Sex Offender Residency (S 2281)

This legislation responds to a federal court decision issued three years ago, striking down a state law that barred certain sex offenders from residing within 1,000 feet of a school. This legislation specifies that all sex offenders would instead be subject to a 300-foot limit that was enacted at the same time as the provision that was ruled unconstitutional. As we have argued from the beginning of efforts to impose residency restrictions, they are both ineffective and counter-productive. They are based on the flawed assumption that most sexual abuse is committed by strangers. Yet the statistics are clear: 90% or so of child sexual assaults are committed by family members, friends, or acquaintances of the victim, not by strangers who find their victims in schools or parks.

We also noted that the law has a further negative impact of making it difficult for sex offenders to reintegrate themselves into the community, and the resulting instability can have the effect of increasing, rather than decreasing, the likelihood of recidivism. It certainly can also increase their risk of homelessness, which limits the police ability to monitor locations.