There Goes the Neighborhood?

I was reading a post on someone's blog in which the prevailing thought was to lock up any and all sex offenders and throw away the key. Wow. That's harsh. But then so is the effect these people have on their victims. This is a complicated issue for which there isn't a clear-cut answer, in my opinion. The compassionate side of me wants to believe that some offenders can be rehabilitated; yet the realistic side of me wouldn't want my child anywhere near one.

My wife and I found out recently that we happen to have a sex offender living in our neighborhood. He is in his 50s, lives with his brother and his wife, and is confined to a chair after having had a stroke some time ago. No one told us about this when we moved in; I just happened upon his name while doing an impromptu check on the State of Florida's site. Our first thought was, "Why weren't we told before we bought the house? Isn't it the law?" I did a little research and discovered that because he isn't classified as a "predator," the law doesn't require communities to be notified.

Fair enough. The guy probably poses no threat as he isn't ambulatory. When discussing this with a friend I was asked what kind of effect his presence in the 'hood would have on our home's resale value. Good question. I see two possibilities:

(1) No effect, if the prospective buyer either a) isn't aware and/or b) doesn't have any kids.

(2) It could be a deal breaker if the buyer has done his homework and knows about it.

I may be wrong but I really don't see any in-between in terms of our house's resale value going down. I think it'll be one way or the other. Then there's the question of my wife's and my collective conscience: if a prospective buyer has kids, should we volunteer this information?

A friend of mine found out that she has a sex offender living on the street behind her house (what is this, a trend?). She has an 11-year-old who plays and bikes around the neighborhood, and I know she is concerned about this. She has also wonders if she should tell her neighbors, who have kids too, about this person.

It's a fine line between giving someone the benefit of the doubt and being careful. I know if something happened to Nick, my friend would be beside herself, as would I.

Here are my two cents about the blanket term, "sex offender": when we discuss sex offenders let's keep in mind that this term legally applies to anyone of any age who is convicted of committing, attempting or soliciting sexual acts with a minor. This means an "offender" could be anyone from a dirty old man (or woman, and there are female sex offenders, however rare) to a teenage kid busted for fooling around with the wrong girl. (How many 16- and 17-year-old guys did I know in high school that had under-16 girlfriends? Let's be realistic here.) The point I'm making is that in all fairness you can't lump all sex offenders together.

My wife and I recently watched The Woodsman, a movie starring Kevin Bacon as a convicted sex offender who tries to get his life together after being released from prison. It's an excellent movie with a stunning performance by Bacon that I can't recommend enough.

If you have a high tolerance for legalese and/or a masochistic streak and want to dig deeper into just what the Florida sex offender laws are (I don't), go here. Just a little FYI, Florida has created a new law requiring those convicted of sex crimes against children 11 or younger to wear GPS tracking devices for life.