On Wednesday, the Bangor City Council will consider an ordinance prohibiting registered sex offenders from living within 750 feet of certain places where children congregate.
There are few things more important than protecting our children from sexual predators. The consequences of abuse have a tragic ripple effect — from the victim to the family, through the community, and on to future generations. The ordinance, as proposed, may actually expose our children to even greater risk, the exact opposite of its intent. It would be bad policy for Bangor.
Sexual abuse is a sad consequence of our human nature, hypersexed society, hypocrisy, psychopathology, flawed judgment and parental abrogation of responsibility — among other things. It lurks behind the doors of some of our most affluent households as well as of those in desperate poverty.
Over 90 percent of perpetrators are well known to their victims — uncle Willy, stepfather Bill, aunt Sally — but perpetrators also hide in our churches, health care institutions and schools. No area is immune. They may be outwardly good people, but they have deep psychological issues or horrible judgment.
Penalties in Maine are severe, worse for those who have molested children under 14 (Class A) and then graded and nuanced for a wide variety of other offenses. On release from prison or after sentencing, all sex offenders must register with local police for a lifetime for Class A and for 10 years for lesser offenses. Their profiles are available online, accessible to all.
Ninety to 95 percent do not re-offend, and their risk of re-entering the justice system is low. But with the registry comes stigma, public opprobrium, isolation, depression and difficulty finding a job, housing and education. Such ostracism increases the risk of recidivism. Like other criminals, they are with us for better or worse. The quicker they are reintegrated into our communities and held accountable for their actions, the better off we all will be.
What is the proper way to deal with a 19-year-old boy who had the poor judgment to sleep with his 13-year-old girlfriend — whom he subsequently marries? Lifetime inclusion on a sex offender registry?
Detective Erik Tall of the Bangor Police Department spends most of his time keeping track of the whereabouts of the more than 200 sex offenders registered in Bangor. Most of his work is straightforward; 90 percent follow the law, keep the police informed of their address and get on with their lives.
Two years ago, a young child strayed away from her sleeping mother. The mother was terrified at not finding her when she awoke and, fearing abduction, called the police. Within half an hour, the police had mobilized and searched all the homes of known sex offenders within a half-mile of the child’s residence. The child subsequently reappeared elsewhere, unharmed. The police use this case as an example of the success of voluntary cooperation and not driving offenders underground.
Will living more than 750 feet from a park prevent a kindly appearing stranger from befriending a child there? Probably not. Perpetrators are not dumb and will simply drive farther afield.
Will it stop them from having access to school bus stops, the mall or local streets? No.
Will it make it harder for offenders to find a place to live, drive them farther from jobs, and make it more difficult to develop a socially sound lifestyle? Yes. Will it drive many perpetrators underground and make it harder for the police to keep track of them? Absolutely. Will it divert police attention from monitoring the truly psychopathic? Yes.
Will it give Bangor residents a sense of well-being knowing we have passed a law? Maybe. Will the law make us safer? Unlikely. If anything, communities with sex offender residency laws can become more complacent and less safe.
The proposed ordinance may make us feel good, but it is impossible to enforce against those at whom it is directed — the truly heinous — who are unlikely to comply and work hard to hide their past crimes. It will add to the all too numerous laws that purport to solve social problems through words on paper and righteous indignation.
The answer to this problem is complex. It depends on education, early identification of those at risk of offending, appropriate sentencing and reintegration of offenders back into society.
More importantly, the answer lies within each of us. We must cherish our own children and those of others and care for all of them diligently.
Geoff Gratwick is a member of the Bangor City Council.