Reader Submission: Homeless Sex Offender Arrested

It can be illegal to be homeless. As ludicrous as that sounds, it is the case for at least one man in Augusta, Maine who was arrested for not registering his currents address. However his address was under a tent under a bridge. This yet one more person affected by homelessness as a cause of being a registered sex offender. Homelessness within the sex offender community is a very common, and a massive epidemic. This tragic outcome to unjust laws is completely avoidable if legislators and society cared to stop it. Something needs to be done to solve this massive issue. Like Florida, Maine has laws against registry restrictions that are easily broken if the proper information is not given to sex offenders. However, other restrictions such as Residency Restriction and public notification contribute to why SO’s become homeless.
This is one case of many that deals with SO’s not reporting their current address but becomes a larger issue. When counties and cities enact new registry restrictions this can push many sex offenders out of their homes and into the streets. In such cases, SO’s have 30 days to find a new home to move into. This does not always happen. Many sex offenders find themselves without a place to turn to, in which case they need to live on the streets. Rampant homelessness is a major concern in the SO community. It can happen to anyone.
His arrest creates a vicious cycle within the legal system. It sets a precedent that even a man who has lost it all can further be harassed and punished for the rest of his life. One has to wonder if the authorities can see that a pattern of repeated arrests does nothing but harm individuals in the community and condemn them to a life of misery.