Plymouth committee says no reason for local sexual offender regulation

2-23-2011 Massachusetts:

They find no evidence of connection between recidivism and residency


PLYMOUTH — A special committee made up of Town Meeting Precinct Chairs has come out against local sex offender regulations with special residency or loitering restrictions.

The committee's report - delivered to the Board of Selectman Tuesday night - was prompted by a 2009 town meeting article that argued that without such a regulation Plymouth could become a refuge for sex offenders, and that playgrounds, school yards, and other facilities needed extra protection from predators.

The committee "took no initial position" their final report noted, but sought objective information from as many credible sources as possible.

They reviewed the available literature, consulted Plymouth Police Chief Michael Botieri,and interviewed a number of experts and concluded that the regulation, as written, would offer residences no additional protection and risk a variety of "constitutional complications."

They further concluded that Plymouth was not the kind of community that offenders would find attractive, that the idea that convicted offenders would be likely to reoffend was based on "myths" about sex offenders, and that - with only a handful of communities adopting local sex offender regulations (and none of which abutted Plymouth) the town was not at all likely to be the preferred destination of sex offenders fleeing those communities.

The eight-member committee unanimously voted against reccomending a sex offender bylaw with either a residency or a loitering restriction.

For more information on the proposed regulation, and the findings of the committee, look to an upcoming issue of the Old Colony Memorial. ..Source.. by Frank Mand