We affirm the findings of the OPPAGA that “many studies have established that sex offenders who maintain stable employment, housing and family relationships have significantly lower recidivism rates” as well as the numerous studies which conclude that SORRs undermine successful reentry of returning citizens, while doing nothing to promote public safety.
For that reason, we make the following recommendations:
1) Legislation should be enacted that would pre-empt the patchwork of county and city SORR ordinances in favor of the State’s SORR Statute (F.S. §775.215).
2) Counties should be required to designate a homeless shelter/reentry program that is able to service the transient registrant population and focus on helping these individuals secure stable and meaningful employment, stable and affordable housing (including arrangements with family members or others when appropriate), and pro-social support systems that help them maintain a law-abiding lifestyle.
3) Legislation should be enacted to incorporate an evidence-based procedure by which registrants who have demonstrated an extended period living offense-free in the community, have successfully completed a sex-offending treatment & rehabilitation program, and have successfully completed probation, can
petition for relief and removal from registration requirements in the time periods prescribed by the federal SORNA tiers.
Florida Reentry Task Force 2020 Report
The title of this article is a bit misleading. They’re only advocating forbidding counties and cities from enacting their own, more stringent residence restrictions even as the data they affirm suggest such restrictions should be repealed altogether. They go into detail about how residence restrictions are counterproductive – steadily causing homelessness while having no benefit whatsoever – yet recommend they remain in place.
Doesn’t strike me as any kind of victory for the cause. More like giving a dog a bone to get him to ignore the big steak it came from.
What about Lauren Book?
Is that @Ron & Lauren Book coughing at the sound of this or just the wind outside? Asking for those on the FLA list…
@TS
Nah that’s the peeling out of Ron Book’s exotic car heading to his next binge drinking party. Hopefully Lauren isn’t nearby her plastic will melt.