(10-05-2011, 05:37 PM)PonderThis Wrote: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northw...losin.html
Excerpt: "A nonprofit Salem ministerial group that provided housing for sex offenders is closing its last transitional home for felons.
Stepping Out Ministries says it can't afford to keep operating the 35-bed home because ex-convicts have been finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs and pay the $300 monthly rent.
The Statesman Journal reports that some residents are moving in with friends or relatives or taking refuge at the Union Gospel Mission.
The Oregon Department of Corrections says there's a severe shortage of housing for the more than 400 inmates who are released each month from the state prison system."
Sorry but the knee jerk reaction and legislation against Sex Offenders has gotten out of control. I know, I know. Most people feel like Sex offenders get what they deserves. But it's not realistic. Very few "Sex offenders" are truly predatorial or even perverse. There are lots of crimes that fall under the rulings of Sex offense. Thre's sexual assault, rape in lst, 2nd and 3rd degrees. 3rd degree is the lowest, least violent, assaultivie or provoked incident. It could be
consensual sex between a 18 year old and a l5 year old. (trust me, an 18th birthday, does not magically create good judgement skills) It could be indecent exposure done not in a perverse way but in a exhibitionist way such as 'streaking' or a party incidenct. Not all 'rape' is sex by force or intimdation.
A lot of it is just young, young, making huge mistakes because they didn't check id's.
Then there are predatorial, perverse, and violent offenders. They, obviously need to be kept in prison. Period.
The problem comes in that
all sex offenders have to registrt.
For the younger, less egregious crimes it's not so simple. Even if it was a one time offense from a young age, they can't get that label removed. People won't rent to them, hire them, allow them to live near schools or families. They have to have a adress to report to their parole officers. But no one will rent to them. They have no where to go, and no where to work. Hard to improve or repatriate even if you want to. It's a catch 22 for those types. And yay! Their P.O's tell them they MUST stay and register as their home the mission. Lovely. House t hem with the experienced hooligans and crooks, and perverts. A few hundred yards from the junior high. (nice for the predatorial ones). A walking route to the elementary school. I talked to one offender who really wanted to straighten his life out but couldn't move on. The P.O. had no suggestions. There are a few 'sex offender' houses here in town. They charge. It's not the charge that bothers me, but where can tthe parolees get work to pay the fee. It perpetuates an underground, illegal lifestyle out of hopelessness. Why bother? What's the point? They can't improve, can't get away. So, no bitching about these wandering SO parolees. This is the system people wanted. They got it.
They've been let out of prison but there is no intra structure for them. Might as well set up a tent at Bear creek. hang out at the school with a bag of skittles and a puppy and take them off to 'home' till they are finished with them. Why not
? there's nothing else that demotivates the act.
I know my view is not popular, but popular or not, like it or not, guess what, with this as the system as it is, then this is what it is.
