LA Times: Opinion: The sexually violent predator next door
This opinion piece, posted today in the LA Times, presents a pretty fair picture of the issue finding placement for people on the registry. While the man described in this article is on the more heinous end of the spectrum for those with this label, the experience is the same for all.
Here are some excerpts…
Even after his prison term ended in 2004, Rhoden was held in a county jail and then a state psychiatric hospital for years because he was officially classified as a “sexually violent predator” who remained dangerous. Then, in 2019, the state concluded that he was no longer likely to reoffend, and a judge ordered him “conditionally released” into the community.
But — surprise! — nobody seems to want him.
You think it’s hard siting a homeless shelter or a halfway house in a residential California community? Try finding a home for a repeat violent sexual offender.
To me this is one of those intractable social problems in which every option seems undesirable. Of course no one wants him. No matter how many psychiatrists say they don’t think he’ll reoffend, there can be no certainty that he won’t. Of course Antelope Valley residents are worried for their children.
But he’s got to live somewhere.
I know I’ll get lots of messages offering an easy solution: Lock him up forever! Execute him! He has forfeited his right to freedom — repeatedly — and the rest of us shouldn’t have to run any risk on his behalf. And I agree, up to a point. If continued mental illness means he’s still a danger, there’s a good argument under the law for keeping him in custody.
But if responsible experts have persuaded a responsible judge that Rhoden can live safely in the community under monitoring and supervision after three decades in prison, then what choice is there? The permanent incarceration of people just in case they’ll reoffend is not an answer.
Rhoden is 72 now, and his last known sexual offense was more than 35 years ago. He’s been held for nearly two decades beyond his official sentence. The authorities have determined he’s unlikely to recidivate. The law says he’s eligible for release.
I don’t pretend to have a definitive solution to the Rhoden problem. I can’t know if the experts are right that he is unlikely to reoffend or if CONREP’s monitoring plan for Rhoden will strike the proper balance between public safety and the offender’s rights. I do know that if Rhoden were moving in next to me, I wouldn’t be happy. And if I lived in an area getting more than its share of returning sexual offenders, I’d feel aggrieved. The burden needs to be shared.
But I also believe this: The state shouldn’t continue to hold people indefinitely beyond their sentences if they’ve been found unlikely to engage in criminal behavior again. So Rhoden needs a place to live.
“And if I lived in an area getting more than its share of returning sexual offenders, I’d feel aggrieved.”
Poor Nick. He lives in the fantasy world where people with convictions must surly have been born with them. Someone should ask Nick how safe he feels just because he may live around people with NO sexual convictions. Then ask him how those with sexual convictions GOT the convictions. You don’t buy criminal records for yourself at the local Walmart. SMH.
I personally have an issue with holding someone who is ‘likely to reoffend’. This country punishes crimes. After that, to me, you need to find a different way to secure the public safety, other than removing a citizen’s freedom. Yes, I get that he did reoffend, and for that he was punished. Severely. Then you need to release the person. No one knows, or can even accurately predict, the future! We can all only be responsible for our own actions, and that of our loved ones. Shout out to the civil commitment group fighting the fight – Cure Sort – and that whole team!
I really never had a true answer to the question, “what would you do if you won the lottery”. I am talking about one of those 100 million or more wins. Well now I think I know.
I would buy a huge piece of land, build a private ranch with animals and food grade plants like potatoes etc. I would have numerous dorms on the grounds for released “Former” sex offenders to transition to until they are able to find a more permanent place to live.
There would be internet where they could try every day to find somewhere to go after they are done working on the ranch. Every other day would be a rest day, rotating with groups of residents. If they have not found a place after 6 months, we can re-evaluate their situation.
Since it will be a private ranch, anyone, including law enforcement would need to either call ahead or push the button at the entrance where cameras and speakers will be installed, as well as security lights at night. And there would be paid security that are allowed to be armed 24/7. This is for all of our protections from outside problems, including the news, which probably would’nt want to drive that far for a story anyway.
You just described the federal prison where I was warehoused, with a notable exception…the job resource. The feds act as though they help you find work for a life after incarceration but that’s simply false. They do nothing in terms of job placement. I know for a fact that there are factories in Indiana that pay $20/hour starting for assembling different consumer items. So if a released former offender had housing and a job, the likelihood of recidivism drops dramatically. I’ve often thought about returning to my “retirement home” where I got 3 meals a day and a bed to sleep in rather than trying to comply with all the registration BS.
Live free
Well I never said anyone wasn’t free to leave on their own. And I am sure many would enjoy it more than living on the streets. The gates are to keep a-holes out from harassing us but if someone came to me and said “I want to leave, they will be allowed to at anytime. But if you leave, the waiting list to get back in is going to be titanic level.
You just made my point that no matter what good you try to do, someone will criticize you.
No free ice cream for you Live free LOL :)~
You knew it all along: anon influencer who called libs ‘pedophiles’ is actually required to register for crime against child:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en/article/4awydp/qanon-figure-david-trent-convicted-child-abuser
I have no opinion on QAnon generally (it’s outside the scope of this forum), but if you ever wondered about anonymous users who accuse people of being child sexual abusers, then this may help confirm your suspicions.
Thanks for putting this on the forum. There’s a lot of troubling information with this article. Besides the man’s hypocrisy of calling people names, I would think that he may have violated the registry in North Carolina with a few of his actions. I just left Florida for North Carolina a little while ago, so I am acutely aware of the restrictions here. Hopefully he’s not on the registry here in Carolina.