Finally a story on Sex Offender Residency Restrictions that got it right!

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The city has finally taken a giant step toward protecting all its residents by considering a ordinance that will amend the strict sexual offender housing requirements that have put the community at risk.

The ordinance in question decreases the distance sexual predators must reside from places, such as schools, day care centers and parks or playgrounds, from 2,500 feet to 1,500 feet.

Sound contradictory? How does reducing the distance an ex-felon must live from places children frequent make the public safer?

It’s simple. It makes the public safer by giving these ex-offenders more places to live.

And it is stable, permanent housing — not stringent distance requirements — that make it less likely that a sexual offender will re-offend.

As it is now, there are fewer than a handful of spots where sexual predators can make their homes in Duval County and many of those were recently shut down.

NOWHERE TO LIVE

So where do these sexual predators end up living?

In the woods.

On street corners.

Under bridges.

There are too many occasions when they are simply dropped off somewhere in Jacksonville to make their beds where they can.

A year ago, these pages recounted the story of one sexual predator just released from prison who was dropped off on the side of a street here because no place could be found for him to live that complied with the city’s strict housing requirements.

While dropping a sexual predator off like a ”stray dog” is frightening, it is not unusual. In fact, one former probation officer characterized such roadside drops as “fairly frequent.”

That’s just how difficult it is to find housing that complies with the current strict laws.

On a recent visit to a wooded corner of Edgewood Avenue, two sexual predators were found living beneath bushes amid broken bottles and trash. They had been living there for a month because they’d been unable to find housing that complied with Jacksonville’s strict laws regarding distance.

“There’s no place we can go,” explained Donald Carr, 45. “We don’t have anything. We haven’t even had any food today.”

Their situation — similar to that faced by many sexual predators unable to find housing — is made more difficult because homelessness has made it harder for them to get the medication and services they need.

Recently the housing difficulties for sexual offenders here rose to a catastrophic level.

Three of the handful of houses that met residency restrictions shut their doors. The ramshackle houses, divided into many small apartments, didn’t meet fire codes, according to Tom Francis, the public information officer for Jacksonville Fire and Rescue.

So where have all those ex-offenders gone?

RESEARCH NOT SUPPORTIVE

Although gut reaction might dictate strict distance restrictions, hard science shows these laws just don’t work to protect the public.

Indeed multiple studies, including research by the U.S. Department of Justice, show repeatedly that housing restrictions do not reduce the likelihood that sex offenders will re-offend.

Instead, they make finding permanent housing — the No. 1 predictor of whether a former inmate re-offends — exceedingly difficult.

A lack of available housing also makes it difficult for individuals to find employment — yet another factor that reduces recidivism.

It also may result in a loss of supportive social systems as the only housing that meets restrictions often in neighborhoods not near family or friends. Yet this is precisely the type of support ex-offenders need.

Obviously, the new ordinance is gravely needed.

It should not, however, be construed as “soft” on sexual predators.

It should instead be understood as a change in the requirements that will give sexual predators more stable places to live. That housing, in turn, will lead to fewer repeat sexual offenses while increasing the chances the ex-felons will be better tracked by law enforcement, social services agencies and the public.

Thanks to City Councilman Bill Gulliford for bringing this topic to the table. It’s a discussion we can no longer avoid.

The public must be kept safe.

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