Ohio bans child sex offenders from working with kids
In Senate Bill 16, one of the two major criminal justice reform bills, lawmakers included a provision to prevent violent sex offenders from working or volunteering in a position with extensive contact with children. This originated from House Bill 459, which was introduced by Cutrona and state Rep. Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.)
“Previously, Ohio did not have any laws on the books that would prevent a child sex offender from volunteering in a role with children,” the lawmaker said. “This will protect our children and keep them safe.”
The language around the bill could be a legal mess, according to Case Western Reserve University Law Professor Mike Benza.
“The statute is very particular. It’s not that you are employed by a company or agency that has contact with juveniles or with minors, but that the individual position is a position in which you would have extensive and unaccompanied conduct or supervision of a child or a minor,” said Benza.
Benza points to vague language in the bill that leads to more questions about how it could work, for example, in a haunted house setting.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“This will protect our children and keep them safe.”
Maybe in the twilight zone, but not here on earth.
They aren’t protecting anyone considering most crimes are perpetrated by individuals not on the registry. They’re just doing this for clout, brownie points.
I’ve said it many times before, but I’ll say it again. Laws can never keep anyone safe, because laws do not prevent crime. Laws only punish crime. If laws could realistically prevent crime, then there would only need to be one law on the books that states it is unlawful to do anything bad, then everyone could go on their merry way never having to be worried about being a victim of a crime. Yeah, sounds dumb, but not as dumb as the thought that laws prevent crime.
I also cringe every time I see the phrase violent sex offender. It makes it sound like people who are labeled thus are waiting for an opportunity to kidnap, rape, and beat the living crap out of their victim, or that they already have. In my opinion, if someone is truly a violent sex offender, he or she shouldn’t even be walking free on the streets.
This!^