A case of NIMBY

dazed-and-confused · #1 (**permalink**) 08-03-2009, 10:46 PM

I was talking with a few people recently in another thread and the subject of released felons from prison came up. Most of the opinions expressed were, Not In My Back Yard, meaning that they were not welcome near those that stated that opinion. So I want to ask everyone, just what should be done with released felons? Should they be totally segregated somehow? Is that even legal or possible? Should they be kept close in order to observe them and be sure they are not re-offending? Clearly, we can't execute them, but nobody seems to want felons anywhere near them.So, what should be done?

dazed-and-confused · #2 (**permalink**) 08-03-2009, 10:48 PM

not sure why this came up in cultures instead of gen. discussion....my bad.

Jbs2763 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-03-2009, 11:22 PM

send them to france

Loudmouth_Mormon · #4 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 09:42 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as things stand now, a released felon (assuming no conditions of parole) is free to move about the country and live wherever they wish, right? And there usually isn't someone publishing their whereabouts, right?

Exception - just about everybody nowadays has a sex offender registry database. Some communities actively notify residents when one moves in (or wants to).

LM

FunkyTown · #5 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loudmouth_Mormon

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as things stand now, a released felon (assuming no conditions of parole) is free to move about the country and live wherever they wish, right? And there usually isn't someone publishing their whereabouts, right?

Exception - just about everybody nowadays has a sex offender registry database. Some communities actively notify residents when one moves in (or wants to).

LM

That's a tough call. I've heard sex offenders are some of the highest in terms of likelihood to reoffend, which is why they created that database. Truth is, I've never seen statistics.

Then again, I worry that the database will find some 18 year old kid who wasn't thinking and had sex with their 17 year old girlfriend and ended up being unwelcome anywhere in the country afterwards. I don't know what the answer is. It's a shame.

Dravin · #6 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkyTown

Then again, I worry that the database will find some 18 year old kid who wasn't thinking and had sex with their 17 year old girlfriend and ended up being unwelcome anywhere in the country afterwards. I don't know what the answer is. It's a shame.

In your specific example the 18 year old is safe (in Utah), if I'm reading the stuff for Utah correctly, he'd need to be 10 or more years older than the girl to get himself on the list.

People do get put on the list and are assumed pedophiles though such isn't necessarily the case. Kinda reminds me of an episode of Without A Trace, some guy's daughter went missing and some other guy in the neighborhood stood on the street outside his house announcing about the registered sex offender living down the street, Dad of course sees the sex offender walking his dog and attacks him demanding to know what he did with his daughter, Feds pull him off and inform him the guy is on the list for rape of an adult. Still not a nice man, but not a pedophile.

Its actually kind interesting to look at what can get you on the list here in Utah: Utah Department of Corrections--SONAR - Sex Offender Notification and Registration, most of it applies to children but not all of it, interestingly enough Lewdness requires 4 convictions to get you listed, so no getting put on the list because you do a drive by mooning and some Dad/Mom with their kid catches your plates (at least not until you do it 3 more times). Being a peeping tom only takes one go though.

dazed-and-confused · #7 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkyTown

That's a tough call. I've heard sex offenders are some of the highest in terms of likelihood to reoffend, which is why they created that database. Truth is, I've never seen statistics.

Then again, I worry that the database will find some 18 year old kid who wasn't thinking and had sex with their 17 year old girlfriend and ended up being unwelcome anywhere in the country afterwards. I don't know what the answer is. It's a shame.

As i recall, FT, i DO remember hearing some such thing on the news, where a teenager was, in fact, listed as a SO (sex offender) for having a younger girl-friend, by perhaps a couple of years. Not in utah, i guess. The family of BOTH parties involved were going to appeal.
As for pedophiles, of course, their whereabouts is important to know, as FT mentioned, SO's have the highest rate of re-offending. And this was something that struck me during my original conversation, do i want a pedophile totally removed from my area, or do i eant to know where he/she is in order to better watch out for dangers. Don't forget, when someone does get arrested, it most likely isn't the first time such an incident took place, they just hadn't been caught yet.
however, i don't want this to be simply about SO's, but every type of felon.
Thanks for your responses so far, good stuff.

rameumptom · #8 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:21 PM

Given that I get furloughed every weekend from the local prison I work at as a counselor, let me give my 2 cents....

97% of all inmates will end up released. Most of them are not sex offenders, and so can easily move in next door to us. Get used to that idea. If we do not want prisons around our homes, we need to pay to have them elsewhere or find other forms of legalized punishment.

Sex offender lists all depend upon the state. Some states, like Indiana, are so strict right now that a 19 year old can go to jail for sex with his 16 year old girlfriend, and be labeled a sex offender for life. Someone who exposes himself in public is also labeled a sex offender for life. Such is extremely harsh, and I hope Indiana will soon get some common sense rules in place - hopefully to reduce the number of years most people stay on the registry. The statistics show that rapists and child molesters tend to reoffend. But we're finding that many others are now finding themselves on the registry, because of public backlash to molestation.

The best thing we can do is to embrace these incarcerated men and women (and youth), and help them to reintegrate back into the community. You want to keep them from reoffending? Good, then help give them a worthwhile life and reason to be a good citizen. Pay for substance abuse classes with your taxes (in Indiana the recidivism for drug users drops by half for those who attend classes in prison). Teach them a skill. Offer them a job, so they don't have to go back to stealing. Volunteer at the local prison to mentor, teach literacy, or teach them how to relate with others.

Our prisons are overloaded because parents for the past 50 years have neglected teaching their kids. Now in the third generation of delinquents, we need to step up and take them in, or slowly watch the prison population grow out of control, and our taxes and safety grow with them.

Loudmouth_Mormon · #9 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:26 PM

Sorry, icky jail people make me uncomfortable.

LM

(Actually, in total agreement with Ram, and will be heading to Utah for a parole hearing next year to see if there's anything we can do.)

Jbs2763 · #10 (**permalink**) 08-04-2009, 01:42 PM

as far as i know the baby rapers are the only ones that have to let you know when they move next door, and like ram said, here in indiana the "misconduct with a minor" as it is called, is a 10 yr registry, but they are too lax on some folk even... someone i know personaly who had a 10 yr "relationship" with his son...got out of prison 10 yrs early, and only had to register for 10...

IMHO the baby rapers....child molesters, rapists, etc.....why bother...string them up in front of the courthouse..let them dangle for a few weeks