An SO’s Struggle for Civil Rights

It is normal for everyone to fear the threat of physical violence. What is not normal is to have to factor in this fear as a very real part of your life. It is not uncommon for registered sex offenders to experience aggression at the hands of vigilante citizens who are misinformed about the real dangers to society.

 

This was the case of one man, Frank Lindsey, who now serves as a member of the board of directors for the California RSOL. In 2010, Lindsey returned home to find a disgruntled stranger threatening to end his life because of his status as a registered sex offender. Law enforcements all but printed this stranger a map to Lindsey’s home by having his address listed on the California state registry. Throughout the article, Lindsey explains how various aspects of his life from his personal relationships to his business relationships have been deeply affected from a law that was created seventeen years after his conviction, sentencing and time served.

 

This year in March, the California Supreme Court set a tremendous example by agreeing that residency restrictions in the San Diego County trample upon registered citizen’s constitutional rights. Residency restrictions in San Diego mirror something similar to the outrageous limitations experienced in Southern Florida where hundreds of sex offenders live outside in the elements for lack of place to go. The hundreds of homeless offenders are marginalized because of feel-good-laws that in reality do nothing to protect children from actual dangers. The actions of the California Supreme Court should set a powerful example for the Supreme Court of Florida. They have yet to make any influential decisions for the people of Florida who suffer every single day, whether it is out in the elements or inside their homes.

 

The article finishes by quoting, Jill Levenson a clinical social worker and professor at Barry University in Florida, who states that a stable income, secure residency and support from society are key elements to reintegrating sex offenders into society without any slips recidivism.

 

The state of Florida should move towards utilizing facts instead of enacting legislation to push children’s safety under the rug and create a false sense of security. The law is cutting corners and using registered SOs as scapegoats and this can no longer be an acceptable way of life. Citizens of Florida, whether registered or not, should demand more from their legislators than laziness.