sex offenders

[jellyfish]

I just checked my address for nearby sex offenders:

http://www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/SOSearch.aspx

There are 81 within a 2 mile radius of my home, and 18 of them are “non-compliant”. This means that 22% (!!) of them have failed to register. The area I checked covers most of West Seattle, but not all of it.

Just a head’s up for parents.

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[swimcat]

I occasionally check this site too to see who’s in our neighborhood. It gives me the creeps, but it’s best to be aware.

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[CMP]

Sweet, it looks like I have a non-compliant one living right on my block! How can photos not be available, shouldn’t they all have mug shots to post? I want to at least know what my level 2 offending neighbor looks like.

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[luckymom30]

I’ve been checking that website for years now, we have offenders all around us too and that is why we keep such close tabs on our child.

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[WSB]

If you are ever looking for the link again and didn’t bookmark it, it’s been part of the resources on the bottom of the Crime Watch page for a long time – CW tab beneath the sunset header on all pages.

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[cjboffoli]

Just a reminder that statistics show the greatest risk of sexual abuse to children comes from people inside the child’s own family and those outside the family who are known to the child. As much as instant worldwide media makes molestation (and/or abduction) by strangers seem common, in reality it is not.

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[Bayou]

CMP, click on the offender’s name to bring up the mugshot and details (including what level offender).

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[MargL]

It’s also interesting to search for their names in the jail inmate databases. Found one of them that lives quite close was recently convicted of child rape – the case was apparently on hold because the victim had moved out of state and didn’t want to testify. They finally tried him and he’s currently incarcerated in Monroe.

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[pam]

True cjboffoli. Hopefully you aren’t going to let your children go willynilly throughout the neighborhood unchaperoned, but it’s a family member or family friend that is more likely to offend – you must be more vigilant about who you welcome into your home then worrying about the neighbor across the street.

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[cjboffoli]

The point is not that parents shouldn’t be vigilant. The point is that people shouldn’t live in fear, especially of something that is unlikely to effect them.

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[JoB]

if you don’t know who the sex offenders in your neighborhood are.. what is to stop you from becoming friends with the neighbor who shows an interest in your family?

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[MargL]

Unfortunately a lot of the weirdos do a great job of acting ‘mostly harmless.’

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_cleveland_bodies_found.html

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[anonyme]

CJ, thank you for your common sense message. The sex offender issue is one that the media has run away with, thanks in part to ‘celebrities’ like Oprah. True violent child predators are very rare. Caution is prudent and wise; fear-mongering is not.

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[jellyfish]

This is not about “living in fear”. This is empowerment (“knowledge is power”), and prevention.

This is not a “media message”, this is local law enforcement telling parents/citizens how to maintain awareness in order to prevent a crime from occurring. The purpose of the site is for citizens to remain aware of potential offenders within the community, including those who may already know your family or child, or potentially have contact.

And the risk of molestation is not just within the family, it’s also from other positions of trust (ie. teachers, coaches, neighbors, friends, clergy, babysitter). The 81 offenders I cite are Level 1 non-compliant, Level 2 (compliant/non-compliant), or Level 3 (compliant/non-compliant). There ARE level 3’s listed, by the way. Their offenses are listed.

Level 1: usually knows their victims, and are often first time offenders.

Level 2: predatory offenders who often groom victims beforehand & then violate a position of trust; thus, they often know their victims; they usually have multiple victims & offend long-term; moderate risk of re-offending; sometimes teachers, coaches, clergy or babysitter

Level 3: may not know their victims; high chance of re-offending; usually more than one victim; event often associated w/ cruelty

Safety Resources:

Things to Know:

http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_safety_1.php?office=54473

Talking to children:

http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_safety_3.php?office=54473

Behaviors to watch:

http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_safety_2.php?office=54473

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[ws4ever]

Very helpful information on websites. Thanks.

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[kennem]

What interests me is all the concern over sexual predators – and none about murderers or other felons living among us. There’s no database where you can go to check THEM out because they’re not required to register and keep society aware of their whereabouts.

Why do we require only sexual predators to do this? Theoretically we keep people in jail if they are a threat to society. But is it that we release dangerous sex offenders yet we keep the others locked up until they’re “safe” to release into society? I think not: According to the US Dept. Of Justice (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm#recidivism): “Sex offenders were less likely than non-sex offenders to be rearrested for any offense –– 43 percent of sex offenders versus 68 percent of non-sex offenders.”

So why is there no call for a “murderer registry”?

I have no particular compassion for sex offenders – my sister was the repeat victim of one when she was little and I am glad that the man who did it to her no longer sullies this Earth. But I also have little compassion for arsonists like the one who torched my parents’ house while they were asleep. He is perhaps roaming the streets – because he was deemed mentally incompetent for trial – yet our society apparently couldn’t care less about tracking him.

I’m puzzled and dismayed that we as a society are so much more appalled/fascinated by sex crimes than by those, like murder, that we profess to disdain more.

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[jellyfish]

I agree with you, kennem. However, I’m using all the resources available to keep my family safe. I resent having to use a database system or receive police notices to monitor for sex offenders, but our screwy laws place the burden on parents & women. Another database is not the solution.

I wish that laws & the court system supported longer jail time (or something more harsh) for violent offenders of all types, sexual or non-sexual.

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[waterworld]

First, let’s be clear about how the various classification levels are defined. The classification is performed by an end-of-sentence review committee working under the Secretary of the Department of Corrections. Using a proprietary methodology, the committee determines the classification levels of a sex (and kidnapping) offenders. The levels are described as follows:

Level 1: These offenders present the lowest possible risk to the community and their likelihood to re-offend is considered minimal. They normally have not exhibited predatory type characteristics and most have successfully participated or are participating in approved treatment programs. Many are first time offenders.

Level II: These offenders present a moderate risk to the community and they have a higher likelihood of re-offending than the Level 1 offenders. They are considered a higher risk to re-offend, because of the nature of their previous crime(s) and lifestyle (drug and alcohol abuse and other criminal activity). Some have refused to participate or failed to complete approved treatment programs.

Level III: These offenders pose a potential high risk to the community and are a threat to re-offend if provided the opportunity. Most have prior sex crime convictions as well as other criminal convictions. Their lifestyles and choices place them in this classification. Some have predatory characteristics and may seek out victims. They may have refused or failed to complete approved treatment programs.

Based on this classification, and another classification system that looks at notification issues, local sheriffs’ offices determine what kind of notice to provide to the community about sex offenders. Some county sheriffs distribute flyers in the neighborhood when a Level 3 offender moves in; other counties, like King, rely mostly on a public website that allows you to see whether offenders are living in your area.

Several years ago, the Washington State Legislature directed the non-partisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy to analyze the effectiveness of the classification and notification system. In a series of reports, the institute described its findings that the end-of-sentence review and classification process has little or no accuracy in predicting whether sex offenders will commit new offenses after being released. (All of the Institutes reports are on their webpage, http://www.wsipp.wa.gov).

I can understand why people want to have this kind of information available to help keep their families safe. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that the classification system is highly unreliable. As others already mentioned, the actual rate of recidivism among sex offenders is very low. Your family members are far more likely to get injured or killed in a car accident than to be the victim of a sex offense.

Second, I want to address the notion, expressed by kennem, that we theoretically keep people in jail if they are a threat to society. I don’t think that’s what we do at all, theoretically or otherwise. In this state, as in the federal system and most other states, we have adopted a determinate sentencing system. That means most sentences are predetermined, based on the nature of the crime and the offender’s criminal history. Judges have very little discretion to impose a longer sentence because a person appears to be a threat to society. And when the sentence has been served, the offender is released (subject to a term of supervision) regardless of whether he or she seems like to commit new crimes.

There are a couple of important exceptions. One is that we have a three-strikes law, which ensures that a person who commits three violent felonies will serve a life sentence, without the possibility of parole, on the third conviction. Another is a two-strike law for sex offenses: for some sex offenses, the second conviction gets the offender a life term. Finally, we have a sexual predator commitment law that allows prosecutors to seek indefinite detention of some sex offenders when they get to the end of their criminal sentences.

Washington imposes long sentences on people who commit violent crimes and sex crimes. I’m not aware of any analysis of our state’s criminal justice system that would suggest we are too lenient.

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[Cachorro]

The sex offender registry and classification system is not fully functional. Even if classification was accurate and the all convicted sex offenders registered, the program falls short. There is not enough funding to properly enforce the entire program. Officers must complete a “secondary”report when a registered sex offender is contacted and/or checked on. This takes a considerable amount of time from already overworked cops. I am not saying this is not important, just consider the additional time to an officer’s duties.

I believe the program has higher classified offenders (level 3) contacted as often as monthly (actual officer knocks on the door and checks on them then completes the report). Lower classified offenders contacted every six months. SPD does not have the staffing to fulfill this important piece of the program.

Additionally, there needs to be officers assigned to track down the offenders that fail to register. A recent Seattle Times article commented that the homeless offender is more likely to re-offend than the offender with stable housing. (there’s a whole other debate)

So, with not enough funding/staffing to support the sex offender registry, I don’t think any other criminal registry will do much good.

What will? I think discussions such as this to share information. Keep an eye out for one another. Think about these issues. Make suggestions and ask our lawmakers to put them into place.

The registry is a tool to use to create awareness. I am pleased that West Seattle has fewer offenders than other areas of Seattle.

Thanks to all the people that made posts with some interesting information and thoughts.

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