Rapists and Murderers living in your 'hood

[blas87]

http://wqow.com/News/index.php?ID=16542

My post on "Teh Creepy", I brought up familywatchdog.com and then I immediately thought of this. I brought it here because I knew things wouldn't go well on the other board.

This guy was to live in my city after being let out. Thanks to some very concerned citizens and his own inability to function in the outside world, he got sent back. But the question is, is he gone for good? Will he return and put the fear back in the neighborhood and their children again?

What do you guys think of convincted rapists and murderers being allowed to live in neighborhoods after being released?

[Rapscallion]

What else do you do with them?

It's currently not a capital offence, so execution is out. Ship them off to a remote island where they won't bother anyone? Well, that's against the idea of someone having served their sentence and thus paid the price for their crime - if we overturn that concept then we shouldn't be sending them to jail for a certain period of time.

What alternative do you have that will work better and be acceptable to a majority of people? I'm curious.

Rapscallion

[Seshat]

Ship them off to a remote island where they won't bother anyone?

The UK tried that. ;)


At any rate, that's the puzzle, isn't it? They've served their time, done what society demanded of them. They're free to go. If society wants them to be locked up till the end of their natural life, society should give them life sentences with no parole.

[blas87]

The group homes and 24/7 ankle bracelets (that wasn't mentioned in the article but it was on the news, as people went to city hall and protested him moving in) are probably the best idea, however, it doesn't seem right to place people like that in neighborhoods with lots of children, or areas where young women live.

I guess my posting this wasn't really looking for a solution, more of looking for other people opinions, does anyone else have someone similar to this living in a home near them, etc etc?

[rahmota]

Well so long as the judicial system considers rehabilitation and renormalization to be the appropriate method of dealing with criminals then we will have them living nearby. Its the ones that havent been caught that a person should be worried about.

As long as the person sticks to themselves and stays within the laws then they should be able to live where they please. The court has determined the individual to be rehabilitated and no longer a danger to society in general.

This is not to say that people around should not be ever vigilent but thats the case wheter you know there's an ex-criminal, active criminal or whatever in your neighborhood or not. The only way to make sure you're safe is to be responsible for yoursellf and those you care about.

We had a sex offender move in with his family down the road a few years ago. To find out what was goig on I went down and talked to them about it. Turns out he got a bum rap in a ugly situation and all for having consensual between him and her sex with an underage female. (He was like 19 or something she was 17 I forget the exact details) The problem was the parents of said female did not life him and did not want him involed with her so they went out of their way to make sure he was prosecuted to the fullest extent of law they could buy.

But rather than freak out and call out the dogs and the militia to drive this guy out of the area I made a point to find out what was going on. Of course in case he was giving a line of Bull I posted his picture by the front door and doubled up the watch for awhile. you know what came out about this? Absolutely nothing. he kept to himself, came and went and then he and his family moved away eventually.

Basically as long as a person dont do anythign against the law or against you or someone in your protection then live and let live. Watch em though and if they cross a line then deal with them as they need to be dealt with...

yeah seshat how did that whole island prison thing turn out I wonder...:p

[Greenday]

I understand some people might not want murders and/or rapists to live next to them, but seriously, where else are they supposed to go? I mean, the reason they go to jail is to be rehabilitated. So theoretically, you should have no worries.

[AFPheonix]

Half the time, convicted rapists are like Rahmota's neighbor: people convicted of statutory rape.
And in the case of child molesters, your kid statistically is in more danger from Uncle Skeezy than from someone not related to her/him.

[Boozy]

When it comes to crime, the only thing most people have to fear is fear itself.

There might be a rapist or sex offender in my neighbourhood. I don't know. I don't care to find out. I use common sense to protect my safety, and will continue to do so after I have children.

There's no point in me getting all worked up about something that statistically speaking will probably never happen.

[TNT]

I check the Megan's Law database for my neighborhood with regularity. That's how I found my upstairs neighbor was on it. Not sure what he did, but it was about 10 years ago.

There's regularly several of them living at the Rescue Mission just a block or two away from me.

The worst incident though was when I came home and found a poster the police put there. The neighborhood isn't notified when a run of the mill rapist moves in, but they are when they're classified as "sexually violent predators." He moved into a rooming house half a block from me. Last I checked, he was back in the slammer.

As has been brought up, what else can be done? The sentence is what it is... you can't lock them up forever. My problem is that my little oasis of slum -- the high-rent slum, but slum nonetheless -- is surrounded by a high concentration of these types.

Given the rate of repeat offenders, I'm not comfortable with it.

Then again, being a guy, I'm more concerned with crackheads who'll hit you over the head for five bucks to get a hit. There are more of those around than there are sex offenders. I was mugged once while walking home from work, and would have been mugged again had it not for a cop car that just happened by. It's easy to tell when a bad scene is coming down -- when a guy on a bicycle cuts you off just to chat, you know he's sizing up the prospects of a quick profit. That's why I always walk with one hand in my pocket clutching a cell phone... the potential perp has no idea what I'm carrying.

[McDreidel09]

I live near an elementary school (It's right on my street!) and there are sex offenders and rapist living by it. Who is watching these people?! I thought that sex offenders weren't allowed to live close to a school! It's even on the website where you can see if there are any in your location (that's how we found out). So they are registered, but allowed to live near a school. Yeah. That makes perfect sense.

I know that it is an elementary school, but anyone can live in that neighborhood, even if they don't go for the little ones. My sister is thirteen years old (and the age target for a particular one on our street). Why should she have to live in fear that someone will approach her? I know she can defend herself. She almost kicked my ass when I scared her (and I'm a pretty strong girl. I do weight lifting and all of that). But still, why should she have to be scared that a sex offender is going to chase her?

By the way, the only time she ever walks home alone is if she is walking from her summer school bus stop (which is the elementary school I mentioned before) and that is a two minute walk.

[suchislife2]

The UK tried that. ;)


Ship them off to a remote island where they won't bother anyone?

Yes well, as SeShat Said the UK did try that. :) I can't remember the comedian but he said something along the lines of..."we shipped all the convicts off to paradise!"

But I think it's one of those cases where you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. These people have served their time. Granted some of them SHOULD either be in there for life or at least for about 5-10 years longer than what they got. But they have gone to jail.

Not everyone re-offends. SOME learn their lesson and simply want to get on with their life and make amends.

Yes, I wouldn't really feel too great if I knew that some day I'll be living in a street with my kids, that has one or more sexual predictors on it. Hell, the thought that I might be living in a street with one ore more NOW is scary. But sadly it's what happens.

You could create a whole community off somewhere. Where they can all go and create a new life without the worry of persecution. But even that won't work.

So yeah, who knows. Well I wasn't very helpful was I!

[crazylegs]

To be honest I'm not that worried, (in the UK at least) people who have commited these crimes (especially murder) are usually on a life licence, any transgression will result in their immediate recall to prison.

[Rapscallion]

Yes well, as SeShat Said the UK did try that. :)

As far as I can understand it, we did, but it wasn't just for the more serious crimes. I'm working from a memory of school from twenty years back or so, but I think it was an offer to people who would otherwise spend substantial time in jail.

I'm quite open to being proved wrong on this, as this is a very fuzzy memory.

Rapscallion

[anriana]

I wish America's prison system actually was rehabilitive and not punitive.

[tropicsgoddess]

I'm against rapists and murderers coming back to live in the neighborhood after their prison release. It would be better if there was some remote area or island they can have their own "commune" of some sort far,far,far away from the public. They would still be under strict supervision and have the ankle monitor bracelets on.

[Boozy]

Your idea, tropicsgoddess, would amount to a life sentence. If a rapist or murderer truly deserves life, then they should be sentenced to that at their original sentencing hearing.

Otherwise, serving your full sentence means just that - you've done your time, and you're allowed to rejoin society.

[tropicsgoddess]

Your idea, tropicsgoddess, would amount to a life sentence. If a rapist or murderer truly deserves life, then they should be sentenced to that at their original sentencing hearing.

Otherwise, serving your full sentence means just that - you've done your time, and you're allowed to rejoin society.

Even if they serve their sentences, they aren't always fit to rejoin society, which was where my idea stemmed from.

[Dreamstalker]

It seems to me that the 'sex offender' brush is too broad. From what I've heard/read, if a guy decides to pee in the woods and a kid happens to see, bam, the poor guy's now a sex offender. Indecent exposure != sex offender in every case.

Eh, I'm of the 'live and let live' mindset to a point. If they've done the time and have truly turned around, let them be; there should be a system in place for getting wrongly accused and truly rehabilitated people off the list (something similar to statute of limitations, where after X years with no offenses and confirmation from a psych doctor that a person is not likely to repeat his behavior they drop off the list).

I also wish the prison system worked the way it should (yes, make people atone for their crimes, but offer ways to better themselves so they're not outcasts upon release).

[Greenday]

Even if they serve their sentences, they aren't always fit to rejoin society, which was where my idea stemmed from.

Apparently, the stats for repeat offenders for sexual crimes are extremely low. http://www.ipce.info/library_3/files/alaska.htm So that'd be pretty damn unfair for the majority of people who don't repeat at all.

Not sure about for other forms of violent crime, but still. If you think these people are unfit for society after serving their punishment, then we need to completely redo our judicial system.

[Slytovhand]

In the southern suburbs of my old hometown, there is a big outrage at the moment, as a convicted sex offender (who like the younger ones) has been put up in a government house. A lot of people there are on a hate rampage against him, but the government is doing the whole 'well, he's served his time, he's got a right to live there". It's gotten to the point that the police are having to intervene to keep him safe from the locals. (and this person is a bad repeat offender...)

So - what do you do with them just cos they've served the allocated time, but don't seem to show much remorse or inclination to change? Do we compare this sort of argument with the Castle Doctrine? Do people need to feel very personally threatened before doing something, and does that threat mean a person can do what they feel is necessary to prevent harm? Or, should something be in place so nothing comes of it?


Raps... you're partly correct... actually, when things went really bad, most were just shipped off anyway with no choice in the matter (we have the infamous 'stealing a loaf of bread' would get you deported to here.... so, don't trust us if we go travelling :D )

[Difdi]

I will agree that sex offender registries are a good idea, at least in concept. The problems arise with implementation.

For example, I read a news article a few weeks back about a 14 year old girl who was raped by a 13 year old boy. Since a 13 year old cannot give sexual consent in that region of the country but a 14 year old can, the 14 year old rape victim was immediately arrested for statutory rape -- the boy was not charged, since he was unable to give sexual consent, even as the aggressor in a forcible rape.

The way that law is written, it seems to be a slam dunk case. If convicted, she will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. This is an unintended consequence, but no less real for being so patently absurd.

[Boozy]

Difdi, I would love a link to that news story. It's almost too absurd to be believed.

Edit: Nevermind! My Google-fu is strong. Here's a short article for anyone else interested: http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?s=6731396

[tropicsgoddess]

I will agree that sex offender registries are a good idea, at least in concept. The problems arise with implementation.


The sex offender registries don't always work. The thing is that with the sex offenders they have to update law enforcement every so often, and not all of them could register a domicile to their name. In my area (South Florida) there was an article about how quite a number of sex offenders are homeless and living under the bridges and underpasses since they can't find a place to live that their parole officers and law enforcement would approve of. Besides that, some would abscond as well.