May 5, 2017

Bill to limit sex offenders in any one facility approved R.I. House

5-5-17 Rhode Island:

The measure would limit to 10 the number of sex offenders in facilities that receive state funding.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A bill to limit the number of sex offenders in facilities such as Harrington Hall was approved by a vote of 59 to 8 in the Rhode Island House on Thursday.

Sponsored by Rep. Robert Lancia, R-Cranston, the bill would limit to 10 percent the number of sex offenders who could live at facilities receiving state funding. Hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care and psychiatric facilities would be exempt. The measure was endorsed by House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, whose district includes Harrington Hall, the state’s largest homeless shelter.

Rep. Anastasia P. Williams and Rep. Joseph S. Almeida, both of Providence, argued against H-5159, saying that imposing a limit would result in more sex offenders living in Providence. Anyone voting for the measure “is voting against every child in the city of Providence,” Williams said. Almeida said: “Wherever there’s an issue in this state, it gets dumped in Providence.”

Lancia countered that the bill was an effort to seek a permanent solution. “We’re not trying to dump people,” he said. “We want everyone at the table working on a solution.”

The bill would give the administration of Governor Gina Raimondo until Jan. 1 to find a solution. After that, a facility exceeding the limit would have to send sex offenders elsewhere, but that is a problem. Federal law bans sex offenders from living in federally subsidized housing, and Rhode Island bans them from living within 300 feet of a school, or 1,000 feet for Level III offenders, who are deemed most likely to re-offend.

Lancia said that Harrington Hall, which is run by Crossroads, has 112 beds, with 60 of them taken by Level II sex offenders. Every morning, “they are released into the community,” Lancia said. “There are no programs for them.” What the state needs, he said, is a dedicated facility. ..Source.. by Donita Naylor

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