NO PLACE TO CALL HOME

The dilemma of where to allow a Bucksport sex offender to live is a cautionary tale as the public and many lawmakers push for more restrictions on these criminals.

Travis White, who was convicted of sexually abusing young boys and spent six years in jail, wants to move back into his parents’ house. His probation officer and the Hancock County district attorney oppose this because they believe Mr. White’s parents have denied his crimes, which contributes to a bad environment for him.

As the search for housing for him drags on, Mr. White has spent significant time at a homeless shelter. This is counterproductive.

Studies in several states have found that offenders with a system of supervision and support and jobs are less likely to commit future crimes. That supervision and support often comes from family and close friends. It is unlikely to be found in a homeless shelter.

In Iowa, county prosecutors were so concerned that a new law restricting where sex offenders could live was forcing these people underground that they called for repeal of the law. Six months after passage of the law, the number of sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown had nearly tripled across the state. Many became homeless. Ultimately, the Iowa law was modified to assess offenders’ risk with restrictions applied only to those who posed a threat to children in public places.

In Maine, the state briefly paid $1,000 a month to rent a recreational vehicle for a sex offender and his wife after several York County towns fought to keep him out of their communities.

Increasingly, towns are considering – and some are approving – ordinances that bar offenders from areas around schools, day-care centers, parks, playgrounds and libraries. There have also been proposals to enact such restrictions statewide.

Such rules lead to a false sense of security, while driving offenders to areas where there are fewer services and job opportunities or they go underground.

The push for such restrictions is also based on faulty assumptions. According to the Department of Justice, 93 percent of child sexual abuse victims knew their abusers, with most crimes happening in the home of the child, a relative, a neighbor or a friend. A department study found that of sex offenders released from prison in 1994, only 5.3 percent were arrested for another sex crime within three years, while 68 percent of non-sex offenders were re-arrested for another felony or serious misdemeanor during the same time.

The White case highlights a real problem – finding a suitable home for someone who has committed a horrible crime but who has served his time in jail and must now re-enter a community, somewhere. Assuring such offenders can live where they get the supervision and treatment they need should be a common goal.