The General Assembly continued its spate this year of legislation to further penalize sex offenders without emphasizing public safety. This year, that included legislation would authorize innkeepers to kick out any Level III sex offender living in the establishment for more than 30 days. This flawed bill will have no positive impact on public safety, instead further punishing offenders after they have been released from prison, potentially promoting re-incarceration as affected individuals struggle to reintegrate themselves into the community. Some of these offenders may even be living in hotels because this General Assembly has already passed restrictive residency laws for sex offenders making it near impossible for them to find housing to begn with.
Sex offenders deserve to be punished for their crimes, but this legislation misses the public safety mark entirely. The statistics are clear: about 90% of sexual assaults on children are committed by family, friends or acquaintances of the victim, not strangers who find their victims in hotels. The ACLU of Rhode Island testified against this bill before the House Judiciary committee in April; the committee never held a vote on the bill.
