Source: news.yahoo.com 6/22/22
OSHKOSH – The Winnebago County Board passed a resolution Tuesday night to spend just over $1 million to build a housing facility for certain violent sex offenders that state law requires the county to house.
Multiple single-resident housing units would be built on county property near County Y to house recently released offenders.
In 2018, then-Gov. Scott Walker signed a law shifting the responsibility to counties to provide housing or suitable housing to purchase for certain sex offenders who committed a sexually violent offense. Previously, it was the state’s responsibility.
The locations where released offenders can be placed face strict parameters. For example, they must be at least 1,500 feet from a school, child care facility, public park, house of worship or youth center.
Winnebago County has had trouble finding them housing in the limited time the law allows. If a suitable place for housing can’t be found within 120 days, the county can be fined up to $1,100 per day.
I do NOT agree with isolated housing for people with sex offenses.
However, until we can all enjoy the same geographical liberties as other felon and non-felon americans I do believe this is a good move to give them a place to live instead of being left on the streets, or pushed out of the cities and counties by geographical stipulations.
All States should take responsibly for the geographical laws they enforce by finding safe housing for people with sex offenses instead of trying to force them into homelessness and destitution.
We all pray and hope for the day when there will be NO geographical boundaries for anyone.
My backyard! Instead of repealing the law for 1,500 ft. Oshkosh is going to spend $1 million for four to six single resident houses. So how many people are there really going to put in a single family home? I mean Wisconsin is already bunking double and triple the amount that they’re “legally” allowed to in the prisons. And of course, these housing units are for people that are coming out of civil commitment, Sandridge Care facility. Not just “regular” prison. I’m wondering if they are going to spend the money, and how the people of that county feel about spending that money, I guess we’ll find out?
They’re going to have to spend the money one way or another – either they’re going to build housing or pay lawsuits when people are held in confinement past the date given by the courts to release them.
In my opinion, it’s about time that the counties and state start paying for the problems they created when this law was written, and the problems that were shifted from the state to the counties during the last revision…[of the law]
If nothing else, perhaps this will give a few people a chance to move through the steps to being fully released from 980 supervision as successfully living on the streets is generally required first, and if there is no housing then you can’t move through the process.
The number is kinda humorous, considering a mid income tract home in the Bay Area lists for over 1 million.
I applaud them for the future providing of this housing. It may not be much but it will help a few. When I got out of prison in NJ in 2002 I was provided housing… a one night stay at a rank hotel then a two week stay a motel closer to where my relatives lived. I don’t know the extent of the law about how long the state would have paid but I found a job (I wasn’t listed publicly in NJ) and then found a privately rented place with multiple rooms and one bathroom then a privately owned place by myself.