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.
“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?
Don’t want sex offenders living in Florida? Abolish the registry. There will immediately be zero sex offenders living in Florida.
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.