| Sex Offender
with No Place to Live
Publish date: October 2, 2007
 Various sections of Jessica’s Law are being challenged in court. One of them is its retroactivity. Can and should it apply to those who were released before it went into effect? That’s one of the issues in Ross’ case. He was ordered to be released in March 2006 before the law was voted in November of that year. But because there was no place for him to live, he had to wait an additional year and a half at Atascadero State Hospital. He didn’t get out until April 2007. His attorney argues that the original release order is the one that should count. Therefore, Jessica’s Law wouldn’t apply in his case.
Insider Viewpoints Today, the CDC announced that 1,773 parolees must move to comply with Jessica’s Law. No one knows where they will go, yet they have to go somewhere. On the same day, a three-judge federal panel met to consider how it will decide whether California’s prisons are so crowded that conditions violate prisons’ rights (the medical care of California’s prison population has already been taken over by a federal receiver). The relentless march of get-tough-on-crime initiatives and laws has led us to this precipice. Will our indifference lead us over the edge? Surely, we cannot warehouse a population the size of Irvine, Calif., indefinitely. Everyday, many—like Mr. W.—are released on parole to transition back into the community. Where will they go? How will that be accomplished? Shouldn’t we be trying to answer these questions? Todd W. Howeth
Jessica’s Law Prop 83 does nothing to protect children and, in fact, displaces about one million women and children who are connected to a sex offender in California alone. People wearing GPS devices cannot get jobs, and this harms their family members who depend on them as breadwinners. Most sex offenders did not commit a violent crime. For example, a college kid who is charged with indecent exposure is thrown in the same database classification as the most mentally ill and violent offenders. Where we should be focusing our energy and funds, if the goal is to protect children, is on strengthening the family unit and working against substance abuse and mental illness that are often the causes of the actual crime. Sex offenders have the lowest recidivism rates of all categories of crime, less than five percent for child molestation—according to the Bureau of Justice. This is going to cost a fortune and is already putting women and children on the streets. Rev. B. Cayenne Bird
COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS
Many of these VICTIMS, the offenders themselves, are either born the way they are–much like gays–and to criminalize them “after” they have paid their dues is unfair. What about “burglars” or other “criminals?” Are we now going to make them post a notice everywhere they go, saying that they might “steal from you?” It’s a sad situation without an easy solution, but Megan’s Law is NOT the answer. morgmc - Venice, California
10.02.2007 | 8:05 pm It seems to me that the United States had a promise at one time in which a person could, no matter how bad they had screwed up, pay their debt to society and move on to create a new life in a new place. Jessica’s Law null and voids that promise. You can never move on. The law treats everyone the same, and it’s not right. Imagine getting a DUI. Drunk drivers kill hundreds every year, and all drunk drivers need to be dealt with. Even though this is your first DUI and you did not kill anyone or even get into an accident, you are are forced to register as a drunk driver. You are grouped with the small number of drunk drivers who have killed people and for the rest of your life. Every job you apply for knows that you’re on that list. Every place you apply to live knows that you’re on that list, and the people who live in your town know that you’re on that list. What would your life be like? If you think that it’s not possible, think again. All it takes is a politician who is looking to make a name for himself and a cause that the public sees no real harm in. Still think it’s not possible? Let’s call the politician Hitler and the cause “The Jewish problem.” Tell me that it can’t happen. Komrad - Fullerton, California
10.02.2007 | 7:21 pm Pedophiles should be killed in public hangings. With six billion extra humans on this planet, we should seriously think about deleting some of our monsters from the gene pool. casual observer - North Hills, California |