Sex offender release notification blues

[Stac3y]

I found out very recently that a sex offender who is considered "risk level high" has moved into the neighborhood near my office. This is a guy who was imprisoned for 2 years for attempted rape of an adult woman and is out on parole. To make matters worse, he's 6'4" and 270 lbs.

I have 2 blind employees and one very frail woman with a congenital physical disability. One of these women must take her guide dog out for potty breaks throughout the day. We've been advised on how to be cautious, to use the buddy system, etc.; but I'm still really worried about this--some of the staff here would be defenseless against a 9 year old kid, much less a giant rapist.

I'm not really looking for advice, I guess; just venting. <sigh> Where the h-e-double hockey sticks do these guys come from? Why would anyone even WANT to hurt other people this way? I'm not a Pollyanna; I know the bad guys are out there; I just can't understand the mindset. Makes me sad.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Do what you can to protect them Stac3y. Packing heat, neighborhood watch, escort, warning the women, etc...

We have those kind of people let into the community to here in Texas. Granted our prisons do keep them for a rather long time compared to other states but...

We have some sex offenders that were just 16 year old boys that messed around with 15 year old girls (and I don't consider that the same as a rapist at all), but there are hard core ones that I'd love to see locked up for life, real life sentences where the only way you get out of prison is a pine box.

I'm a firm believer in prison for those you just cannot rehabilitate.

Deaf

 

[Taurusmerda]

Sex offenders shouldn't be released by anything other than a HALO team, but without any gear.

 

[Omar B]

They are people too and did their time. Practice caution as always.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Sex offenders shouldn't be released by anything other than a HALO team, but without any gear.

That's the easy answer.

In Detroit, we had a guy working here who was a 'registered sex offender'. He obeyed the registration laws, he could not get work because of it, etc. Worked as an independent contractor, very poor, just got by.

Couple of wacked-out neighborhood kids decided it would be cool to kill someone, they wanted to know what it felt like to kill somebody. They picked him because he was a sex offender and he had it coming. They lured him to one of their grandmother's house on pretext of offering contracting work, killed him, cut his head off. The body was eventually found, the head never was.

The reason the guy was a registered sex offender?

He had sex with his 15 year old girlfriend when he was 18. Her parents insisted on bringing charges. He plead to it, received probation, and for the next 15 years, lived the life of a hermit with no social life and no job and very little money. Then some kids cut his head off.

The punishment seems a little rough to me.

But you would push him out of an airplane. So I guess you'd think it was fine that these kids did society a favor by cutting off his head.

The laws on registering sex offenders are designed to protect society from predators that often do not change and re-offend. I get that.

However, the term 'sex offender' is a catch-all. It makes everyone convicted of every form of offense that involves sex into a 'predator'.

In Georgia, the registered sex offenders are being forced by the government go live in the woods.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5im4LSiwwF7efOlP5alVJz2l3gWrwD9B0JBPO2

In Florida, they're making them live under bridges.

And that somehow protects society?

 

[Taurusmerda]

Bill, those kids were idiots, and should get the same back.

While there are a number of ******** cases like the one you mention, I highly doubt that if the person was someone like say Jeffery Dahmer, Karla Homolka, or Patrick Kennedy that you'd feel the same way. Then again, if you do, feel free to let them move in above you.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Bill, those kids were idiots, and should get the same back.

While there are a number of ******** cases like the one you mention, I highly doubt that if the person was someone like say Jeffery Dahmer, Karla Homolka, or Patrick Kennedy that you'd feel the same way. Then again, if you do, feel free to let them move in above you.

Anybody who has ever paid for a hooker is a sex offender. I'm not overly concerned that they are going to rape a neighbor girl. The Dahmer's et al, are familiar names because they are rare, not because they are common.

Tell me why a guy who has sex with a hooker should have to go live under a bridge by order of the state, or be thrown from a plane? You might not want them living next to you, but where do you draw the line?

Hookers? Statutory rape? Actual rape? Incest? Possession of kiddy porn? A guy who got caught sneaking onto a nude beach with a camera and a telephoto lens? There are all kinds of sex crimes and all kinds of sex offenders. Some represent a threat to society, some do not.

Which is why I said your response was the 'easy answer'. I think it's a little more complex than that.

 

[Flea]

I feel you, Stace3y.

I wish I could offer some helpful advice. Just go with the buddy system, I guess. Maybe install some extra lights around the building, or security cameras.

He may be considered High Risk, but I don't know how they make those determinations. It's quite possible that he's determined to turn his life around and find a better path. Caution is always smart, but the situation might not be as dire as you think. Who can say.

 

[punisher73]

Anybody who has ever paid for a hooker is a sex offender. I'm not overly concerned that they are going to rape a neighbor girl. The Dahmer's et al, are familiar names because they are rare, not because they are common.

Tell me why a guy who has sex with a hooker should have to go live under a bridge by order of the state, or be thrown from a plane? You might not want them living next to you, but where do you draw the line?

Hookers? Statutory rape? Actual rape? Incest? Possession of kiddy porn? A guy who got caught sneaking onto a nude beach with a camera and a telephoto lens? There are all kinds of sex crimes and all kinds of sex offenders. Some represent a threat to society, some do not.

Which is why I said your response was the 'easy answer'. I think it's a little more complex than that.

I agree with Bill on this one. If it is a child molester, then "yes" society would be better served by public execution (not vigilante though). But, there are MANY cases like the one that Bill cited where someone is listed as a "sex offender" and did nothing more than MANY young men have done in their lives. There is some legislation in some states dubbed the "Romeo and Juliet" laws for high school sweethearts who have sex so it doesn't ruin their lives.

We had a local case where a 17 yr old kid had sex with his 15 yr old girlfriend. He got her pregnant. BOTH sets of parents were supportive of his efforts to stay with her and be an active participant in paying for and raising his child. The Prosecutor did not accept that no one wanted charges pressed and carried forward and had this young man convicted and now he is a "sex offender" and his charge would be listed as Criminal Sexual Conduct (more commonly known as "rape"). BTW in Michigan, the age of consent is 16 years old and not 18 like many states.

Another time, a 17 year old kid was running around outside his girlfriends house with his boxers on and a rose in his mouth. It was about 2 in the morning and someone called it in to the police. They charged him with indecent exposure because when they got there, the fly front was open. Same thing, if convicted of that he is now on the sex offenders list. Would that REALLY protect the community?

Also, let's say the age of consent in the state is 18. You have an 18 yr old girl have sex with her 16 year old boyfriend, do you think that she would be prosecuted? Nope, probably not. Yet, there are tons of cases where when it's an older boy he is prosecuted and labeled.

 

[fangjian]

Sex offenders shouldn't be released by anything other than a HALO team, but without any gear.

We can call it HANO

 

[punisher73]

I found out very recently that a sex offender who is considered "risk level high" has moved into the neighborhood near my office. This is a guy who was imprisoned for 2 years for attempted rape of an adult woman and is out on parole. To make matters worse, he's 6'4" and 270 lbs.

I have 2 blind employees and one very frail woman with a congenital physical disability. One of these women must take her guide dog out for potty breaks throughout the day. We've been advised on how to be cautious, to use the buddy system, etc.; but I'm still really worried about this--some of the staff here would be defenseless against a 9 year old kid, much less a giant rapist.

I'm not really looking for advice, I guess; just venting. <sigh> Where the h-e-double hockey sticks do these guys come from? Why would anyone even WANT to hurt other people this way? I'm not a Pollyanna; I know the bad guys are out there; I just can't understand the mindset. Makes me sad.

That sucks, I would not someone like that moving in by where I worked/lived. I just had a co-worker have a guy move in a couple houses down that just got out of prison for having sex with sheep!

As far as self-defense, remember that it is "totality of circumstances". Having prior knowledge of criminal history/violence along with size difference allows you to do more to protect yourself if caught in a situation.

 

[grydth]

I found out very recently that a sex offender who is considered "risk level high" has moved into the neighborhood near my office. This is a guy who was imprisoned for 2 years for attempted rape of an adult woman and is out on parole. To make matters worse, he's 6'4" and 270 lbs.

I have 2 blind employees and one very frail woman with a congenital physical disability. One of these women must take her guide dog out for potty breaks throughout the day. We've been advised on how to be cautious, to use the buddy system, etc.; but I'm still really worried about this--some of the staff here would be defenseless against a 9 year old kid, much less a giant rapist.

I'm not really looking for advice, I guess; just venting. <sigh> Where the h-e-double hockey sticks do these guys come from? Why would anyone even WANT to hurt other people this way? I'm not a Pollyanna; I know the bad guys are out there; I just can't understand the mindset. Makes me sad.

Stacy - You are right to be concerned..... if he's the highest level offender, and the original crime was a felony against an adult female, this guy is indeed dangerous. You do have some things in your favor, though.....

One is the dog. Criminals hate facing down dogs because they don't know how the animals will react.... while some supposed guard dogs will run and hide, other times a usually placid animal will go wild when it and its owner are attacked. Plus, its much more difficult to subdue and silence a dog and an owner than either one alone.

Similarly, a group of you is harder to subdue.... and he doesn't know what your workers' limitations are...

Third, this is a known menace (always keep in mind there may be any number of dangerous folks around who are on nobody's records - act accordingly) It may not take much at all to send this monster back on a parole violation to serve the balance of his sentence. Any hint of trouble from this guy - call the parole officer.

 

[grydth]

There should be no parole for violent felons. Period.

Civil confinement options should be seriously considered before any Level 3 sex offender is let back on the streets.

The individual in question most certainly did not do his time... and that's the problem. We all have the rights to our own opinions, but I would have to disagree with any notion that 2 years is sufficient time for an attempted rape.

I don't agree with the lynching of them, but I can understand why people feel that way. This is another stark example of the government failing to protect the people.

 

[jks9199]

The thing about parole and violent felons is that murder has one of the lowest recidivism rates, for lots of reasons. (And is changing a little...)

I'm not a fan of early parole, or of prisons making deals with prisoners to get them to behave (like giving them TVs or letting them line up to watch the parade of criminal biker gangs go by -- which happens) -- but I'm also not a fan of "lock someone away forever and ever." What'd they do? What have they done to make themselves more fit for the world outside prison while doing their time? Monitor them closely, and hold them accountable... Not the idiocy of lock him up for a few days until a judge reinstates parole.

With regard to sex offenders... They don't rehabilitate -- but you also have to realize who is on the list, and why. The case at hand? The guy is likely to be a problem. Awareness is a great first step. Making appropriate and reasonable environmental changes (like lights, maybe a passcard or Simplex-type keypad to get in, etc), arranging for security escort service if necessary, and so on are about all you can do since you can't control where the guy lives. Make sure everyone knows how to contact the police, too... It's amazing how many people don't know this.

 

[Phoenix44]

How does knowing there's a paroled sex offender in your town make your situation worse? Before you got this notice, were you not concerned that your town may have had robbers, murderers, rapists and other bad guys who were not identified to you? Did you walk alone at night in dark alleys and leave your door unlocked?

Probably not.

I live in a fairly high density, low crime rate community, and there are a few registered sex offenders in town. It hasn't changed anything, and to the best of my knowledge, they haven't been re-arrested. Just take your usual reasonable precautions.

 

[Stac3y]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I agree that there are some really stupid reasons for people being designated as sex offenders--it's ridiculous to lock up a 17 year old for having consensual sex with a 15 year old (unless you're the parents of one of them and are locking them in your house!)

Deaf, I am in Texas, too. I'm very thankful for the detailed, searchable sex offender database we have here--it allows citizens to make good judgements re: safety. This guy in my office's neighborhood is clearly a serious BG, judging by the info on him.

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[K831]

Looks like we can all agree the crux of the issue is the definition of a "sex offender".

I agree with those who pointed out that an 18 year old who slept with a 16 year old shouldn't be thrown from a plane (assuming of course the only indiscretion was the age difference, and sex was otherwise consensual/non manipulated). However, I do not hold the same degree of compassion on anyone who abuses children or women in anyway.

My understanding is that sex offender registry's give an explanation as to the offense. At least those I have seen.

I certainly believe in second chances, restitution, repentance, change etc... but unfortunately, in these situations we are being asked to "give them a chance" at the risk of our loved ones. A risk that unfortunately has proven to be high, as rehabilitation of sex offenders is very rare.

We had a "rehabilitated" sex offender released into a small town I lived in. He went to his classes and therapy every week. He was humble, apologetic and understanding as to why people were uncomfortable with him. It wan't more than a couple of years before he was caught bringing junior high age kids over to watch porn and get high. That got him looked at closer, and it turned out he had molested 2 young neighborhood kids. All while being nice and apologetic.

While throwing this "rapist" out of a plane is likely not possible, it is amazing what a couple of crack heads will do for an 8 ball. Let the wicked destroy the wicked, I say.

 

[The Last Legionary]

I like the catch and release idea for the major offenders.
After all, we can't keep electing them into office can we?

 

[arnisador]

while throwing this "rapist" out of a plane is likely not possible, it is amazing what a couple of crack heads will do for an 8 ball. Let the wicked destroy the wicked, i say.

"whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster."
- nietzsche

nc.

 

[K831]

Arnisador,

It's an interesting endeavor, isn't it?
The first time I read Machiavelli I realized that from an objective, unfeeling point of view, he was completely correct. While I didn't agree with his overall philosophy, he presents an interesting conundrum.