Hey, progressive Chapel Hillians, how high does your social justice meter go? Do you draw the line at thinking about the rights and treatment of sex offenders — one of society’s most stigmatized groups?
Apparently, that’s where our social service providers draw the line, when it comes to moving our only homeless shelter for men.
According to Human Rights Watch, “Most people assume that a registered sex offender is someone who has sexually abused a child or engaged in a violent sexual assault of an adult.”
But in fact, many states “require individuals to register as sex offenders even when their conduct did not involve coercion or violence, and may have had little or no connection to sex.”
The organization’s 2007 report “No Easy Answers” surprisingly found at least 13 states require registration for public urination, 25 require registration for genital exposure, even if no minors were present, and 29, including N.C., require registration for consensual sex between teenagers. Offenders are registered for years and in some cases life.
Ask yourself: Do you know anyone who has ever urinated outside, streaked during finals week or had consensual teenage sex?
So while many sex offenders may fit the stereotypical “predator profile,” not all do.
Once you cut through the fear that often clouds policy making, it turns out to be more complicated than just keeping dangerous predators away from potential victims. Moreover, those who do fit the predator profile present challenges we must understand if we wish to discourage recidivism and encourage safety.
Rising homelessness among sex offenders has received international media attention. Many states bar registrants from living within set distances of schools and facilities serving children; in N.C., the statute is 1,000 feet, since 2006.
