Sex Offender Residency (S 515, H 5925)

A recent court decision struck down a Rhode Island law that prohibited certain sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school. We opposed proposed legislation that responded to this court decision and attempts to make it a felony for any sex offender to reside within 300 feet of a school, for two main reasons. First, this bill fails to correct the vagueness that prompted the court to strike down the 1,000 feet restriction. Second, residency restrictions are both ineffective and counter-productive. Residency requirements make it difficult for sex offenders to reintegrate themselves into the community, and the resulting instabillity can have the effect of increasing, rather than decreasing, the likelihood of recidivism.