The Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) studied the effectiveness of Florida’s sex offender registration process and public notification provisions and prepared their triennial report for 2021. Below is a link to the complete report, which we encourage you to read. We will update this post shortly with bullets from their findings.
Ex Post Facto – Sustainer 2024
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I also didn’t see anything in there about adjudication with held folks. They are not convicted of a crime and yet they have to register for life!
Yes, I am one of those and I feel bait and switch and my contract was not honored. In addition this change from 20 to 25 years is certainly unfair to those who took plea bargains based on the law as it was when we took it.
How can the agreed upon conditions be changed by one party but not the other? Can someone please explain this? I have never heard a reasonable explanation.
The effectiveness could have easily been done by getting numbers on the statistics of how many of these crimes were committed by someone already on the registry- we know the number is very low. If the registry is not preventing crime then it is not effective
Problem is everyone here is defining “effective” to be a reasonable and logical definition of “effective.” Sex offender laws have nothing to do with reason or logic but fear. They use fear and public ignorance to continue to gain power and punish “the worst” type of criminals. The registry was never about “protecting” the public it was a way to get around ex post de-facto so they could punish even misdemeanor offenders for the rest of their natural life and in Florida their corpse for an additional year.
I get sad when I see such outrage like we didn’t know that this never was about logic and protecting the public but about punishment. We should all know better by now.
I received the weekly FAC update this morning and I too was upset with the apparent lack of work the OPPAGA did in studying the effectiveness of Florida’s SORNA. I started to write a scathing email starting with a summary of the requirements of Florida Statute 943.04353. Right away, I found our problem.
Nowhere in 943.04353 is there language regarding the “effectiveness” of SORNA in its entirety but rather the Statute is written to study the “effectiveness” of “registration process” and “community and public notification provisions”.
Seen in this light, the reports lack of studying the “effectiveness” of the entirety or SORNA makes perfect sense and OPPAGA has indeed done their job and met the requirements of 943.04353, no matter how much it pisses me off. Writing to them is not going to change a damn thing.
What needs to be done is finding Florida lawmakers sympathetic to our cause, preferably ones sitting on the correct committee or subcommittee, to expand 943.04353 to study the “effectiveness” of the entirety of Florida SORNA with specific guidelines on what should be studied, such as residency restrictions, lifetime registration, the effectiveness of the program in its entirety, etc. Until then, OPPAGA is just going to turn out this fluff piece everything three years because that is all the law requires.
I’d like to see a marked up version of this report and sent back to the department that spent money to create the report. Then sent to all the lawmakers.
I can’t wait for the next report!!!!!
It would be interesting to know how many previous offenders are now on non sex offender probation for violating ordnance’s or registration laws and be even more interesting to see how many were sentenced on their original qualifying offense before the new laws were even implemented that now 20 years later are now making good reformed family men criminals again for absent mindedness, lack of intelligence, lack of keeping of with the yearly laws that change like the tax codes. Oh but the arrest reports, intake reports, court recordings can all contain those same absent minded type mistakes and theirs can be amended but yours cannot without jail time, wearing a gps monitor, probation, loosing jobs and carriers, homes, family’s, reputation, humiliation, all for something that isnt harming anyone other than the personal feelings of those that created the laws. It is personal feelings when the evidence, scientific evidence, statistical evidence is being ignored. A lot of you say the report doesn’t say much but it does. Look at the homeless map. It’s clear from the map that where there are excess law and ordinances there is excess deprived people. County’s where people just register and go on about there day have a better chance at life and happiness and aren’t deprived of liberty. What would be interesting is if excess homelessness raises the actual sexual reoffending rate (not registration violations or other non sexual related crimes). It must because I see that’s missing. And if it was I suspect some county’s may ignore it like the whole state does.
Doing injustice for justice purposes. Now that is an accountability and also misconception/misrepresentation . So Cain killed Able for accountability or for public safety or to protect his reputation. So where is Florida’s Accountability. Setting one up for a fall?
Seems someone in high places in Florida is missing a few issues in this Government type of justice error. So to error is human or what is unjust today in this registry issue.
Comments.
I don’t see anywhere in this report where “the effectiveness of Florida’s sex offender registration process” is discussed. It is rather an overview of what is being currently being done. Effectiveness would require using actual data to determine if the law and programs enacted are having the effect they claimed the would and if not, recommendations to retract them.
” The registry also includes 1,358 deceased persons: 1,162 sex offenders and 196 sexual predators, whose names remain on the registry for one year following their death so that victims can see that they have been reported as deceased.”
A victim who is worried to the point of wanting to know whether or not a registrant is alive and/or where they are currently located is going to be looking at the FDLE website often, like weekly or monthly. Three months is the most that is needed and not even that.
“The number of sex offenders in Florida communities has increased over time.” Well duh. If you never let any of them off the damn registry until they have been dead a year, don’t you expect for the number to climb every year.
After spending a few pages talking about federal law on how long one is on the registry, and that there are differences between Fed and State guidelines, the following sentence is basically all that is said about Florida’s, “Other sex offenders who meet certain criteria can petition the court to remove the requirement for registration as a sex offender after 25 years from release from confinement, supervision or sanction, whichever is later”. No talk or recommendations about establishing something that might provide an avenue for first time offenders to get off of it.
Overall, this is nothing but a worthless bureaucratic report that serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever other than satisfying the requirement of Florida Statute 943.04353.
Is the registry effective at promoting public safety?
The OPPAGA does not even ask this question.
They do evaluate whether agencies are effectively engaging in monitoring, surveillance, intelligence gathering, public notification, and Federal compliance.
But nowhere do they question whether any of these measures are effective at promoting public safety. They do not ask, for example, whether the monitoring measures that are undertaken, monitor the right people. Instead, they PRESUME that these measures promote safety. And I feel it’s not OPPAGA’s job to make such sweeping assumptions without acknowledging them. Their job should be to evaluate, not assume. Especially when studies regarding the public-safety effectiveness of such measures are so voluminous, OPPAGA should not be ignoring them.
I do appreciate the table showing the history of Florida’s registry statutes. That table feels like it almost has FAC’s fingerprints on it.
But other than that, Jacob (the author of this post) is headed into the weekend hopping mad about this apparent waste of taxpayer dollars and hoping to calm down.
One other small quibble, why is the probation officer dressed like a policeman, with uniform, cap, and badge?
Most PO’s that I know are far more discrete. Perhaps the OPPAGA never met one.
This is just another waste of taxpayer resources that could be better spent on real needs like fixing roads and bridges. They could be using these tax dollars to help keep our fragile coral reefs clean. There’s a lot they could do rather than this justification for their precious state jobs.
The Registries keep people employed who society does not need to work elsewhere. We don’t have enough jobs where those kinds of people can work. It would be better if we just paid them not to work at all.
Wow
When FAC and others kept talking about Florida listing people who are not even in Florida anymore, I did not realize that made up almost 1/3 of all registered people in Florida.
“Non-Florida Residents 28,646”
Do those 28,646 people have to keep returning to Florida to re-register? And how do they pose harm someone if they do not live here? Don’t they say the registry is to protect the public? From who, someone many states away?
CherokeeJack
I’m one out of 28k non Florida residents that are on the Florida registry. Never again will I step foot in Florida I rather have my ass on fire than deal with Florida’s government. Do I sound mad? I am and I rather deal with PMS than the state you call home. F Florida!!
I would support any legislation that would give Floriduh to Cuba. Then we can build a border wall across the top of the state.
Having said that, I’m spending the weekend sharing a home with a Floriduh family that has no idea I am a PFR. We are having a great time. Just another example of the Registries super protecting the world.
Cherokee its like a gestapo order in much of this sexual defrauding type justice. So what is justice today? Using the sword in a backwards motion to cut of an ear. That’s about all one could say in this triangle of judus prudence issue.
CherokeeJ….
I am one of the 28,646……
I Plead to My Charge Out of Polk County…Given a 10 Year SO Probation Sentence….Thought it was TO BE Easy…Never Knew About SORNA et. al……Never Knew About Probation, Jail, etc…..
..Then The Monster Female PO Illegally Technically Violated ME and the Judge Sentenced me ti 24.5 months in Florida-Duh State Prison….(After Paying over $135K for this Experience!)…The Attorneys Sold ME OUT!
Upon My Release from the All Expenses Paid Vacation, I left FLori-Duh within 28 days and I am a Resident of a US Territory……And I am still counted as one of the 28,646
I only, ever Return to Flori-DUH for 71 hours per annum….to see My Mom and Kiss Her on the Cheek…..
4.7 million dollars to update their website and the LEO side for data entry/dissemination… !!!
Also, I spotted a false entry on their part…
“some supervised offenders are placed on electronic monitoring for enhanced monitoring and supervision.”
The word some should be replaced with most as the bulk of those on any type of s.o. supervision have the ankle bracelet. Also…
“Florida requires non-resident visitors to register if they are in the state for a period of three or more days in the aggregate during any calendar year.”
Did I miss yet another change in registration requirements? I don’t think I have read this in any of the current statutes. Just thought I’d point that out.
One more thing, regarding the justification of the electronic monitoring. The report states that it’s necessary to monitor and track a person and match their whereabouts at such and such time that a particular crime occurred. My question is this… Out of all those on the electronic supervision, how many have ever been connected to a new sex crime?
I know, we, the public, will probably never actually get an answer for this (although it would make for great information to illustrate how unnecessary it is for the majority of those on supervision who are required to wear the anklet).
That’s they problem, they don’t address whether these measures are effective.
Jacob
As my ex wife, The Church Lady from SNL, use to say “Well isn’t that special?” 🙂 HAHAHA
SC
As We All Know, that CRIME EQUALS COMMERCE!
All The Grants, Funding Etc, Mainly ‘Employs’ the ‘Unemployable’.
The homeless numbers were interesting. A quick glance at some/most of the counties with zero homeless are, if not mistaken, low population centers. Volusia was at seven percent. BREVARD, which has been in the news had one of the highest. Yet there seems to be no discussion on how to reduce or eliminate homelessness, other than reincarnation.
That read like an informational brochure with suggestions for better reporting for colleges. It made not one statement on the actual “effectiveness” of anything. Seems to me the report is in violation of the statute!
that is very valid
Yes, as What Was Said Last Night By The FAC Media Lady, that the Posture Should Be on Empirical Data and Educating People in a Very Kind Professional Manner but never to let your guard down!…(of which I strive to do everyday but it is very difficult!)
Be a great read for those having troubles falling asleep. If I was a Florida taxpayer I’d be upset how my tax dollars are being spent. As a former Florida registrant I’m on your registry to boost more federal funding for LIFE and Death; which makes me angry. The state needs to be audited and sued six ways to Sunday costing the state hundreds of millions in damages. Maybe then Florida would stop being an embarrassment.
I don’t see why the excitement here. There’s nothing spectacular in their report, if you want to call it a report. It doesn’t make any statements that help us in any way. It’s really more like a infographic than anything else. Now if I saw some contradictory reporting in there that would be fantastic but there’s nothing like that at all.