OK, maybe concentration camps is a bit harsh for this proposal, but if you start down this road you know someone will propose something similar eventually.

Iowa Residency Laws Pushing Sex Offenders to Live at Campgrounds

Some sex offenders are listing campgrounds in county and state parks as their home addresses because they are out of money, are struggling to find and keep a job and are facing state laws and town ordinances that keep them from living in many places.

“It’s not uncommon,” Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said. “We’ve had them in all of the county parks and some of the state parks.”

Information about sex offenders at campgrounds has been forwarded to the Iowa State Association of Counties for consideration as a legislative priority.

State law bars sex offenders with crimes against children from living within 2,000 feet of a school or certified day-care center. Certain cities have even gone farther, banning offenders from living within 2,000 feet of swimming pools, libraries, parks or trails.

Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston said a more specific sex-offender classification system would help them re-enter society.

She said that a clearer system would distinguish between “true pedophiles” and young men who made a mistake with a younger girlfriend.

“We have to be prudent and protect people’s safety,” she said. “But we also have to recognize that people have to live somewhere. You stress their lives so much that they’re going to make more bad choices.”

Langston said strangers rarely molest children they don’t know. She says that 77 percent of sex offenses take place inside the home, so fear of the “crazy man down the street,” or a few spaces down at the campground, is rarely justified.



  1. doug says:

    geez, it sounds like that County Supervisor is actually trying to tackle the problem rather than whip up hysteria to ensure her reelection … she must have lost her Politicians’ Fear Playbook.

  2. gquaglia says:

    This is the new hot crime, even though its been going on for decades. The media has sensationalized high profile cases and now every town is looking to send every sex offender anywhere but here. Problem is, these law are so restrictive and draconian that there are very few places they can live. They are basically now lepards, with no job, no where to live and no hope. While this may be good for a die hard, repeat offender, a first timer should not have his life shot to hell for one incident.

  3. The Man says:

    Are they Def Leppards?

  4. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    I don’t want any leppards near my child.

  5. Alex says:

    at #2:
    “While this may be good for a die hard, repeat offender, a first timer should not have his life shot to hell for one incident.”

    Recidivism rates for sexual offenders are unusually high. Studies show that even your first time offender is likelier than not to commit a sexual crime in the near future. Studies also show that sexual crimes are seriously underreported, and your “First timer” is likely not, in fact, a first time offender. He just hasn’t been caught.

    Do I prescribe to a “lock ’em up” mentality? No. In a perfect world we’d be able to afford psychological treatment for everyone, and those that are able to adjust and function normally should be allowed to piece their lives back together. But it’s not a perfect world and we can’t afford treatment for everyone.

  6. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    #5, Alex, Recidivism rates for sexual offenders are unusually high. Studies show that even your first time offender is likelier than not to commit a sexual crime in the near future.

    just a quick goodle for “sex crime recidivism” gave me this site.
    http://tinyurl.com/e7jgt
    The Center for Sex Offender Management, a project of the US Department of Justice.

    (A) study found reconviction rates for child molesters to be 20% and for rapists to be approximately 23%
    (Quinsey, Rice, and Harris, 1995).

    child molesters had a 13% reconviction rate for sexual offenses and a 37% reconviction rate for new, non-sex offenses over a five year period; and

    rapists had a 19% reconviction rate for sexual offenses and a 46% reconviction rate for new, non-sexual offenses over a five year period.
    (Hanson and Bussiere, 1998 )

    …one study of 108,580 non-sex criminals released from prisons in 11 states in 1983 found that nearly 63% were rearrested for a non-sexual felony or serious misdemeanor within three years of their release from incarceration; 47% were reconvicted; and 41% were ultimately returned to prison or jail (Bureau of Justice Statistics).

  7. Calin says:

    #5 “In a perfect world we’d be able to afford psychological treatment for everyone”

    Unfortunately, for the pedophile, there is no psychological treatment. According to current research, they have yet to find a treatment with any hope of success for a true pedophile. Of course, this doesn’t apply to the 19 year old who had sex with his 16 year old girlfriend. This applies to actual pedophiles, adults who crave sex with prepubescent girls/boys. It’s not like an infection that can be cured…..they have a wanting disorder. They crave sex with children…….much like a normal man craves sex with an adult partner. Unfortunately, children are easily manipulated, or forced to participate in said act…..whereas an adult can tell you no, or kick your ass for not listening to the word “no”. This craving has yet to be “fixed” in anyone I’ve read about.

    I agree that there should be more clarification in the sex-offender idea. Someone who thinks a 15 year old is 18…..and gets arrested for their mistake should not have their entire life ruined. However, a 30 year old who has sex with a 9 year old should be removed from society permanently…..regardless of “first offense” status.

  8. ECA says:

    OK,
    I want someone to post a list, of HOW to be marked a sex offender.
    find it and post it.
    I want you to see how easy it is to be tagged.

    I also want you to understand something else. HOW NOT to be tagged a sex offender. there are some crazy persons out there that USE this law as blackmail. you CANT get rid of this tag. And proving or DISPROVING it is hard.

    Love the program CSI, but it has ALOT of BS in the program.
    Time to think:
    How many towns cities have the rescources to PAY money to have such a resource. Less the 20% of the US has the chance/money to use such a company, even if there is 1/ONE in the state, they charge a small fortune for their use.
    A Sex abuse victim, that is a minor, will go thru MORE with the 8 hour physical, and 8 hours of mental evaluation AFTER the fact, then a good discussion with there parents about WHAT happened, and what they (the child) did WASNT bad.

    Iv said to many.
    Where would you have him locate?
    anywhere he wants or can live, or accross the street, WHERE you can watch him/her. Make friends with the person, Get them a DATE, keep them preoccupied. and sence you can HELP monitor them, you can either HELP them, or help the police. I’d rather them in a spot, I can SEE, then wondering around looking for my kid(I dont have kids).

    you also need to understand the LAWS, aqnd what happens to Child molesters… Besides being ostrasized, beaten, abused(physically and sexually), the LAWS have made 2 types of molester.
    The Lover who has problems with adults, and gets along very well with kids, and the killer. Decerning it, is hard. the killer is the one who Stalks kids, kidnaps them, and in the end KILLS them to keep them quiet. the Lover can be almost anyone, but is mostly a family member, that wishes to express an emotion, and isnt into killing the child.
    From all the sex offences that are possible, these are the ones we assoiate with SEX OFFENCE, and are the worst. But we tend to think its ALL bad. To be caught in a bush peeking out as a 18 year old, at a bunch of 16 year olds skinny dipping, is considered a sex offence.
    It needs to be GRADED…1-5 at LEAST.. You can be considered a sex offencer IF you are dressing, and your KID peeks in to see you dressing, or walks into the bathroom while you are taking a Wizz.

    Being a Progressive parent can get you into trouble also. Takeing a skinny dip with the kids will get you a charge also. When you are just trying to get kids to like that they have a BODY, and to NOT abuse it, or be ashamed of it. are we going Backwards into the old victorian era, and Kindsey report days?? Being so ashamed of our selves we place to much UNKNOWN into ourselves..

  9. RTaylor says:

    There is a radical treatment, chemical castration. The use of drugs can make an offender impotent, and some jurisdictions offer this option for chronic offenders. This isn’t always successful because it over simplifies the psychology involved in this type of offense. It’s more than simple sexual gratification.

  10. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    Unfortunately, for the pedophile, there is no psychological treatment. According to current research, they have yet to find a treatment with any hope of success for a true pedophile. Of course, this doesn’t apply to the 19 year old who had sex with his 16 year old girlfriend.

    Unfortunately, these kids are being tagged with Sex Offender status and must carry that around for the rest of their lives.

    And what current research are you looking at?


    Myth:
    “Treatment for sex offenders is ineffective.”
    Fact:
    Treatment programs can contribute to community safety because those who attend and cooperate with program conditions are less likely to re-offend than those who reject intervention.
    The majority of sex offender treatment programs in the United States and Canada now use a combination of cognitive-behavioral treatment and relapse prevention (designed to help sex offenders maintain behavioral changes by anticipating and coping with the problem of relapse). Offense specific treatment modalities generally involve group and/or individual therapy focused on victimization awareness and empathy training, cognitive restructuring, learning about the sexual abuse cycle, relapse prevention planning, anger management and assertiveness training, social and interpersonal skills development, and changing deviant sexual arousal patterns.

    http://tinyurl.com/e7jgt

  11. Named says:

    How about legal prostitution? That would probably solve all but the most deranged offenders. I mean, if I need to knock one off, why not head to the red-light district and do some window shopping?

  12. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    #7, Calin, I took a coarse that dealt with Pedophiles a little while ago. The main reason is not sexual gratification, it is power. The same hold true for must adult rapes. It is the power over a younger, weaker person. The majority of these people have been abused themselves in their past. Most will respond to treatment and can go on to live productive lives. Yes their are some who are too deranged to be treated, but they are the minority.

    Before anyone thinks I condone sexual assault or pedophilia, think again. I do believe that when a person is sick, we should cure him (or her) instead of making them lepers for the rest of their life. The cost to society is far greater to incarcerate someone for life then it is to treat them with therapy and counseling.

  13. RLM says:

    Got some here hollering about high recidivism rates, get the facts and stop listening to the policos who just want votes.

    Some facts for you;

    National recidivism rate for sex offenders who commit new sex offences 5.3% (source Untied States Dept of Justice), the high recidivism rates some like toss around, such an 80% figure I keep seeing is the recidivism rate for sexual predators. In Iowa you can find this group at Iowa’s Cherokee mental institution where they have been civilly committed to.

    Number of sex offences nationally that are committed by persons “NOT” listed on the sex offender registry. 95% (source Untied State Dept. of Justice)

    Iowa recidivism rate for sex offenders who commit new sex offences who have successfully completed the states sex offender treatment program 2.1% (source Iowa Department of Corrections)

    Estimated percentage of the Untied States population who will commit a sex offence in their life time, convicted or not. 6% (Source Freeman Longo the main provider of sex offender treatment programs in the US and also for Iowa)

  14. jeremy says:

    See back when I was on active duty and was in some of the countries in the middle east they took the rapists and pedophiles and they had thier “equipment” put out on a rock in a public area and a sword was used to castrate them no pain medicines or anything I say thats what we need to start here. But i do believe they should get one appeal. I think our justice system takes to long. Over in those countries also if you are sentenced to die you are dead within a week after your first appeal. Why not tattoo it on their forehead or brand it on them like they used to do in britain they branded F.U.C.K on peoples foreheads Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge thats what they used to call rape. Anyways i think that that would be a better punishment and that theese punishments would make people think twice before doing thoose crimes.


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