Current state law bans sex offenders from school property during school hours. It’s a law that makes sense. Part of the debt the men and women convicted of a sexual crime owe society is giving up the right to be around children unsupervised. Yet because of language, a disagreement over language – think definition of is – those same people may be able to be around those children unsupervised.
To her credit Republican Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark is seeking to clear up the language, to close the loophole, as it were. To that end, Crockett-Stark proposed House Bill 567, which would make it illegal for a convicted, violent sex offender to be on school or day care property at any time without prior OK from the commonwealth’s attorney and the school’s administration.
The Capital News Service quoted Crockett-Stark’s legislative assistant as saying the bill looks to clear up confusion on whether school hours extend to extra-curricular activities.
The fact that such confusion had to be cleared up makes us weep. However, we are thankful Crockett-Stark took the initiative in doing so. The extended ban proposed by Crockett-Stark would allow sex offender to be on school property with permission from the commonwealth’s attorney, to take part in events such as education programs or church services held in schools.
It only makes good sense to keep sex offenders from our school yards. Our only suggestion is to take out the word “violent.” Any sexual offense is by its very nature a violent one, especially when it is committed against children.
Lawmakers should be ashamed that current state law allows for discussion of what school hours might be. In fact, regular school hours are not the scariest time. Children then tend to be more supervised. After-hours, weekends and other times are when we need the law to be clear and with no room for dueling definitions. You would think this would be simple common sense. And maybe it is, depending upon your definition of “common.”
We applaud Crockett-Stark in tackling this issue and hope that the rest of the legislators move the bill into law as quickly as possible.
Virginia has reclassified most sex offenses to call them “violent” even when there was never any sexual contact. We now have 83% of all sex offenders classified as violent. A bill in the Senate would reclassify consensual teenage sex into the “violent” category. This reclassification has resulted in the public not really knowing who is dangerous and who is not.
Since 93% (according to the Department of Justice) of all sex offenses are committed by a family member or close acquaintance, the danger more likely lies at home or with the soccer coach or teacher than with a parent or sibling of a child going on school property. Recent research consistenly find a recidivism rate of under 10% for this population. In addition, DOJ reports also cite the fact that 92% of new sex offenses are committed by people NOT ON THE REGISTRY.
So, HOW are we protecting children by banishing an entire group of people for life? In 40 years a man who had consensual sex with his underage girlfriend at age 18 is still unable to attend his children’s or grandchildren’s school activities? Wow! I certainly feel safer, now!
Many activities are held in schools and there are many other types of facilities that have day care and are thus subject to this bill. Community college classes, church services and activities, AA/NA meetings, parenting classes, workout facilities, GED classes ... the list is endless. Ms. Stark seeks to banish tens of thousands of former offenders into oblivion for a lifetime without regard for their offense or risk level in defiance of all the best research in this area.
Legislators need to use their positions to educate the public and not buy into the myths and hysteria. Sex offender management needs to be a thoughtful process geared to providing adequate supervision and restrictions to those most likely to reoffend. Shame on Ms. Stark and shame on this paper for not doing research on the topic and thus simply perpetuating the myth.
Posted by rukidding from on 02/04 at 05:22 PM
The extended ban proposed by Crockett-Stark would allow sex offender to be on school property with permission from the commonwealth’s attorney, to take part in events such as education programs or church services held in schools.
Thanks to the people who wrote about this bill. This is a point that I emphasized in my testimony. The bill still sucks, but if we can at least get them to grant permission to be those places, then we have taken a small step forward
Posted by robert from florida on 02/04 at 05:53 PM
Children deserve an education without being preyed on as sexual objects.
Posted by SaS from OHIO on 02/04 at 06:15 PM
There is a problem with these laws that need to be addressed. What about the RSOs who have children of their own? Are they not allowed to pick up their own children as well? This is another example of how versensitive we have become to sex crimes. However, when you consider the vast majority of sex crimes are committed by first time offenders (at least 86% according to the Bureau of Prisons), 40% of child victims of sex crimes are committed by other juveniles (US Dept. of Justice report on child victimization, 2000), and the fact that over 90% of sex crimes are committed by people the victim knows (US DoJ NCVS), then the question becomes what do we do about those we don’t know about? Do we take the “South Park” approach, building a wall around the city and throwing the kids out? There is no way to guarantee child safety. Sex offender laws are never about child safety, they are about retribution. Get the real facts at my website, http://www.oncefallen.com.
Posted by The Fallen One from Cincinnati on 02/07 at 12:19 PM
The poster “Fallen One” is Derek Logue, a registered sexual predator, who lives in Cincinnati. He was convicted of sexual crimes against an 11 year old girl. He was 23 at the time. He says on his website oncefallen.com that his crimes with the 11 year old were consensual. He is sick, perverted, and a danger to children..
Posted by The Fallen Fraud from on 02/26 at 07:18 PM
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