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Friday, October 19, 2007

Ind. Law - More on: Different takes on convicted sex offenders

Updating this ILB entry from yesterday, which included quotes from a story by Laura Halleman titled "Homeless man finds shelter at Courthouse," in the Madison Courier, Peggy Vlerebome of the same paper followed up the following day in a story headed: "Location restrictions make it tough for sex offenders to find places to live." Some quotes:

Prohibiting convicted sex offenders from living closer than 1,000 feet from churches, schools and parks might not be reasonable for a small town like Madison, Jefferson Superior Court Judge Fred Hoying said Wednesday. Hardly anyplace meets the criteria, he said before judges, prosecutors and legislators toured Madison Correctional Facility.

The distance limit can throw convicted sex offenders into homelessness.

"I have three who live in cars or on the Courthouse steps," Hoying said. A story about the convicted sex offender who has been living on the Courthouse porch since July was published in The Madison Courier on Wednesday.

Sex offenders, Hoying said, are being released from prison "with absolutely nowhere to go with absolutely no chance of success."

J. David Donahue, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction, who was in Madison for the tour, said the General Assembly last year authorized the prison system to place sex offenders in transitional housing. "Field agents (from DOC) are working diligently" to find housing in communities, he said.

Donahue said the distance requirement "is potentially too narrow" and said one solution might be "flexibility for local authorities to override the law."

The ultimate goal must be for the public to be safe and the freed sex offenders to be able to "transition into the community," he said.

There are 49 registered sex offenders in Jefferson County, he said. Each of the last six sessions, the General Assembly has increased the penalties for sex offenses, he said.

The Lafayette Journal & Courier' has had a long list of stories on the related question of "Do the changes to the sex offender law mean longtime homeowners must move?" Start with this ILB entry from August 19th.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 19, 2007 06:58 AM
Posted to Indiana Law