More on toxic citizens
The clamps are coming down on released sex offenders like never before. But some experts wonder sex offenders are being pushed so far to the fringes that they could actually become more dangerous to society.Laws restrict where they can live, Web sites list their names, satellites track their steps. Neighbors and bosses force them from their homes and jobs.
The tightening of restrictions around the country comes after several recent slayings of children, allegedly by released sex offenders. The crackdown is aimed at protecting youngsters.
Some researchers and treatment providers say that sex offenders are finding it harder to maintain homes and jobs and establish stable lives for themselves.
“I would rather have someone who has committed a sex offense be going to work every day, come home tired, have a sense of well-being that comes from having a regular paycheck and a safe home, as opposed to having a sex offender who has a lot of free time on his hands,” said Richard Hamill, president of the New York State Alliance of Sex Offender Service Providers. “You tell me: Who is at a greater risk of reoffending?”
