CA- Editorial: Jessica's Law doesn't have it right

2-16-2009 California:

LIKE TOO MANY voter-approved initiatives that weren't very well thought out, Proposition 83, also known as Jessica's Law, has had costly, unforeseen consequences.

The ballot measure, backed by 70 percent of voters, prohibits paroled sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park where children regularly gather.

A major flaw of Prop. 83 is that it makes no distinction between pedophiles and those convicted of committing crimes against adults. Though it makes little sense to ban sex offenders who prey on grown people from areas frequented by kids.

The result? Thousands of paroled sex offenders in California have had difficulty finding any place where they can legally live in urban centers like the Bay Area.

In an effort to help them abide by the housing restrictions, state corrections officials have been spending tens of millions of dollars every year to rent paroled offenders motels and apartments.

According to a recent MediaNews report, the state spent $22 million on rentals occupied by paroled sex offenders in 2008. Yet in some cases, the state itself put the parolees in housing in banned zones. If the state has trouble finding legal housing for sex offenders, imagine how difficult it must be for the parolees themselves.

Meanwhile, some municipalities have enacted local ordinances that even stronger.

Now, a top official with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has issued an order that sets a 60-day limit for transitional housing for paroled sex offenders — except in special circumstances.

Scott Kernan, undersecretary for operations, said that under the previous guidelines, parolees had "no real motivation to self-sufficiency."

While that may be true, the problem with Kernan's order is that it will surely lead to a huge spike in the number of homeless sex offenders. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that parolees who don't have a roof over their heads are more likely to commit new crimes.

How does having thousands of sex offenders with no place to live make us any safer?

The 2,000-foot rule is currently up for judicial review in several court cases. We believe it should be overturned because it is so restrictive as to be unconstitutional.

Jessica's Law has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Yet there is absolutely nothing to suggest that it has helped to reduce crime. In fact, one could reasonably argue, it just may very well make it worse. ..News Source..