A look at sex-offender bans

This isn't about technology per se, but sex-offender registries on the Web have had an impact on bans and residence-restriction laws considered in this in-depth article in the Boston Globe. The piece suggests that – though "the race to enact restrictions is gaining steam" – offender-free zones may have unintended consequences. The Globe cites a new law in Iowa - which has "some of the toughest sex offender laws in the country" – that banned sex offenders whose victims are minors from living within 2,000 feet of a school or licensed day-care provider. "The Des Moines Register reported that the number of sex offenders who had not registered with the state doubled from 142 to 298 between June 2005 and January. An informal group of prosecutors and police now opposes the law." The Globe cites a psychologist as saying that "the vast majority [of offenders] either know or are related to their victims" and they're unlikely to reoffend in their own neighborhood. A police chief told the Globe that, "while he supports tougher penalties for and better monitoring of sex offenders, he opposes residency requirements. For one thing, he said, they're "extremely difficult to enforce." Finally, the Globe cites a study by the city of Marlborough, Mass., finding that a bans on offenders within 2,500 feet of a school or day-care center would make "95% of the city off-limits to sex offenders," ostensibly sending offenders to nearby towns or states with fewer restrictions.