For Illinois Sex Offenders, Six Years Can Turn Into Life In Prison

11-19-17 Illinois:

The Rockford native committed a sex crime, and in order to get out of prison he has to meet the state’s long list of rigid parole requirements for those convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault. He could remain behind bars for the rest of his life if he doesn’t find appropriate housing. For Lindenmeier, that means finding a place to live where, among other things, he is away from children and has no internet-accessible devices like smartphones and smart TVs.

Lindenmeier said he couldn’t afford his own apartment, so he turned to his family for help. But their living situations disqualified them under state law. He said his father lived too close to a park, his mother had a computer and smartphone, his sister had small children, and his dad’s girlfriend’s home was too close to a day care center. The rules even prohibit halfway houses from taking in sex offenders. So he remains behind bars, searching for a home. ..Continued..

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Home News Transitional Housing facility near Omaha barred; Refusal to take sex offenders stops proposal

3-7-17 Arkansas:

Transitional Housing facility near Omaha barred; Refusal to take sex offenders stops proposal

A meeting about transitional housing for parolees will still be held Wednesday, but the license for a facility near Omaha has been put on a shelf because management didn’t want to take sex offenders.

Arkansas state Rep. Ron McNair told the Daily Times on Friday that he spoke with Arkansas Community Correction officials that day and was told the group opening the facility didn’t meet ACC regulations, so the license application had been pulled.

Lotus Recovery Services LLC had applied for an ACC Transitional Housing Facility License at 5035 Center Loop between Burlington and Omaha. It would accept non-violent prisoners released on parole and counsel them back to living on the outside, including securing employment for them.

When people living in that area heard about the proposal and saw the license application included accepting sex offenders, they rallied together, signing petitions to have the proposal stopped and taking to social media in droves.

McNair said he didn’t know if public outcry was a part of the ACC’s decision. ..Continued.. by JAMES L. WHITE

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

At Dallas' Once Stylish Cabana Motor Hotel, Ex-Prisoners Struggle to Re-Enter the World

4-16-15 Texas:

In an East Dallas efficiency roughly the size of the prison cell where he once lived, John Whiteman has finally found a home. His neighbors in the rundown apartment building are former inmates like him.

The apartments are like dorm rooms at what would be a very seedy college. A shelf against one wall in Whiteman's room, bearing a microwave and coffee maker, serves as a kitchen. A bed, television and chairs take up most of the remaining space. An ankle monitor ensures that Whiteman never goes anywhere off-path.

He will register as a sex offender until he dies.

Unlikely to ever have a job — no one will hire a 70-year-old convicted child kidnapper who has spent the past three decades behind bars — Whiteman relies on Social Security to cover his rent and pay for his state-mandated sex offender therapy. People used to protest his parole, he says, but by the time he had his last hearing before his parole in 2014, the people who had cared about the case had died or moved away. Whiteman says that a local politician still in Dallas used to fight his parole, but now appears to have lost interest in the case. "I guess he just figured I was old enough that I'd be through with that behavior, and I am," Whiteman says. "I still have to be very careful. I don't want to try to contact anybody that's connected to my case ... but this has been 32 years ago, I have no idea who they are or where they are."

Before being convicted in 1982 in Dallas in the kidnappings of two boys, one 9 years old, the other 5, Whiteman says he lived in a three-bedroom studio in North Dallas, with a good income, two cars, a van and a boat. "And it didn't make me happy."

His life today is spartan, and though he's out of prison, he's not quite a free man. Texas considers him a high-risk offender and requires Whiteman to fill out a schedule of his activities a week in advance. Stray too far from his new apartment without a scheduled appointment, and he could be bounced back into prison. ..Continued.. by Amy Silverstein

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Foes of sex offender house in Norwich ‘getting nowhere’

2-24-15 Connecticut:

Members of Broad Street Neighborhood Watch said they are "getting nowhere" with city and state officials in their attempt to close or move a state-subsidized apartment house at 152 Broad St., where convicted sex offenders have been placed.

But residents pointed to a decision last fall by then-interim Corrections Commissioner Scott Semple to cease sex offender placements at a similar house in a Manchester neighborhood with a further pledge to assess the location of the home "based on appropriate community concerns."

In a meeting with Norwich officials shortly after that decision, however, Semple said he would not make the same decision for the Norwich house, saying at the time that every city and town would want to end all placements.

Neighborhood watch chairwoman Stacey Moed-Klein said the Manchester decision is what the Norwich group wants for Norwich. Semple has since been nominated by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to be the permanent corrections commissioner.

"How do we go about getting treated just the way Manchester is?" Moed-Klein asked.

Resident Brian Curtin, who lives next to the house at 152 Broad St. and is also the city treasurer, said he has been trying to close the house using zoning, legal and administrative avenues, but he has "struck out."

"In my opinion, it's a rooming house," Curtin, a former city alderman, said. "I got no help from City Hall, and I'm part of City Hall."

Curtin noted that even during a municipal election year, no members of the City Council attended Monday's meeting.

Only four residents attended Monday's meeting, along with three police officers and state Sen. Cathy Osten.

Curtin complained that top state officials are to blame for allowing a secretive process which has allowed the firm Connections Inc. to lease the house privately and then bring in sex offenders through its contract with the state using state-subsidized rental payments. Curtin said a second Connections-leased house - not housing sex offenders - has opened a block away.

The four state-funded beds are assigned to the house through the REACH - Reentry Assisted Community Housing - program. Although the REACH beds are not reserved for sex offenders, the majority of those placed in the Broad Street house have been sex offenders.

"Seriously?" Curtin said. "They destroyed our neighborhood."

Curtin called the sex offenders placed in the Broad Street house "the worst of the worst," with first-degree sexual assault convictions and others who likely pleaded to lesser charges to protect minor victims of crimes.

Four sex offenders were listed as living at 152 Broad St. The most recent resident is Rodney Whitaker, 44, who was convicted in 1995 of first-degree sexual assault involving sexual intercourse with a child under age 13, according to the registry listing.

Robert Douchette, 43, who was released from prison Nov. 13, had pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault for repeatedly raping his former girlfriend, binding her wrists and threatening her with a knife in January of 2010 in New London. She was finally able to escape and ran to a neighbor's house naked and screaming. He was sentenced in December of 2011 to five years and three months in prison and five years of special parole.

The registry also listed Carlos Cruz, 47, convicted in 2008 of risk of injury to a minor, and Christopher DePallo, 23, on probation since July 2014 for third-degree possession of child pornography, as living at 152 Broad St.

Osten told the group she has submitted several bills this legislative session to address concerns expressed in the past by the neighbors and by city officials - including legislation that would clarify and put stricter controls on the location of state-subsidized housing.

Resident Nancy DePietro, a former alderwoman, said she was frustrated because the state sex offender registry doesn't provide enough detailed information about the offenders. She also objected that it's left to residents in the neighborhoods to monitor the situation and study the registry to learn about the new placements.

Police Sgt. Peter Camp, supervisor of the department's community policing program, offered to provide more information to the residents and urged them to report any concerns to the department.

Officers Thomas Lazzaro and Christopher Chastang, recently appointed as the downtown community policing officers, attended the meeting and said they would have a constant presence in the neighborhood, including bicycle patrols in summer.

Lazzaro said there have been no "calls for service" at 152 Broad St. since the house opened under Connections' lease. ..Source.. by Claire Bessette

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

NCDPS Statement on sex offender housing

12-23-2014 North Carolina:

Suitable housing for sex offenders leaving prison is a significant public safety issue facing North Carolina and many other states. As a group, sex offenders are at great risk for homelessness due to the public stigma they carry and the legal restrictions placed upon where they may live. Nearly 16,000 registered sex offenders are currently living in communities across North Carolina.

The Department of Public Safety recognized a longstanding need for temporary housing for sex offenders leaving prison and this year issued a request for proposals (RFP) for organizations to provide short-term sex offender housing in suitable locations. Such housing is designed to provide a 60-day transition period and may be extended up to 90 days maximum, until permanent housing is secured.

In Mecklenburg County, the Bradley-Reid Corporation, an established local provider of re-entry services and services to veterans and people living with HIV/AIDS, responded to the RFP and was awarded a contract to provide transitional housing with six beds for male sex offenders. Bradley-Reid secured letters of support from several community organizations supporting its efforts in creating such housing in Mecklenburg County.

A home on McAlpine Lane provides housing and meals for the residents, with access to public transportation. In addition to an onsite 24-hour house manager, probation officers provide supervision and the residents are subject to curfews and regular drug and alcohol screening.

The location of the transitional home meets the state's legal requirements for sex offender housing and was approved by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Department Sex Offender Registry Unit. The NC sex offender registry currently shows 117 registered sex offenders living within a 3-mile radius of this location.

The Department of Public Safety believes that providing safe, structured and supervised housing for sex offenders leaving prison is a much better option for overall public safety than the alternative of sex offenders living in vehicles or becoming homeless on the streets. ..Source.. by Keith Acree, Communications Office,
North Carolina Department of Public Safety

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Koshkonong creates sexual offender residency policy

11-13-2014 Wisconsin:

KOSHKONONG — The Town of Koshkonong Board of Supervisors on Wednesday enacted an ordinance restricting the placement of sex offenders near areas where children congregate.

The ordinance will prohibit registered offenders from residing within 2,000 feet of locations where children congregate, including schools or any other facility for children, public parks, park facilities, pathways or recreational trails where children routinely congregate, daycare centers, residential care centers for children, playgrounds or recreational areas, athletic fields and public swimming pools.

It takes effect immediately, although any offenders already living in the town will not be affected.

The measure was a response to a proposal for a home owned by John Anhalt on Poeppel Road to house convicted registered sexual offenders.

Anhalt reported at the Oct. 22 town board meeting that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections denied his request for the Poeppel Road home, south of Fort Atkinson, due to a lack of funding.

When township residents raised concerns about the possible placement of sex offenders, the town board began discussion of an ordinance regulating such placement at its Oct. 8 meeting. Altogether, it considered the ordinance at four meetings.

Koshkonong’s ordinance was modeled after the South Milwaukee ordinance stating that convicted sex offenders could not reside within 1,000 feet of schools, parks or other areas in which children congregate. That ordinance was challenged and sent to the state Court of Appeals, which upheld it as constitutional.

“We doubled it and hope it doesn’t get contested,” Town of Koshkonong Board of Supervisors Chairman Fred Walling said. “Anything greater than that and we might lose.”

The chairman noted that even at 2,000 feet the town might not win on an appeal.

“We stretched it to the limit and put the kitchen sink on it and tried to get as much as we could,” Walling said.

Such measures are popular ways to limit the number of sex offenders within a municipality as they severely reduce the number of residences available to those convicted as a sex offender, and effectively the number of registered sex offenders living within the community’s borders.

Wisconsin law dictates that an offender who has completed his or her sentence must be placed in the county in which he or she last resided prior to incarceration. However, finding suitable placements within the county often can be challenging due to municipal ordinances restricting their placement, which are becoming more popular, often making rural locations more desirable for the program.

Per case law, the town does have the ability to enact “laws” by its police powers that protect the safety and welfare of its residences, which would include regulating the location of sex predators within the town.

Town attorney Tim Fenner was asked at an October town meeting to investigate whether the board of supervisors has the authority to enact an ordinance to regulate the residency of sexual offenders within the town in order to prevent the group home from housing multiple offenders.

He later explained that an ordinance regulating sex offender residency is not uncommon and many municipalities do it by zoning. However, the Town of Koshkonong does not have zoning authority because all zoning is regulated by Jefferson County.

Over the course of the four meetings, Fenner, who was not present Wednesday, pointed out that the challenge was to craft an ordinance that would stand up to a challenge in court.

In 2013, the Town of Hebron Board of Supervisors enacted an ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of locations where children congregate, including private or public schools, parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, daycare centers and campgrounds.

The adopted measure in Hebron was based off of the City of Jefferson’s ordinance restricting the residence of sex offenders within 1,500 feet of any location where children congregate. ..Source.. by Ryan Whisner

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

State officials will examine sex offender housing placements; no promises to close Broad Street Norwich facility

11-12-2014 Connecticut:

State Department of Correction officials today pledged to examine the policies surrounding placement of sex offenders in state-subsidized rental housing in residential neighborhoods, provide more information about placements to municipal officials and to hold quarterly meetings with leaders in the host towns.

Interim Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple said at the start of today’s hour-long meeting that he was “taken aback” by the number of registered sex offenders – 110 – living in Norwich, a city with a population of about 40,000. He said the number seems significantly higher than he would expect.

The nonprofit agency Connections, Inc. leases a two-family house at 152 Broad St. for convicts released under the REACH -- – Reentry Assisted Community Housing – program. According to the state Sex Offender Registry, Carlos Cruz and Christopher DePallo live at the Broad Street location.

Neighbors learned of the placements by talking to tenants, and brought their complaints to the Norwich City Council and local legislators.

Semple said he is not inclined to order that no further placements be allowed in the Broad Street house, but said he would examine the state’s approval of the site in the residential neighborhood near a school bus stop. Semple recently did order no additional placements in a similar situation in Manchester, but said he realized after that decision that he would face similar requests in other towns.

State Rep. Emmett Riley, D-Norwich, asked if the commissioner would make the same order in Norwich.

“When I walked out of that meeting,” Semple said of the Manchester decision, “I thought ‘now every community will want the same.’”

But Semple did pledge to re-examine the Department of Correction’s approval process for REACH beds. He said renting entire small apartment houses is a preferred situation to avoid affecting other tenants who live in an apartment house.

“We have to look at the bed placement,” state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, said of the upcoming legislative session, “to ensure that we’re not impacting neighborhoods. While renting a full house may work better, but you have to understand the impacts.”

Osten said she also wants to explore increased penalties for convicted sex offenders, the length of time they must remain on the mandatory sex offender registry and a possible tiered registry system that would provide more details about an offender’s situation to the public.

In Manchester, Semple agreed to hold quarterly meetings with the community, and he said department officials would do the same in Norwich. He said a public hearing in Manchester, however, turned contentious, with residents demanding the house be closed down rather than hear details about the strict oversight and frequent supervision of sex offenders residing in the state-subsidized facility.

“It’s just such a difficult situation to manage,” Semple said. “I do believe in this program.” ..Source.. by Claire Bessette

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

West Seneca Neighbors Dismayed Albany Judge Will Hear Sex Offender Group Home Case

10-22--2014 New York:

WEST SENECA, N.Y. -- The battle to move sex offenders out of a group home in West Seneca will continue in Albany. On Tuesday, the judge moved the case on the state's policy on sex offenders and housing from Erie County Court to Albany County.

Since February, residents have repeatedly expressed outrage that seven registered sex offenders are living in a group home on Leydecker Road in West Seneca. They say the state moved the men to their neighborhood without notifying them.

"You're putting the fox in the hen house," said Fran Gray, a neighbor. "All summer, this past year, the kids have not been allowed to play outside themselves. They're not allowed to come out unless mom or dad is out to keep an eye on things."

The New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, or OPWDD, is in charge of the group home. Time Warner Cable News reached out for comment, but did not hear back.

Assemblyman Mickey Kearns said the reluctance to reveal information only makes him and the residents suspicious.

"OPWDD has not been forthcoming, and right now they are stating privilege under mental hygiene law," said Kearns, D-Buffalo. "We don't feel as though they have that privilege. We are not asking for individual records of health history.

"Emotionally it's like a punch in the gut. I'm not mad at the judge, I think the judge has to do his job, ruling on the points of law. However, I am upset with OPWDD because I do think this was an unnecessary thing to do. Another tactic, a legal tactic and strategy to delay us from getting information."

Meanwhile, neighbors said they will not be able to pack their bags to travel across the state, despite wanting their say in the courtroom.

"It would mean taking time off, keeping the kids out of school, traveling across the state, just to have our voices heard. It's completely unrealistic," Gray said.

A date has not been set for the next court hearing. ..Source.. by Jennifer Auh

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

South Florida Landlord Bucks Trend, Offers Housing to Sex Offenders

10-2-2014 Florida:

South Florida Landlord Bucks Trend, Offers Housing to Sex Offenders

Laws that restrict where sex offenders can live when they are released from prison leave many homeless, but one south Florida apartment manager is providing housing opportunities by leasing apartments to offenders on liberal terms.

“I just believe that everybody deserves a second chance,” said Pamela Eaton, the manager of Fairfield Apartments in south Fort Myers. She indicated her goal is to help sex offenders become independent and productive citizens, “because everybody makes mistakes.” She considers post-release housing one step in that direction.

Restrictive ordinances such as those in Miami-Dade County have made the area virtually off limits to sex offenders, which in the past forced some to live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway bridge. [See: PLN, March 2011, p.13; Dec. 2009, p.14; July 2009, p.36; June 2008, p.1].

Residency restrictions in Lee County, which are the same as under Florida state law, prohibit sex offenders convicted of crimes involving minors from living within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, parks or other places where children congregate – leaving few housing options available. Further, many landlords are reluctant to rent to sex offenders, and because they have trouble finding jobs, some are unable to pay rent.

“Other than a small area in Lehigh Acres where there are large, desolate areas that are not within 1,000 feet of where children congregate, which is in the eastern part of the county and away from most jobs, the only option is [Fairfield Apartments] or the woods,” said Pam Donelson with the Florida Department of Corrections. “There are a few other very small pockets of desolate residential areas that comply, but they are few and far between.”

Pamela Eaton recruits in prisons throughout Florida by offering housing for sex offenders. She often waives the $200 security deposit for those just released from prison and allows them to owe her the first month’s $450 rent. Most sleep three-to-four in an apartment, sharing a common kitchen and bathroom. Each renter has his own room furnished with a twin bed, TV, dresser and night stand.

Eaton’s rental policy has generated hostility from her neighbors, though that doesn’t sway her. Fairfield Apartments is located in a quiet neighborhood where children play and ride bicycles. One resident, Julie Evans, was not afraid to express how she feels about living next to registered sex offenders.

“I got a gun,” she said. “And I will use that gun.”

But for former prisoners like Clyde Lother, who served 17 years for lewd and indecent assault against a child, Fairfield Apartments saves them from homelessness and possible rearrest for failing to have a permanent address. “I wrote letters [from prison] to places telling them I have no money, I have no income,” Luther said. “I wrote letter after letter after letter, place after place after place.” He said Eaton was the only one who responded.

She screens potential sex offender tenants to ensure they are non-violent and sincere about changing their lives. Sex offenders, Eaton said, are some of her best renters. “They’re really wanting to do right,” she stated. “They really are.”

In mid-September 2012, there were 22 registered sex offenders housed at the Fairfield Apartments complex and a dozen in surrounding homes. ..Continued.. by Prison Legal News

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Sex offenders defy order to leave home

9-27-2014 Washington:

MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- Sex offenders have moved back into a church-run home, just a few months after the City of Marysville forced them out.

The home in the 15300 block of Smokey Boulevard is located in a light industrial area in Marysville. The city said that it was being used illegally as a residential facility for sex offenders and ex-cons.

"We've got fewer people in here now," said Pastor John Mack, who runs Holy Ghost Ministries. He says the church and its lawyers reviewed zoning laws and believe they have a right to run a church office, which includes several "caretakers," on the grounds. The caretakers are three registered sex offenders.

Previously, the church had nine sex offenders living in the home.

Level 1 sex offender Jim Baker says the home provides him with a stable environment that helps keep him on the straight and narrow.

Holy Ghost Ministries has grown over the years in Snohomish County. It now operates ten facilities that house or assist ex-cons – most of them hard-to-place registered sex offenders.

The ministry filed suit over the Smokey Point Boulevard evictions. That case is now being heard is U.S. District Court in Seattle. In the federal court case, attorney Scott Stafne says the city is violating the ministry's freedom of religion. He has also filed emails that he says show the Marysville Police Department and other city entities conspired to kick the sex offenders out of all Marysville facilities related to the sex offender housing.

A City of Marysville spokesperson declined to discuss the case, citing the pending litigation. ..Source.. by Chris Ingalls

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

McGregor Passes New Sex Offender Ordinance

2-11-2014 Texas:

MCGREGOR - The city of McGregor passed a new ordinance that will prohibit sex offenders from living close to schools, daycare centers and parks.

Police say multiple sex offenders moved into McGregor in the last two weeks. The ordinance was introduced to the city four years ago. Some cities in Central Texas have a similar ordinance, but it took McGregor a few years to pass the rule because of administration changes.

McGregor Police Chief Steve Foster says six sex offenders moved into the area within the last two weeks. Sex offenders are required to register with authorities when they move in to a new town. Foster took notice of it and revisited the ordinance.

The city council discussed the issue on Monday night saying, "We've got to give them a place to stay, but we can make it smaller."

Foster says the new rule says sex offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and daycare centers.

The sex offenders who are already registered and living in town cannot legally be told to move.

The ordinance will take effect immediately. ..Source.. by Mike Iliopoulos

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

House committee passes bill prohibiting restrictions on where sex offenders can live

1-29-2014 New Hampshire:

A House committee easily passed a bill, 18-1, prohibiting restrictions on where sex offenders can live yesterday, noting that judges have twice ruled residency restrictions unconstitutional. Still, lawmakers predicted a tough fight in the Senate, which has rejected similar bills before.

“There is a perception that this bill is being soft on crime,” said Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, a Manchester Republican who voted for the bill. “All of us who have heard (this debate) know the benefits of the bill. But we’re going to need to explain it.”

Rep. Al Baldasaro, a Londonderry Republican, cast the lone vote against the bill, saying he didn’t want to tell his constituents they couldn’t determine where sex offenders could and could not live.

As many as 11 communities have residency restrictions for sex offenders, said Rep. Renny Cushing, a Hampton Democrat. Londonderry is not one of them, according to the town’s website. Locally, Tilton, Northfield and Boscawen have such restrictions. Both Northfield’s and Tilton’s ordinances prohibit people convicted of sex crimes against children from living within 2,500 feet of schools, child-care centers and playgrounds. Boscawen’s ordinance was not available yesterday.

Tilton adopted its ordinance in 2007 and added this explanation to it: “Acknowledging that sex offenders who prey on children are at a higher risk of re-offending, the town of Tilton has a compelling interest and responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of its children by restricting access to areas where there (is) a high concentration of children.”

However, two judges have found otherwise. In 2009, a district court judge in Dover ruled that city’s residency restriction invalid because the city had not shown a “substantial relationship” between the ordinance and the protection of children. In 2012, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Larry Smukler came to the same conclusion when the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union appealed Franklin’s ordinance.

Cushing, a member of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, said the bill prohibiting residency restrictions is necessary because it will take costly legal fights to undo the 11 ordinances still in place across the state. “The simple thing that can be done is to pass a bill that incorporates the . . . courts’ decisions.”

Cushing also argued that restricting housing for sex offenders pushes them “underground,” in campgrounds, under bridges and to other places the police cannot monitor. He said communities are safer if the police know where sex offenders live and require yearly registration with the local police.

Baldasaro said he was concerned that if a sex offender moved into a Londonderry neighborhood, “everyone else wants to move out.” He added, “I want to support this bill, but I have to go back to neighborhoods in my district. Who is going to protect the neighbors?”

Rep. Larry Gagne, a Manchester Republican, responded to Baldasaro.

“My first term, I was pretty much a hard-liner,” he said. “I said, ‘Put (sex offenders) in outer space. Put them all on an island.’ But I changed my mind after a (police) sergeant came in and said, ‘If they go underground, we can’t find them.’ ”

Rep. Roger Berube, a Somersworth Democrat, questioned why the state Senate has rejected several similar bills from the House in previous years. “How can they get away with that?” he asked. “It doesn’t appear the Senate is actually listening to the . . . court.”

To that, Rep. Laura Pantelakos, chairwoman of the committee said, “Sometimes the Senate doesn’t listen to anybody.” ..Source.. by Annmarie Timmins

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Dept of Corrections ends local lodging for sex offenders

1-28-2014 Indiana:

State Department of Correction officials say they are no longer sending recently released sex offenders to Muncie houses

The Indiana Department of Correction is no longer operating "DOC Assist" homes in Muncie's Old West End neighborhood.

The Star Press reported last June that two adjacent homes in the neighborhood — at 927 S. Elliott St. and 612 S. Elliott St. — for the past two years had been used by the DOC as temporary housing for recently released sex offenders from 11 Hoosier counties who had nowhere else to go.

Concerns raised by the article prompted a sometimes heated meeting last July 24 involving DOC employees, local officials including Mayor Dennis Tyler and Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold, and Old West End residents.

Those living near the houses said they were unhappy they had not been told about the "DOC Assist" program — or the proximity of sex offenders to their families. Tyler, noting the Muncie houses were the only such facilities in the 11-county district, said he didn't want the Old West End viewed as a "dumping ground" for offenders.

In an email exchange with The Star Press on Friday, Victoria Fafata, supervisor of the DOC's 11-county New Castle Parole District, confirmed there were no longer "DOC Assist" facilities in the Old West End, or elsewhere in Muncie or Delaware County.

She also said there were no such houses for recently released offenders in Blackford, Henry, Jay or Randolph counties.

Brad King, president of the Old West End Neighborhood Association, said Friday that "neighbors in the area feel bit of a relief," but said they were also concerned about "residential opportunities, job opportunities and support networks for the paroled sex offenders in Muncie and Delaware County."

King, who moderated the July meeting with DOC officials, said it was "never the intention of the neighborhood association to shut down this housing opportunity, but to make sure everyone was aware, safe, compliant with the law and situations like this were as transparent as possible." ..Continued.. by Douglas Walker

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Sex offenders, Pahokee congregation forge unlikely bond

8-2-2013 Florida:

PAHOKEE — The pianist at First United Methodist Church was as nervous as he'd ever been before a performance.

Music comes naturally to Chad Stoffel. So he wasn't worried what they would think of his playing. He was worried what they thought of him.

"Do they know about my past?" Had they seen the newspapers? The ones that showed his face and the words sex offender?

This was February 2012. For about seven months, Stoffel had been living 2 miles outside of town in a secluded neighborhood called Miracle Village. He was one of about 85 sex offenders who had quietly settled there under court order after finishing their prison sentences. It was a lonely exile but preferable to sleeping under bridges like so many other sex offenders around the state.

Now he was standing at the front of the congregation — on Ash Wednesday, no less — flanked by two other Miracle Village residents who were going to accompany him on the hymns.

Stoffel, 37, wanted to show the congregation that he was more than a criminal. He wore nice slacks and a dress shirt and tried to be, in his words, "perfect." Still, even Pastor Patti Aupperlee, who had invited the men to the service, couldn't reassure them.

"I don't know what's going to happen," she said.

Just before 7 p.m., a woman in her late 50s found her usual place seven rows back on the right. Lynda Moss, the church treasurer, had attended First United Methodist since she was little. She had harbored an aversion to sex offenders almost as long. It was the reason that she had once stormed into the pastor's office to tell her: "Those people will never change."

No one that day expected who would end up changing.

IN 2009, AN ACTIVIST PREACHER named Richard Witherow decided he needed to do something about the men he called "modern-day lepers."

In Florida, state law forbids sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, park, designated bus stop, day care center or playground. Some local laws push the buffer to nearly half a mile.

Witherow saw the consequences of these regulations.

The town of San Antonio, north of Tampa, virtually banned sex offenders two years ago. In Miami, a few dozen lived for years under the Julia Tuttle Causeway. The Bradford County Sheriff's Office stakes big red warning signs in front of sex offenders' homes. ..continued.. by Ben Wolford, Times Correspondent

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Bangor council restricts where sex offenders may live

4-23-2013 Maine:

In a 6-3 vote Monday night, the City Council passed an ordinance that bans some sex offenders from moving to within 750 feet of a publicly owned property frequented by children.

When the council first voted on the ordinance 28 months ago, Councilor David Nealley was the only councilor to vote in favor of the ordinance. This time around, he was joined by Councilors Joe Baldacci, Pauline Civiello, James Gallant, Charlie Longo, David Nealley and Benjamin Sprague.

Councilors Susan Hawes, Patricia Blanchette and council Chairman Nelson Durgin voted against the ordinance.

The residency restriction applies to individuals convicted of Class A, B or C sex offenses committed against a child under age 14. Offenders in that category who live within a 750-foot boundary won’t be required to move. However, if they did move, their residence would have to be outside the restricted zone, and they could not move back into a restricted area. That’s the most restrictive ordinance allowed under Maine law.

Bangor residents who spoke at committee and council meetings had voiced support for the ordinance.

David Green of Dunning Boulevard, who helped revive the proposed ordinance, said it would “make Bangor a less attractive destination for sex offenders,” pointing out that 21 of Bangor’s 141 registered offender registrants are from out of state and more than 60 percent of them are from outside Penobscot County.

The effectiveness of such ordinances across the country has been called into question in studies in Iowa, Colorado, California, Florida and other states. Most studies argue that the restrictions don’t have any effect, and some say they create a false sense of security in communities and decrease safety.

Councilors who voted against the ordinance, both in 2010 and again in 2013, argued that the proposal was nothing more than a feel-good ordinance.

In Minnesota, the state’s Department of Corrections conducted studies in 2003 and 2007 and found that there was no evidence that residential proximity to schools or parks affected recidivism rates, as people who offend tend to do so away from their own neighborhoods. The department’s research also found that pushing high-risk sex offenders to rural or suburban areas resulted in less access to services and supervision.

National studies indicate that more than 90 percent of child sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone who knows the child, oftentimes in the offender’s or victim’s home, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Other studies indicate that sexual predators seldom offend in their own neighborhoods and target children away from their homes.

Shawn Yardley, the city’s director of health and community services, said during Monday’s meeting that while the ordinance seemed to be “well intended,” it could give parents and the public a false sense of security by indicating to parents that it’s safe to send their kids to a park because there aren’t any sex offenders in the area. Councilors Blanchette, Durgin and Hawes have echoed those same concerns, pointing at the ineffectiveness outlined in the studies.

Even some councilors who voted in favor of the ordinance Monday conceded it might not have tangible effects, but argued that it sent a message and took a step toward solving growing problems in the city.

Nealley and Sprague each said they “struggled” with their positions on the ordinance based on questions of efficacy.

“Probably they’re right,” Nealley said of the case studies’ findings, but he added that he didn’t believe doing nothing was the right move for the city.

Gallant pointed out that one of the studies states that “only” 7 percent of child sexual assaults are perpetrated by strangers. He said the use of “only” was troubling, as was the 7 percent figure.

“Even if we could save 7 percent — only 7 percent — it would be a good idea,” Gallant said.

Other councilors said that if the ordinance prevented one incidence of sexual abuse of a child, it would be worthwhile.

“We need to make our families here in Bangor our No. 1 priority,” Civiello said, arguing that the passage of the ordinance would send a message to residents and outsiders, much like the disruptive property ordinance and support of a bill that would reduce the city’s share of methadone patients. ..Source.. by Nick McCrea, BDN Staff

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Dell Range sex offender housing plan nixed

3-22-2013 Wyoming:

After residents said they wouldn't feel safe with a transitional sex offender house in their Dell Range Boulevard neighborhood, officials decided to pursue other options.

The program, called a shared living arrangement, would house three or more sex offenders recently released from prison. They would have been through inpatient treatment and would be responsible for rent and treatment costs.

The year-long program also would provide intensive supervision, counseling and treatment. It is part of an effort called “Transition From Prison to Community,” which helps inmates who are being released.

Officials had considered locating the program at 132 Dell Range Blvd. The site used to be an Oxford House, a home for people recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.

But several residents said the house was too close to day-care centers, parks and families with children to house sex offenders.

“There are a number of factors that the concerned neighbors we heard from raised,” said Steve Lindly, deputy director of the state Department of Corrections. “We determined in the end it wouldn’t be useful to have it at that location.”

For neighbors in the area, this was good news.

“I’m so relieved, because (officials) came into this not knowing the impact that the Oxford House had on our neighborhood,” Connie Moore said. “It used to be a neighborhood where nobody locked their doors. Now everyone has a security system.”

Neighbor Rosalind Schliske said the program was not a good fit for the area.

“The department of corrections has a difficult job, and I certainly understand that there’s a need for housing,” she said. “But to put it in a densely packed residential neighborhood wasn’t a good idea.”

Officials now will try to find another location for the program, which they say will help reduce recidivism and keep the public safer.

Kristy Oster is the department’s field services re-entry coordinator. She said they will look for locations in industrial areas, on the outskirts of town and with fewer children and day care centers.

“It’s going to be difficult to find a perfect location,” Oster said. “But those are things we’re going to be looking for.”

She added that the house can’t be too far out of town since it is hard for program participants to find transportation to and from work. It is also important that they are held accountable by community members.

“There are a lot of sex offenders that are amendable to treatment and can be held accountable,” she said.

Oster added that whatever location is looked at, they will make sure to notify people in that area.

“We’re hoping that if we can find a more conducive environment for this type of housing that we could still get people to join in with the overall goal of public safety,” she said. ..Source.. by Kelsey Bray

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Register Investigation: After nursing home slaying, new legislation

Unbelievable, Iowa lawmaker using a situation which HAS NOTHING to do with sex offenders, to pass a law covering sex offenders. Is there a better example of legalized vigilantism?

2-14-2013 Iowa:

Rules apply only to sex offenders, not violent residents such as man charged in Fayette County death

In the wake of a brutal homicide at a Fayette County care facility, state lawmakers are again examining the issue of violent criminals living in Iowa’s nursing homes.

The Iowa House is considering a bill that would require care facility administrators to notify patients, visitors, workers and others when a registered sex offender moves into the home. But the bill is silent on violent offenders convicted of crimes that aren’t sexual in nature.

The Des Moines Register last year identified at least 42 registered sex offenders living either in nursing homes for the elderly or the more lightly regulated residential care facilities for disabled adults. The Register’s report also detailed several incidents in which known offenders moved into the homes and then sexually assaulted their fellow residents.

The Register’s investigation into the Fayette County homicide reveals that the suspect, 35-year-old Matthew T. Braun, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had a well-documented history of violence toward family members and police before he was admitted to the Prairie View Residential Care Facility last summer. Braun had been arrested 10 times for various forms of assault, and had eight convictions for willful injury and assault, with most of the victims being police officers or corrections officials, court records show.

John Tapscott, a former state lawmaker who now advocates for the elderly, says too many of Iowa’s care facilities have evolved from “safe havens for the elderly and the disabled” into “holding facilities for sexual offenders or those with a history of violence or criminal convictions.”

The home’s administrator, Sylvia Mork, declined to answer questions about the case but said in a written statement that Braun — who is now being held awaiting trial — was “immediately removed from the facility” after the killing.

She said the home will “continue to screen prospective residents to ensure that we can meet their needs and protect the safety and welfare of our residents.”

Prairie View is a 90-bed care facility that was staffed by only three workers the night of the killing, state records show. The facility is owned by Fayette County but is managed by Prairie View Management Inc., a nonprofit organization run by a six-member board that includes Marjorie Strudthoff.

Strudthoff, 79, said the board has never discussed the assaults that have taken place at Prairie View, or the risk posed by violent offenders. She said the home’s administrator informs the board of some of the incidents that occur in the facility, but that information is limited.

“We’ll get some information, but not much about what is going through the police ...continued... by Clark Kauffman

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

House panel OKs bill setting guidelines for placing sex offenders in nursing homes

2-6-2013 Iowa:

A bill issuing state guidelines for the placement of sex offenders in nursing homes cleared an Iowa House subcommittee on Wednesday and was sent to the House Human Resources Committee.

Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, who chaired the subcommittee, said House File 53 will begin the process of finding beds for sex offenders in case they can’t be housed or shouldn’t be housed in certain facilities. The legislation also proposes a long-term study of how Iowa will care for sex offenders with appropriate medical care and security care while respecting their rights, he said.

The bill is being closely watched by Iowa’s nursing home industry, groups representing older Iowans, the Iowa Department of Human Services and Iowa Department of Corrections, justice reform activists, and others. Similar legislation was approved by the Iowa House last year, but died in the Iowa Senate. A report by the Des Moines Register in December 2011 found that at least 42 convicted sex offenders were residing in 21 Iowa homes for the elderly and disabled. ..Source.. by William Petroski

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

Legislator: Sex offender bill would create ‘undue burden’

1-22-2013 Missouri:

bill he proposed in the Missouri House requiring real estate agents to warn neighbors when sex offenders purchase homes would put an undue burden on the business, State Rep. Charlie Davis , R-Webb City, agreed Monday.

Davis said the measure won’t advance. But, he said he believes the proposal has sparked “discussion about protecting our kids.

“It’s not going anywhere; that’s apparent,” Davis said of his proposal. “And now that I look at it, I do understand it creates a burden and a liability for the real estate industry.”

The representative said he had heard from a number of people involved in the Jopiin area real estate business and did not disagree with the concerns they raised.

The bill was first read last week, the same week a large contingent of real estate agents from across the state were in Jefferson City for meetings. More than a dozen from the Joplin area discussed the issue when met with Davis as part of a series of capital visits by the group.

“He was very gracious and he understood our concerns,” said Kim Cox, chief executive officer of the Joplin Board of Realtors. ..Source.. by From staff reports ((See Also)))

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...

A new lease on life

1-9-2013 Washington:

Snohomish woman rents U-District homes to sex offenders, felons

A yellowed page of an old newspaper is taped to the wall of Carol Clarke’s aging U-District rental office. In bold letters, it reads: “Abstinence. It works every time.” Jesus looks down from several paintings atop the windowsill, and a “no smoking” sign hangs crookedly behind the desk.

Most people have retired by their mid-70s. But Clarke, 74, is still on the job, renting rooms in her five U-District homes to sex offenders, felons, and the mentally disabled. Clarke believes that everybody deserves a home and a second chance.

“I just feel like if a person is interested in becoming a better human being, then someone better give him a leg up,” she said.

Often times, it’s difficult for sex offenders and felons to find housing, so Clarke is well known behind prison bars and among law enforcement officials.

How it all began

Born in Tacoma and raised in Seattle, Clarke spent the first eight years of her life on a chicken farm.

Many years later, she still hasn’t outgrown her affinity for animals. Now widowed, Clarke lives alone on her farm in Snohomish. When she’s not busy tending to her cows and chickens, she is hard at work interviewing prospective renters, filling out leases, and sorting out details with officials at the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) with regard to her tenants.

Although Clarke has been leasing her homes for many years, she only began renting to people with criminal records 15 years ago.

It began when she found out one of her tenants was a sex offender. Clarke consulted the man’s corrections officer, then gave her tenant a firm talking to. His determination to change, Clarke said, is what inspired her to continue renting to ..continued... by Lily Katz

Read More of Article...

Article Summary only...