People make mistakes, some pretty screwed up ones true, but people can change. If we continue to make it impossible for sex offenders to return to society then they will have nothing to lose and the most dangerous person is one who has nothing to lose.

90% of new offenses come from people that we know but who are not on the list. Due diligence for our children means that we teach them what to do to protect themselves.

There are people that need to be watched and we need to find a way to ensure that those most likely to re-offend are closely supervised while the ones that have gone years without problems be given some slack.

However, I am firm in my belief that everyone gets a second chance, but not two. If they re-offend sexually then they should get life in prison.

As a parent living less than 4 blocks from Matthews Park, I have to admit I’m a little concerned about this sex offender moving in nearby. Especially because his past crime did involve breaking in and having sexual contact with a girl.

He has now done his time and should be allowed to live where he chooses. I hope that this is behind him and that his life is in order or getting there. I’m just glad that I know that he’s in the neighborhood and that I need to be aware for the safety of my daughters.

We should keep this all in perspective though. We can assume that there are unconvicted or unregistered sex offenders in our neighborhoods already and that we should take normal precautions.

http://www.doc.state.mn.us/documents/04-07SexOffenderReport-Recidivism.pdf

Mor accurately, the level the sex offender is given depends on the offender’s liklyhood to reoffend. Upon release from prison, the sex offender has to go through some programs, talking with various therapists and law enforcement offcials, who determine, based on his behavior, acceptance to therapy, and past offenses, whether they should be a level 1,2, or 3. They don’t just pull the numbers out of thin air. If this guy already has 2 sex offenses on his record, it’s more likely the will re-offend.

An important thing to consider–sex offenses are different than other offenses. Most other offense are committed for money or gain, while sex offenses are committed due to lust or power, often uncontrollable.
In many cases, the sex offense laws are a bit off–a kid having consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend, could be forced to register for 10 years. Many of our level 1 offender have this type of incident on their sheet.
If an offender has more than one offense, including a home invasion rape, no less, everyone in the immdeidate area should be made aware of his presence. In this particular case the law is spot on.

I used to go to every single meeting alerting neighbors of the newest sex offender. They turned out to be more or less the same. Now I just look for fliers so I can see who they are.