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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Ind. Law - "At least the police know where these sex offenders live"

That was the headline to this editorial on Jan. 11, 2012 in the Evansville Courier & Press, a response to this earlier editorial and story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. From the C&P:

In the aftermath of the horrid murder of a 9-year-old girl who lived in a Fort Wayne, Ind., mobile home park that housed numerous registered sex offenders, the Courier & Press reported Sunday that a motel here is housing 24 sex offenders, including six who were recently paroled.

The Fort Wayne case shocked Hoosiers last month, although it should be pointed out that the accused there was not a sex offender. Still, the case opened eyes to the fact that state laws and parole rules have left sex offenders with few places to live, once they are released from prison. As such, the Evansville situation, which has offenders living at the Woodcreek Inn & Suites on U.S. 41 North may be the best option for a bad situation. Parole officers call the motel a solution of last resort.

An AP story on the Evansville situation is headed "Some Indiana motels become havens for sex offenders." A quote:
EVANSVILLE, IND. — Parole officers are turning to motels as places to house convicted sex offenders whom state residency restrictions leave with nowhere else to go after they are released from prison.

Twenty-four sex offenders live at the Woodcreek Inn & Suites in the Ohio River city, according to the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry. The Evansville Courier & Press reports that the Evansville Parole Office pays the rent for six of the offenders who have agreed to repay the money. It’s one of 15 such deals statewide, all but two involving motels.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 15, 2012 12:32 PM
Posted to Indiana Law