# A registered sex offender moved in near my house. What, if anything, should I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 8, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887 "2007-08-08T17:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/61 "2007-08-10T20:51:36Z")
Another vote for finding out the offense. About a week ago there was a special on the news about a couple who found out their new neighbor was a sex offender. They called the police and the gov’t and raised hell, they told all the neighbors, they even started putting up posters all over the neighborhood. When that didn’t work they called the local news to come and do a story. They talked about what a horrible dirty person he is, and how he shouldn’t be allowed to live so close to their little child blah blah blah and he’ll never ever change his ways blah blah blah. His offense. When he was 18 (ten years ago) he had sex with his 17 year old girlfriend. At that point the neighbor, I think trying to save face, agreed to take down the signs and not bother him anymore, but they still verbally didn’t like him being there. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/62 "2007-08-10T21:17:00Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people who believe the law is infallible, but I think it’s a little backwards to worry about my 200 neighbors who are not on the registry instead of the one who is on it. [/QUOTE] I don’t know; I thought the post that showed that abuse usually comes from acquaintances and family members shows that this guy isn’t that big of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/63 "2007-08-10T22:50:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Musicat** > > I don’t think we are so much defending the person as saying, “We don’t have enough evidence to convict him in advance of a potentially terrible, possibly future crime.” > > Based on merely the name in the registry, we don’t have enough evidence to tell if his past crime was minor or major. He was convicted once, and deserves a chance to be considered innocent now until/unless you have evidence to the contrary. Also, the crime he was convicted for may no longer be a crime, since laws change. > > Another consideration: sometimes the crime on the books isn’t the one that actually happened, but one that was plea bargained. AFAIK, this info isn’t recorded, so you have to take the records with a grain of salt. > > I’m not saying he is good, but saying he is bad isn’t fair, either, even tho it might be a natural knee-jerk reaction. Well, I’m all for “innocent until proven guilty,” but he’s **been proven guilty**. And, as far as I know, you rarely plea to a worse charge.. usually to a lesser charge, so I’m not sure how that would be to his benefit. > [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Joey P.** > Another vote for finding out the offense. About a week ago there was a special on the news about a couple who found out their new neighbor was a sex offender. They called the police and the gov’t and raised hell, they told all the neighbors, they even started putting up posters all over the neighborhood. When that didn’t work they called the local news to come and do a story. They talked about what a horrible dirty person he is, and how he shouldn’t be allowed to live so close to their little child blah blah blah and he’ll never ever change his ways blah blah blah. His offense. When he was 18 (ten years ago) he had sex with his 17 year old girlfriend. At that point the neighbor, I think trying to save face, agreed to take down the signs and not bother him anymore, but they still verbally didn’t like him being there. Again, this man is middle-aged. His conviction was 4 years ago, and against a minor. > [@](#): > > Orinally posted by **Marley23** > > I don’t know; I thought the post that showed that abuse usually comes from acquaintances and family members shows that this guy isn’t that big of a problem. Really? You thought that post proved that point? Indisputably? Really? Enough to ignore a conivcted sex offender? Do you have children? I’m not being snarky, I’m really curious. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/64 "2007-08-11T12:30:20Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] Well, I’m all for “innocent until proven guilty,” but he’s **been proven guilty**. And, as far as I know, you rarely plea to a worse charge.. usually to a lesser charge, so I’m not sure how that would be to his benefit. [/quote] A plea can be for any reason. Somes the accused pleas to a crime he didn’t commit to avoid prosecution for one that he might be proved guilty – maybe the evidence, valid or not, would be more damaging for another crime. The cops regularly charge the accused with dozens of crimes, many of which might not stand up in court, in order to get just one plea to one count, any count. Sometimes a person is between a rock and a hard place and has to make a compromise where guilt or innocence isn’t a factor, but self-preservation is. Sometimes people don’t make the best choice under those circumstances, but you can’t go back and re-do the trial. As far as being “proven guilty,” this person has not been proven guilty of any crime _that has not yet happened._ Even courts are reluctant to use past criminal history to convict for a new crime; you seem all too ready to assume that this person will never be rehabilitated and is guilty forever, no matter what. Doesn’t he deserve a break once the time has been served? Even murderers can become useful citizens. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/65 "2007-08-11T12:55:32Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > …you seem all too ready to assume that this person will never be rehabilitated and is guilty forever, no matter what. Sexual attractions don’t change, do they? I would think this guy will always be a pedophile. He may be a pedophile who is able to resist his urges. Or maybe not. I’d say some caution is justified. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/66 "2007-08-11T14:52:24Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/67 "2007-08-11T18:16:25Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] He could be a guy who at 18 had sex with his 17 year old girlfried, or even had sex at 16 with his 16 year old girlfriend ( which can easily lead to the boy getting convicted, and the girl getting counciling ). [/QUOTE] I am pretty certain North Carolina has a three year Romeo and Juliet law, though for some reason I believe it does not apply to sodomy. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/68 "2007-08-11T19:14:56Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] The information I got doesn’t delve very deeply into his history, but I believe that people who prey on children are sick, and usually recidivists. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Velma] I have also always heard that sexual offenders (especially pedophiles) are more likely to repeat than other criminals, and that there is no proven effective treatment. I would be glad to know if this is not true. I see people claiming this is a lie, does anyone have a link to credible studies proving otherwise? [/QUOTE] Child predators are much less likely to reoffend than those convicted of other felonies. [This study](http://www.csom.org/pubs/recidsexof.html) cites a 5 year recidivism rate of 19% for child molesters, while other [non-sexually oriented felonies](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/reentry/tables/recidivismtab.htm) reoffend at a rate of 67% after only 3 years. How many convicted burglars live in your neighborhood? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/69 "2007-08-11T20:57:41Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Child predators are much less likely to reoffend than those convicted of other felonies. [This study](http://www.csom.org/pubs/recidsexof.html) cites a 5 year recidivism rate of 19% for child molesters, while other [non-sexually oriented felonies](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/reentry/tables/recidivismtab.htm) reoffend at a rate of 67% after only 3 years. [/QUOTE] That may only prove that it’s much harder to catch and convict a child molestor. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/70 "2007-08-11T21:04:30Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] That may only prove that it’s much harder to catch and convict a child molestor. [/QUOTE] Let us know if you find any evidence to support that. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/71 "2007-08-11T21:15:35Z")
Do you suppose that pedophiles stop being pedophiles just because they’ve been in jail? Does a stint behind bars somehow magically change their sexual orientation? Or does it maybe just make them more cautious about getting caught? Stop and think about who the witnesses to an act of pedophilia are going to be versus who the witnesses to an act of, say, armed robbery are going to be, and I hope you’ll realize that it’s much easier to get caught and convicted of armed robbery than it is to get caught and convicted of child molestation. **Fear Itself** , your statistic does not prove that child molesters are unlikely to commit the crime again, only that they are unlikely to be convicted again. The reasons for that ought to be obvious. So get back to us when _you’ve_ proven that a pedophile can be “reformed.” ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/72 "2007-08-11T21:35:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Fear Itself > Child predators are much less likely to reoffend than those convicted of other felonies. This study cites a 5 year recidivism rate of 19% for child molesters, while other non-sexually oriented felonies reoffend at a rate of 67% after only 3 years. Even take at face value, 19% is enough for someone to be concerned about. Also, I don’t care nearly as much about a burglar who might steal my television one night when I’m not home, as I do of my children being the victim of a pedophile. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/73 "2007-08-11T21:43:45Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] The reasons for that ought to be obvious. [/QUOTE] Which does not relieve you from the responsibility of providing a cite. I provided statistics that support my claim. You have not. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/74 "2007-08-11T21:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] Even take at face value, 19% is enough for someone to be concerned about. [/QUOTE] That is another issue, however. The question I was addressing was the relative recidivism of sexual predators versus other felons. ---
**Author:** ![dgrdfd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/75 "2007-08-11T21:54:23Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] A registered sex offender moved in near my house. What, if anything, should I do? [/QUOTE] I think you should be worried for your children. The only reasonable thing to do is to put bars on your windows and build a moat. Oh, and hire armed guards for your children at all times. Maybe some SAMs in your backyard, too. Seriously, what did you want from this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/76 "2007-08-11T22:08:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **dgrdfd** > > I think you should be worried for your children. The only reasonable thing to do is to put bars on your windows and build a moat. Oh, and hire armed guards for your children at all times. Maybe some SAMs in your backyard, too. > > Seriously, what did you want from this thread? Umm… advice from people who have had similar experiences or more knowledge on the situation than myself? You know, like the 73 posts before you wandered in? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/77 "2007-08-11T22:18:05Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Which does not relieve you from the responsibility of providing a cite. [/QUOTE] You really need a cite that jail does not change sexual orientation? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/78 "2007-08-11T22:21:54Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] You really need a cite that jail does not change sexual orientation? [/QUOTE] I never said it did. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/79 "2007-08-11T22:24:54Z")
Here’s what [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia) says: > [@](#): > > A number of proposed treatment techniques for pedophilia have been developed. In 1981, writer David Crawford reported that the success rate of these therapies was very low. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887/80 "2007-08-11T22:43:26Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Here’s what [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia) says: [/QUOTE] You are arguing a point I never made. Show me evidence that child molesters have a higher recidivism rate than other felons. That would disprove my claim. Any other arguments are mere hand waving. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-registered-sex-offender-moved-in-near-my-house-what-if-anything-should-i-do/414887.md?page=5)