules of conduct memorized and there is not a single notation about staying away from theme parks. She then chewed me out and said “I should know better”.
She ended up letting me stay since we had already paid on the condition that I let her speak to my date. Well that did not go well and as soon as she handed me back the phone, she said “I think I am just going to go home”. Not only did I lose my date, when I got back home, I got a 20 minute bashing from the probation officer to the point of me being in tears.
The very next day The probation officer, 2 city cops and 3 sheriff’s deputies raided my home and tore it apart looking for anything to violate me. Nothing was found and after they left, it took me 4 hours to clean up the mess they left and many items were broken. Most professional cops ever (Sarcasm to the enth degree).
Cherokee, I can match that story. I was living in Ohio with my family. Went to a public botanical garden with my wife and daughter. I had asked my PO for permission and was told, no problem. I’m at said place when another PO calls me wanting to know where I was at as he was doing a residency check. I told him and he went ballistic. Long story short, I was violated, spent a month in an Ohio County jail before being
sent by bus back to Florida where I spent four months in County awaiting a hearing. My lawyer got me reinstated. My new PO told me that they wouldn’t have violated me for what Ohio said I did. However Ohio refused to let me return.
So I spent two years away from my wife and children until I could terminate my Florida probation early. I still get upset over what happened to me there. It was nonsense and just an excuse to add some punishment.
BWJ
I do not feel you matched my story, I believe you blew my story out of the water. At least my only consequences were getting my house trashed by the BS search warrant that took 5 cops and a PO to do. But I did not get any new charges just a tongue lashing.
Also, the first PO should have been called to court by your lawyer to testify that they had given you permission to be at the garden. If not, sounds like a coordinated set up otherwise. Not sure some of the officials sleep at night. Thanks for sharing as well but your story really burned my biscuits. Even the judge should be ashamed for not believing you or your attorney.
Cherokee
Since I was dragged back to Florida, getting Ohio’s cooperation would have been difficult. As it was, the whole thing was absurd. The judge in Florida issued some explicit orders to my benefit, which Ohio was able to ignore. Ohio told me that I would neither be allowed to live with my family or see my children.
I really wish we didn’t have these stories to share. As terrifying as this situation was, I know that someone on the registry, somewhere, has a story that can top ours. Thank you for your kind words. Keep moving forward.
We ought to discuss, why do residence restrictions remain so popular, despite years of studies. Understanding that would help us in discussions with our elected representatives.
Do we think, for example, that making more people aware of the studies, would reduce the popularity of residence restrictions? Probably only a little, I suspect.
Many people just feel more secure with such restrictions. Many of them are actually ok with registrants having the opportunity to rebuild their lives and stay out of trouble, so long as they do so SOMEWHERE ELSE, in someone else’s neighborhood or county, even if every other county is erecting the same laws.
At least that’s my anecdotal sense— I have no polling data.
So how do we get people (and, by extension, their representatives) comfortable with the abolition of residency restrictions?
Jacob
The restrictions are useless. If someone is set on offending, they are going to find a way to do it. For example, you cannot live close to a school. But what is stopping someone Hell bent on offending waiting in a bathroom stall at walmart for a kid to come in alone and…………..
I hate using public bathrooms for that reason. If I go into a bathroom and there is a kid in there alone, I leave and go back in later if even if I have to go really bad. Having said that, how many people on the registry have actually been caught doing ANYTHING? (Other than the random stings/entrapments Law enforcement performs)
If restrictions worked how come offenders are not going to places they CAN be and re-offending? I watch the news every day I rarely do I see anything related to that. Mostly, again it is the stings you hear about. But no one mentions this fact when we have meetings, laws passed or sessions or reform.
We hear about high re-offense rate but zero data to back that up. And no one challenges it with the real facts. And if they do, that info goes in one ear and out the other from those determined to keep us down.
On a “Semi” related note, our Florida Governor, who has no love for us at all, is closer than ever to running for president. I just read an article posted today that he is headed to Utah to speak and fundraise. The news reached out to the Govern-ators team and they stated “We do not comment on the Governor’s plans to run, to the media”.
The reason I bring this up is, Florida is one of the worst states to be on the registry. If he gets elected, he is going to bring that power nationwide. Having said that, in the long term that could be good. The states that have it relatively easy to be on the registry, may start challenging more and more of the sanctions and then a nationwide lawsuit could be filed to the supreme court. (Which leans against us sadly). But the more exposure, the more we can come together in the fight.
I would encourage those on the registry in Florida to call the governor out on the many other divisive issues he is dead wrong about. While we may not win much public support for our cause, we can magnify political issues for him with his base by engaging with supporters on just how inhumane and out of touch with reality he is (that is, unless his entire base of support is completely out of their minds as much as he is, which is highly possible).
Anonymous
Your 2nd thought is correct, they are out of touch. And yes I can and will judge and here is why. My Parents hate the fact I am on the registry and the “Horrible way I am treated”. Having said that, if Desantis runs for Prez, guess who will vote for him? Yup, my parents.
I was once a gun toting, pickup truck driving, Republican myself but that was more than 32 years ago. Not saying I am anything now since I cannot vote so it doesn’t really matter since I do not get a say, other than through F.A.C posts. Even if F.A.C never does anything for us (Not through any fault of their own) I have made a lot of friends on here.
Even though I have never met any of you, it is nice to have people to talk to who are in the same boat. I did the same thing in prison. Most if not all of those people I would not had a thing to do with outside of prison. But I made a few friends in there to the point we could encourage each other to not give up and keep up the goal of walking the straight line and getting back to our families safely. And that is just what I did, with a few more mental scars to boot.
All these studies and fact about how useless the restrictions are mean absolutely nothing to those who enact such laws, because they were not passed in the first place to protect anyone or anything. They were passed strictly for punishment and to that end it’s doing exactly what it was enacted for. It’s just they can’t admit to the public that that is what it’s for , for then it would be illegal. So they can now disregard the constitution and feel all bubbly inside because there getting away with murder in the guise of safety.
Residency restrictions make no sense, considering they state that the SO cannot live within the designated distance of schools, parks, & daycares (at night, when the minors are typically safely at home & asleep), but the SO ‘CAN’ be in the close proximity of schools & daycare, as well enter into parks (during the daylight hours (when minors are likely to be out of the home). Where is the logic in that?
Mike
You don’t understand. It’s done strictly for punishment and with the help of clueless media to gain notoriety and fool the gullible dumb people into thinking there doing something great. Just like those that were fooled into thinking Trump won the election.
It amazes me how no matter how many studies and reports come out proving how none of these restrictions and policy’s are effective they still keep passing them and making currant ones worse. I talked to the trooper who was processing me in when I got home and he told me that he doesn’t believe that low level offenders should be monitored, It takes manpower away from the areas they truly need it.
Philip
I use to work in law enforcement so I talk to all the cops/sheriffs just as I would have when I was still a cop. Some agree that if you have done your time, you should be left alone as if you are going to reoffend, that would probably send you back to prison for life anyway.
Others I talk to think we should all be sent to Maximum security prisons with no visits from family and be sentenced to life with hard labor. Remember, cops are people too and have different opinions, political views etc. There are even openly gay cops now.
I give them all the benefit of the doubt until the prove to be Hitlers. I have had many run ins with law enforcement and many of them were like night and day. I once pulled over in front of a closed school (It was a weekend not out of business). An officer pulled behind me, ran my plates and ask me out of the car. He held me until reaching the FDLE to see if this was an arrestable offense. The entire time he was polite and professional. Once he got the all clear he sent me on my way and just advised me to maybe pull over somewhere that is not a school.
Another opposite incident I was walking across a field to attend a park’s festivities. There was a large law enforcement presence since it was right after a notable mass shooting. Cops from every city were called in for extra security. One of them ran my tags and got an alert there was a “scary sex offender” in the area.
I happened to turn around and saw 7 officers from different departments walking briskly towards me. I was asked for ID, questioned and held for 3 hours before being let go. They kept saying I was trespassing, and I said I can attend just like anyone else. They stated I was being given a verbal warning to leave and if I did not comply I would be arrested and my vehicle towed. I left but shows you how different things can go.
Not saying I am special but it helps to know how to talk to cops. Since I use to be one, a couple of the officers I could tell were uncomfortable with the way I was being treated. Unfortunately, the one giving me the crap was a Lieutenant and he was making sure that he controlled the narrative. He was very pissed that the FDLE did not clear them to arrest me.
Not saying the FDLE loves me but I have been stopped numerous times like this plus at airports by TSA, and FDLE has always cleared me, albeit sometimes after missing a flight or taking 3 hours of my life away wasted for non-sense.
https://www.wptv.com/news/palm-beach-county/adults-without-children-wont-be-allowed-at-palm-beach-county-playgrounds
How’s this for a restriction for people not even on the registry!
I have a better law for someone to work on . Put all elected officials and those that back them up in psychopathic hospitals and then the rest of the population in this country could live in peace. That’s a better idea than this goof ball has.