Wisconsin registrant finds jail easier than navigating the residency restrictions.
A Wisconsin registered sex offender is not the first to chose continued incarceration better than the forced homelessness that residency restrictions effectively impose.
The below map shows the areas off-limits to registered citizens in Milwaukee
As you can see from the limited areas in white, it doesn’t leave much of the city available for a registrant to find housing.
On top of being excluded from the red areas, you have to exclude the non-habitable areas. For example, in the above map, the upper left section in white is Mequon Nature Preserve, 400 acres of forest and wetlands. Not only are there no residences there, but there are no roads. Even if someone chose to live in the woods they would have to walk miles to find public transportation.
Even within the limited white areas that might be residential you have to consider whether the housing is affordable, whether it’s comprised of communities and associations that will run background checks and exclude registrants, whether it’s available for rental and, if so, whether the landlord will consider renting to a registered citizen. In most cases, that further limits the pool of availability by over 95%.
One registrant, Ken McDonald chose to get himself re-arrested on his first day of freedom after 11 years in jail. His mother and brothers all live in areas where he is prohibited and neither of the homeless shelters in the city where he was released accept sex offenders. So he found a school and stood there until police came to arrest him. He is now serving a two year prison sentence for that violation, but believes it’s better than being left with no place to go and no chance to fend for himself.
Unless these laws change, the increasing number of registrants compounded with the decreasing availability of housing will exacerbate a problem that is already out of control. In the case of Mr. McDonald, unless these laws change we can count on him looking to get re-arrested the day he is released two years from now.
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This map would be a perfect example to show in a SCOTUS case and then have them say that registry impositions are not punitive. This is absolutely heart breaking
I recall that, in the 2003 SCOTUS case, three ‘liberal’ justices found the registry to be punitive and ex post facto laws to be unconstitutional. However, since 6 justices disagreed, they WON the argument. So, I guess those 3 highly educated, highly acclaimed dissenters were just wrong? Ha ha.
It’s really sad a registrant does there sentence and finishes therapy and tries to start a life but society makes it damn near impossible for most registrants ,
I for one am a registrant now, I served almost 2 years followed by sex offender probation and therapy. I was in a bad situation and was charged with possession of child porn for a topless photo and a panty photo of a 17 year old girl. I was pushed into taking the charge or getting a 15 year sentence.. It has been a life changer for sure, me and my family use to go to theme parks every summer and vacations. And decorate tthe house for Christmas and pass out candy for Halloween . Iall these restrictions they implement. Should all be for a sexual predator not a guy that ended up in a bad situation. Trust me there’s been days I wanted to find the highest bridge and be done with all this. But I think about how my family has been there for me for the last 6 years of hell.. The bottom line is we have to stand united and try to get change , even tho I really don’t see it happening in my lifetime. It’s all political.
Great post Rh!! I feel your pain and have had that “bridge” thought myself. I’m finding it gets better in time. Just like a wise person once told me, “just play the game.” …..yes, true, but I’m tired of playing the game because I’ll have to do it for life! At some point though, you just have to be risky and say, f**k it, I’m gonna live (within reason of course). And that mindset helped pull me out of my depression I was in all during my first year out of prison on probation. Hang in there man.
RH,
were all in this together offender or predator there should be no hit list!
Sad so sad. Someone needs to do something. Being nice to politicians and kissing ass hasn’t worked. Time to get in their faces and show them what they have done.
This is ridiculous, something has to be done. EVERYWHERE.
Wow. This is funny and sad all at the same time. I feel his pain. You would think someone would step in and do something about the problem.