Jessica's Law means sex offenders roam streets (because they can't live in their homes)

[Liberal_in_LA]

Taylor, who must wear a tracking device on his ankle at all times, is one of 2,300 registered sex offenders who are homeless in California because of Proposition 83, or Jessica's Law.

Earl Taylor, a 48-year-old registered sex offender, often sleeps in the back of his vehicle in Fairfield. He cannot live with his wife because their home is within 2,000 feet of a school.


Jessica's Law means sex offenders roam streets
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Sunday, April 4, 2010



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a recent Monday evening, two state parole agents drove through a tranquil Fairfield neighborhood, one of them checking a green triangle on the screen of an open laptop that pointed to a single-family home.

Agents Donovan Lewis and Ricardo Bautista knew from the signal that in this house they would find Earl Taylor, a 48-year-old registered sex offender with an ankle bracelet equipped with the Global Positioning System. Their check was routine and quick: The former Navy accountant and U.S. Postal Service supervisor, convicted of raping a teenage girl, sat quietly at the dining room table with his wife as the agents searched his home.

Not long after the agents left, Taylor left too. He drove a vehicle about a half a mile from his house, parked it on the street in an industrial area, crawled into the back and went to sleep, just as he does every night.

As a registered sex offender, Taylor cannot legally live at his home because it's near a school. He's one of 2,300 registered sex offenders in California who are homeless as a result of Proposition 83. The number has steadily increased since voters overwhelmingly passed the 2006 initiative.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/04/MNUF1CI0KN.DTL#ixzz0kLkpAKIc

[rcrush]

1. That seems stupid

Enforce a law that forces sexual predators to literally roam the street 24/7

[LiberalFighter]

3. They allow them to roam the streets instead of having them stay at home.

At least they could restrict them to their home during non-working hours. And trigger an alarm when they attempt to leave the home unauthorized.

The problem with to many legislation is that it is passed as a result of too much emotion.

[rcrush]

4. Yeah but that makes too much sense.

[47of74]

6. We had that problem up here in Iowa

Had all that dumb f--k chest thumping up here in Iowa and a legislature that was too chickenshit to do anything about it. Plus every tin pot idiot city council in the state were falling over each other to make ordinances that were even tougher than the state law. It still royally pisses me off that Iowa's city dwellers too often consider the county a dumping ground for their problems.

[ck4829]

2. Couldn't a group home not only make sure they're off the streets, but also keep an eye on them?

Somebody should have thought of that before passing this law.

Them being homeless means more money has to be spent to keep track of them.

[RC]

21. That also makes too much sense.

But no one want a group home in their neighborhood.

[demosincebirth]

5. We shoot ourselves in the foot again

[DainBramaged]

7. After paying the price deemed sufficient by society and their peers

SURPRISE, they are then punished for life. Murderers get parole and don't wear tracking bracelets.

You might as well execute them...........

[proteus_lives]

10. There's an idea.

[NM_hemilover]

20. +1

[TwilightGardener]

19. Part of the problem, though, is that offenders re-offend, especially if they have pedophilic urges

that can't be treated or controlled. They really just shouldn't be near children, and it's hard to assure that that doesn't happen. I wouldn't honestly care if a murderer had to wear a tracking device, as well. I do have a hard time mustering sympathy for convicted violent offenders of any stripe.

[DainBramaged]

22. I understand that completely, but what about the cases of teenage sex

underage consensual sex, people who don't have pedophilia urges but are covered and treated the same as degenerates. Should they too be pariahs all of their lives???


I have a very hard time understanding how people can abhor the death penalty, but allow a lifetime of punishment for people who have PAID their debt to society....

[KamaAina]

8. Try and find ANYPLACE in an urban area that isn't within 2,000 feet of a school

I dare you. I double dog dare you.

[brendan120678]

9. Some states have a more strict standard...

(and I'm pretty sure California's is like this) that says sex offenders cannot be within 2,000 feet of a school, daycare, bus stop, park, or any other venue where children may congregate. Try quantifying that one (..."where children may congregate").

[KamaAina]

15. Any mall, any convenience store...

...pretty soon, these people will be living in the woods.

Oh, wait, that's already happened, in Georgia. :eyes:

[proteus_lives]

11. Here's an idea. Lock them all up for life.

No fuss, no muss.

[Odin2005]

12. +1

[undergroundpanther]

14. Who wants to babysit sex offenders?

I would rather see them dead. That way no one has to pay to take care of them,o no corporation can exploit them,no one has to babysit them,they can't escape,they won't be tortured by prison isolation and they can't hurt anyone again.

[proteus_lives]

17. I would prefer them dead too.

But I see the locked up for life plan getting less resistance.

[Dappleganger]

13. Trying to muster up some sympathy for someone who raped a teenage girl.

Not getting any, sorry.

[proteus_lives]

16. +1

I can muster up a kick to the balls for them but sympathy? Nah, that's asking too much.

[NM_hemilover]

18. I have a better solution for rapists without homes.

a bullet behind the ear problem solved.