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| PREDATORS OR CITIZENS? November 19, 1997 |
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Questions asked
in this forum:Do we offer molesters necessary privacy or do we condemn offenders to life sentences? What are the statistics regarding effective therapy programs in keeping offenders from repeating their crimes? Is there leniency of sentences in the first instance by the criminal justice system? Why should someone who harms children not be denied the right to be out among potential victims undetected? What is an offender? And what is the purpose of the laws that make registered sex offenders addresses publicly available?
NewsHour Coverage
June 2, 1997
Should convicted sex offenders be freed after serving their sentences?
December 10, 1996
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over a Kansas man convicted of child molesting whose prison term is complete, but who the state does not want to release.
January 31, 1996:
In Washington state, there's a debate over whether sex-offenders should remain incarcerated even afterserving their sentences.
Browse the NewsHour's coverage of law.
Pine Wood Trails was once described as a quiet cul-de-sac complete with 33 children, who crowded the street and freely walked back and forth to area elementary schools. Now the neighborhood is a hostile one, where no children play unsupervised and fearful parents keep them under lock and key.
The change in the neighborhood is a result of a new resident, a young man who has been convicted of first-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation, and attempted first-degree child molestation.
Released on parole, "John" is living with his parents in Pine Wood Trials, outside Olympia, Washington. Any unsupervised interaction with a child is considered a violation of the terms of his parole, and since moving to the neighborhood in late August "John" has already been jailed for 30 days for breaking parole. Pine Wood Trails residents have repeatedly made it clear that "John's" family is unwelcome.
Because he is no longer a "clear and present danger" to the community, however, there is no legal action the neighbors can take. But, the community has openly protested their new neighbors, by posting yard-signs portraying "John's" face and listing his criminal record.
"John's" family however, is frustrated by this hostility and misunderstanding. "It is extremely important that we be available to guide and support him," "John's" family said in a statement released to the community. "It is not an option for us to turn him [John] away and require that he live elsewhere. In many aspects, that would be the most dangerous thing we could do to society. "John" would have very little chance of ever fully recovering. He has already made significant progress toward reestablishment in school and with his peers."
But who's rights are protected and who's are violated? The current laws are vague. Communities feel that registered sex offenders are a threat to their neighborhoods, and yet offenders and their families feel it is essential to rehabilitation to be able to relocate and begin a new lifestyle. The guests for this forum are Sarah Sappington and Jerome Miller. Sarah Sappington is the Assistant State Attorney General for Washington State.
Washington has been one of the first of seven states to adopt a statute aimed at chronic sex criminals. And in June 1997 the United States Supreme Court upheld the Sexually Violent Predators Law modeled after Washington's statute. The law seeks to ensure that sexual predators who are deemed a threat to the public and are in need of treatment, are not prematurely released into a free society.
Doctor Jerome Miller is the clinical director for the Augustus Institute for Forensic Services. The Augustus Institute is a clinical program that provides psychosocial evaluations and ongoing therapy to individuals involved in the juvenile and adult justice system. It also provides diagnosis and treatment for adult and juvenile sex offenders, casework, psychotherapy group work with individuals, and diagnosis and treatment for individuals involved in violent offending.
Some things to consider in this forum:How do you balance the need to protect the community with the right of privacy? What is happening in the communities that are living with registered sex offenders? What is an offender? How high are the chances that an offender will offend again? What is the purpose of the laws that make registered sex offenders addresses publicly available?
Questions answered in this forum:Do we offer molesters necessary privacy or do we condemn offenders to life sentences? What are the statistics regarding effective therapy programs in keeping offenders from repeating their crimes? Is there leniency of sentences in the first instance by the criminal justice system? Why should someone who harms children not be denied the right to be out among potential victims undetected? What is an offender? And what is the purpose of the laws that make registered sex offenders addresses publicly available?
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