TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
The number of sex offenders and predators living in Florida has been rising steadily for more than a decade, according to a new report put together by legislative auditors.
The report issued late last week stated that nearly 29,000 registered sex offenders and predators now reside in the state. That’s an increase of 53 percent since 2005, when state legislators first ordered their auditors to review the state’s efforts to keep an up-to-date registry of sex offenders.
The report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability does not include any explanations for the rise.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a statewide database that tracks people who have been convicted of certain sexual offenses and have been released from prison. Judges designate certain offenders as sex “predators” if they are deemed an “extreme threat” to public safety because they have targeted children or engaged in physical violence against their victims.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/10-14-2021/t_39c8eecbe07041d1b9b9742b750785a2_name_image.jpg)
“The report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability does not include any explanations for the rise.” I guess this was the comic relief line for the dismal article. Let’s see, years ago there were basically about 6 laws that would land a person on the registry, now there are about 42. That could possibly account for the increase in registrants. That the person who commits a crime around their sexual nature is the target of scorn and derision for society, as well politicians and the media use them for scare tactics to gain viewers and voters also might be a contributing factor. And of course prosecutors know they are and easy kill, as no one will balk at excessive sentencing. But I must say I am impressed that at least they have separated them into two categories so not all people with sex offenses are labeled predators, so they are ahead of some states in that regard.
The public was sold on the registry as a necessary public safety tool, yet by bloating it with deceased registrants, incarcerated registrants, or registrants who have been removed from the the registry in the relevant state they were convicted prevents it from being anything other than the public stockade.
Why in the world are incarcerated registrants kept on a public registry? Is that intended to “protect” other inmates? Why keep the deceased on a public registry? Perhaps if we have the zombie apocalypse it is necessary to know which zombies were sex offenders?
@JW:
“Why keep the deceased on a public registry?”
—–
I remember reading the rationale of this from the Feds. It had to do with letting the victim know the whereabouts (here: in the ground) of the offender. Okay, but what about crimes where there is no victim (stings) or the victim is unaware they are a victim of this offender (CP)?
As well, how does giving the victim “peace of mind” meet the stated objectives of most (all?) RC laws? It’s simply the State getting the last laugh, its last kick in. I’ve wondered on and off if one could somehow license one’s image or incorporate oneself in a way that would give the estate power to sue, since the dead have no rights.
Are deceased offenders in Florida allowed to be buried in cemeteries that are within 2000 feet from schools or parks?
@JW:
“Are deceased offenders in Florida allowed to be buried in cemeteries that are within 2000 feet from schools or parks?”
—–
No. Ron Book digs them up and throws their remains under the Julia Tuttle Causeway (aka “Bookville”).
Don’t want sex offenders living in Florida? Abolish the registry. There will immediately be zero sex offenders living in Florida.
Yep, simple solution to a make-believe problem that the criminal regimes created. Solves the problem 100%.
For sure, most people who are listed on the Registries likely did something bad, in many cases something heinous. However, it is the responsibility of a moral government to properly punish such people. They failed. Then after they failed, they attacked the people and their families. They are no different than an invading country is when they send soldiers into peoples homes and attack them. They are simply people attacking other people. So now there must be war. I am not going to let scumbags steal my life or lower the quality of it. They will pay.
I imagine if you’re homeless and forced to live under a bridge, Florida is a far better place to live in winter than some place like North Dakota.