NP Rank:
Sex Offenders Tent City: Georgia Law creates own state hazard
"Critics say it's an example of how laws designed to keep Georgia's children out of harm's way create a hazard where penniless sex offenders live largely unsupervised at the government's urging." ~ Associated Press
State-created Pariah Culture:
This is a case where the law itself is an ass, to paraphrase Dickens. By alienating sex offenders to this degree, it becomes counterproductive, dangerous, and just plain senseless.
Having nowhere to go due to excessive restrictions, some Georgia sex offenders are being directed to a tent city by their own probation officers.
Living like Survivor series guests, something is clearly amiss here, and it is obvious to them and to surrounding communities. And this is likely to be a national rather than just a state problem, due to the uniformity of state and federal guidelines.
From the Associated Press:
MARIETTA, Ga. — A small group of homeless sex offenders have set up camp in densely wooded area behind a suburban Atlanta office park, directed there by probation officers who say it's a place of last resort for those with nowhere else to go.The nine sex offenders live in tents surrounding a makeshift fire pit in the trees behind a towering "no trespassing" sign, waiting out their probation sentences as they face numerous living restrictions under one of the nation's toughest sex offender policies.
"It's kind of like a mind-game, it's like 'Survivor,'" said William Hawkins, a 34-year-old who said he was directed to the campsite two weeks ago after being released from prison for violating probation for failing to register as a sex offender in Georgia.
The muddy camp on the outskirts of prosperous Cobb County is an unintended consequence of Georgia's sex offender law, which bans the state's 16,000 sex offenders from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and other spots where children gather.
It's not the only place in Cobb County where offenders can live — there are hundreds of other sex offenders throughout the county living in compliance with the law. But Ahmed Holt, manager of the state's sex offender administration unit, calls the camp a "last resort" for homeless offenders who can't find another place to live that complies with the law.
He said probation officers direct them to the outpost if other options fail, such as transferring to another county or state or sending them to a relative's place that meets the requirements. Homeless shelters and halfway houses are often not an option, he said, because of the restrictions that bar them from being near children.
Critics say it's an example of how laws designed to keep Georgia's children out of harm's way create a hazard where penniless sex offenders live largely unsupervised at the government's urging.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 06:49 on September 28th, 2009
Put cameras up where needed. This doesn't work.
at 09:10 on September 28th, 2009
The same situation is happening in Florida as well, but there, it is a bridge overpass they are forced to live under.
at 11:23 on September 28th, 2009
About the "sex offenders list" being the safe way, not 100%! I had moved into a new neighboorhood in Clarksville,TN. and seeing as I have 3 children I thought I would look up my local sex offenders. What I found out shocked and scared me. Not only was a co-workers son, a convicted sex offender, not on the list, but my address WAS! I asked my landlord and it was someone who lived in my apartment a couple years back! So where was/is this guy? Something needs to be done! How about implanted locaters!
at 12:27 on September 28th, 2009
Lets follow Polands lead on this :) I would call it "justice"
http://my.nowpublic.com/world/poland-enforces-chemical-castration-sex-offenders
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JamesF (not verified)at 10:11 on September 29th, 2009
These criminals are either rehabilitated or not. If they are a threat, then they should not be free to roam around. If they are not a threat, their means of living should not be restricted or regulated in any way. Why are sex offenders any different from other criminals? We let car thieves and thugs out on probation all the time, and they just commit the same crime. Why does anyone expect sex offenders to suddenly stop being criminals? Suck it up, pay the $35,000-$70,000 per year it costs to lock these guys up, or kill them so you don't have to pay higher taxes. Don't dodge the issue - just face it. You either have to pay to keep these criminals in prison and alive, or you can accept the burden of sentencing them to death. There is no compromised arrangement that will keep children safe. If you can't protect your own kids you cannot expect your neighbors and the government to do it.
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Rejoice (not verified)at 07:48 on October 16th, 2009
Are you kidding me! They are completely different than other criminals. For one I would way rather be robbed than sexually assulted in any way. Do you know the phycological effect it has on someone, especially a kid when they are abused this way. Your right these Sex Offenders should not be free. This is the main problem. They have a disease. It wasn't just one wrong mistake. It is far deeper than that, and they should not be free to repeat it to many many other peopple. I will have to look up the statistics of how many repeat. I just don't understand why anyone would put a sex offender inthe sam category as a robber!
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Rejoice (not verified)at 07:55 on October 16th, 2009
I jumped the gun. I only read the first two sentences James wrote, and went off... With that said, who are we to commit murder witht he death penalty? We are not God. It would be just as much of a sin for us (the government) to commit a murder as it would be for anyone esle, or a sex crime. They SHOULD be banned from hurting society though. I do agree with that. I am completely willing to pay the taxes for them to stay in prison. Why don't we just creat one HUGE prison somewhere, where all the sex offenders can go and live forever. It can be a dump for all I care. I dont' think thats inhumain. They are lucky to be roaming around living in the woods in Georiga. Who the hell do they think they are to complain. I just don't get it.
at 12:29 on September 29th, 2009
James, do some research on chemical castration before you say that death is the only option.
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freedomwriter (not verified)at 20:17 on September 30th, 2009
NO national public case has been solved due to the rgistery. It didnt save Jaycee Dugard, Jessica Lunsford, or Sarah Lunde. Not a single national story case has ever been solved using the list. NOT ONE! I reitarate, the laws designed to protect kids has ruined hundreds of thousands of kids lives all over this country by having them register directly or having thier parents register. 90-95% of the almost 700,000 registrants arent a threat to society at all. Yet they all face the residency laws equally. States could differentiate but they dont. So hundreds of thousands of kids lives are ruined. I ask again; Where is the justice in that? A study by a California newspaper of nearly five hundred released sex offenders who legally resided near schools and day care facilities found that only one was rearrested during the one year period of the study, and that was on a charge of parole violation and not for another sexual assault.10 A Minnesota Department of Corrections study found that only two recidivist acts of child sexual assault were committed in parks on unknown victims and in those two instances the assaults occurred several miles away from the offenders’ homes. 90-95% of sex offenders as defined by law are not predators. YOU have no idea how how easy it is to get on the list. For those that think recidivism is high among sex offenders this comes straight from a Kentucky district court...Many studies have shown that relatives, friends, baby-sitters, teachers and others in positions of authority over a child are far more likely than strangers to commit sexual. Another study found that no more than 10% of child molestations are committed by strangers to the victims.6 A 2003 Department of Justice study found that only 7% of incarcerated child sex offenders in prison in 1997 were there for crimes where the victim and assailant were strangers. Additionally as defendants point out, a 1997 report from the Department of Justice indicated that only 3% of sexual assaults against children under 12 years old were perpetrated by strangers as were only 11% of sexual assaults against children 13 to 17 years old. Likewise a 2000 report from the same agency indicated that as to victims 5 years old or younger, only 3.1% of the crimes were committed by strangers and as to children age 6-11, only 4.7%. Straight from the mouth of the FBI. Play the video www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=186304"sometimes when Ive stood before you guys and talked about the stranger danger issue that comes into play we talk about that but in reality most people its gonna be either a family member or somebody known to the family not actually strangers. The average number of kids are taken or victimized by strangers is only in that 150 range a year most of the thousands of victiimizations that take place are actually by family memebers or friends of the family...."These laws protect NO ONE!! 150 out of thousands thats a pretty small percentage. Spend these millions, we spend on tracking NON dangerous people, educating kids and families how to protect themselves from the REAL dangers. These laws protect NO ONE are ineefective and do more harm than good.