September 11, 2013
Contact: Gail Colletta
561.305.4959
Lake Monroe, FL— September 11, 2013.
Using Parks to Zone out Sex Offenders is a Bad Idea
Florida Action Committee President, Gail Colletta, appeared on Orlando’s Fox 35 News yesterday to discuss communities installing pocket parks for the specific purpose of zoning out registered sex offenders. The interview can be found here:
Group critical of playground to keep sex offenders away
This is a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, it dramatically decreases the availability of housing for individuals who are registered, driving them out of their communities and housing instability is a significant trigger for reoffense. Second, with nowhere to go, sex offenders will have no choice but to go underground and become more difficult to track. Third, residency restrictions control where registered persons can be between 10PM and 6AM, when most children won’t be in parks anyhow. Fourth, studies have shown that there is no correlation between where a registrant lives and reoffense rates. Fifth, banishment is unconstitutional and law suits will certainly come down the pipeline if this idea becomes practice.
Florida Action Committee (FAC), founded in 2006, is a state-wide consortium of concerned citizens and professionals whose purpose is to promote the prevention of sexual abuse while preserving the safety and dignity of all citizens through carefully structured laws targeting the truly violent, forced, and/or dangerous predatory acts of sex. FAC believes that many aspects of the current approach to sex offenders seriously undermine justice and actually increase the threat of sexual assault against others, particularly children. FAC opposes a publicized registry of sex offenders and seeks to bring an end to the humiliation of people who have already paid for their crimes. FAC asserts that only by supporting justice for all people—offenders and victims alike can a truly safe society be built and secured for all Americans.
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