State: Sex offenders not allowed in shelters during storms

[Judi Lynn]

State: Sex offenders not allowed in shelters during storms

The Associated Press
Posted August 6 2005, 6:58 PM EDT


ST. PETERSBURG -- Hundreds of sex offenders being tracked by the state won't be allowed into public hurricane shelters in Florida under a new policy, which will allow them to ride out the storms in prisons instead.

The policy was created to keep sex offenders and predators away from children in the public shelters, Robby Cunningham, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said Saturday.

Sex offenders who choose to seek safety in a prison would be kept in areas such as visitor or meeting rooms, not with inmates, Cunningham said.

``They are not incarcerated,'' Cunningham said. ``We don't want them on the streets. We don't want them violating their probation either.''
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0807sexoffenders,0,2754112.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[soothsayer]

1. Interesting policy. Those people are a real problem for society,

that's for sure. I wonder how much trouble they've had with children being molested in hurricane shelters, tho.

[murielm99]

6. They're throwing a bone to their critics.

Florida has lost so many sex offenders that they think this policy might make them look good.

[Bark Bark Bark]

2. Will They Be Allowed In Churches?

...Oh, wait, I already know the answer to that.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KittyWampus]

10. What Answer Might That Be? You Couldn't Be Any More Disrespectful?

but I suppose you think you're being funny, right?

How clever. :sarcasm:

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Equal protection clause in 14th Amendment won't help.

State has a compelling cause (protection of children) and sex offenders certainly are not a suspect class whom society has to protect their civil rights.

[No Passaran]

4. good

keep those predators out of there. at least it's not like they have nowhere to go.

[Chovexani]

23. But what if they don't?

I'm not trying to stick up for child molesters or anything (I believe in Megan's Law and similar legislation), but what if they don't have anywhere to go?

Putting people in prison, even if it's just "waiting rooms" or what not...that just really raises red flags for me. If these people paid their debt to society they should be allowed in a shelter...even if it's a shelter just for sex offenders. But prison?

I don't really know what the answer is, but the issue is troubling. Everyone, even the lowest scum of society should be able to have shelter from a storm.

[WestMichRad]

7. Who will be checking?

Just think - a hurricane is coming, people (many needing assistance) flooding into shelters, volunteers and law enforcement and others stretched thin to help those who really need it....

"Sorry, you guys can't help folks, we need staff to check IDs to make sure we don't let in any sex offenders."

They've got to be kidding. This is just for show - I hope. What baloney!

Peace.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. Law enforcement is at shelters

That is a higher priority then anti-looting or traffic control.

The reasons are:

1. Tempers are frayed in shelters (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptists - who run the shelters - put MSW social worker volunteers in the shelters - but that is not enough).

2. Drugs and alcohol - not permitted in shelters - but the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptists volunteers are not cops.

3. People show up to "settle scores" -- and gangs are a problem.

I have been an ARC Shelter Manager -- and we always had cops.

[Judi Lynn]

9. I have NEVER thought of the third point yet. Now it seems inevitable!

It would be unbearable for people seeking refuge from one kind of storm to find another storm of the human variety INSIDE the very place you were trying to find shelter. Unbelievable.

I can definitely see a reason for stern authorities making an appearance there now.

Thanks for your information.

[ncanadianlee]

11. Offenders

I actually agree with the policy. The people there are all ready traumitized and could be easily victimized by predator

[Endangered Specie]

12. So what?

its not like they deserve anything

[Dogmudgeon]

13. Gotta love those Liberals

So much compassion.

Have you ever been in a shelter? There's no privacy. You can't even pee without a dozen people knowing it. People get miserable, smelly from the lack of shower facilities, and antsy. And there's plenty of cops around, most of them in the same condition, too.

What comes next? No drug users in shelters?

No alcoholics?

No tax cheats?

No atheists?

Our current, Fox-fueled National Pedo Frenzy is driving us insane.

--p!

[carpe diem]

14. liberals have kids too!...

...better safe than sorry!! IMHO

[Dogmudgeon]

16. Better lock up all of the potential threats, then ...

Gays, hippies, bikers, German artists, punk rockers, Wiccans, black folks ... you get the idea.

Child molesters typically have a very narrow range of conditions under which they molest children. It is part of their sickness, and mental sicknesses tend to be fickle. While most pedophiles should be in custody or under the control of the legal system at all times, bunking in a shelter is not likely to pose any kind of risk. Plus, the level of direct supervision is higher than anywhere outside of a prison itself.

Placing all of our anger and hatred onto pedophiles because it's socially acceptable doesn't cut it. Undirected, emotionally-dramatic catharsis simply increases the rage. Do we really want pedophiles driving our emotional responses to that degree?

--p!

[Ambrose]

19. Hippies aren't criminals...

Keep sex offenders away from our children. Want to solve the whole problem with sex offenders? Either cut it off or keep them locked up for good.

I'm liberal but I don't support liberties for anyone who would harm a child.

[patcox2]

17. Pedophiles have one of the lowest recidivism rates.

You'd think liberals would base policy decisions on science and unbiased information, and not bow to the popular hysterias (and a tinge of victorian prudish morality, as well).

[Ambrose]

21. Prudish morality?

Sorry, child molesters can't be considered "moral" in any context that a reasonable person would accept.

[patcox2]

25. No, they cannot.

But its the extra-special horror that some people reserve for sex crimes that is a vestige, hell, more than a vestige, an appendage, of a victorian sensibility that underneath it all views all sex as evil, and thus a "sex crime" is doubly evil.

It is this horrow and hubbub and hysteria about sex crimes against young offenders which has led to the well-documened phenomenon that the reaction of relatives and authorities is often more traumatic and scarring to the victim than the offense was.

Thats not a defense of sex offenders.

[Ambrose]

27. I don't associate 'sex offenders' with sex...

it is acts of violence and has nothing to do with sexual inhibitions. And when it comes to any crime against children I get red-hot with anger. I have two small children and the idea that someone could harm a child is repugnant.

[Elidor]

15. Now that's cold

Stay outside and die. What a policy. And there are plenty who will cheer their deaths, should it come to that.

[Mizmoon]

18. Tattoo thier faces with a big scarlet "P" for "pedaphile"

then they can never harm anyone again. Or maybe we should just brand their faces with a hot branding iron - that would cause more suffering. :sarcasm:

I wouldn't cross the street to spit on a burning pedaphile, but some of this stuff people want to do to them is crazy. Either they serve their sentences and get another chance to live in the world, or we lock them up for life. We've got to make up our minds.

[Ambrose]

22. I vote for "Lock them up for life" n/t

[Chovexani]

24. I agree

Pedophiles are the lowest scum on earth as far as I'm concerned, but we sorely need to treat this issue with some rationality IMO.

I guess I'm just uncomfortable with rule by the mob no matter what the issue is.

[Coventina]

20. Once again..."sex offender" does NOT equal "child molester"

While all child molesters are sex offenders, not all sex offenders are child molesters.

So, if someone's sex offense was that he took a leak in public while drunk once, he's banned from hurricane shelters for life?

on edit: on a more careful re-read of the article, this policy is only applicable to sex offenders that are not allowed near children.
That makes it a little less despicable.

[Chovexani]

26. That's something else to think about

What about people like Marcus Dixon? Or the George Michaels of the woeld, if you get my drift.

That seems pretty harsh.