Sex Offenders in the City
Some days these blog posts just write themselves. The town of Lebanon is looking at passing a ban on sex offenders in the parks.
While similar bans have withstood legal challenges (sex offenders are not a protected class), the people of Lebanon are lulling themselves into a false sense of security if they think this ban will protect their children.
Contrary to popular opinion most sex offenders and their victims are not strangers. According to the U.S. Justice Department it is a blatant myth that most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. The Department found that nearly 60 percent of boys and 80 percent of girls who are sexually victimized are done so by someone known to the child or the child’s family. So if your child is going to come into contact with a sex offender it will probably be a relative, family friend, babysitter, someone in a position of authority over the child or someone who supervises the child. Forget the stranger with candy and the raincoat. If that’s not enough, here are some other fun little facts.
Most sex offenders are not caught, convicted and in prison. Only a fraction of those who commit sexual assault are caught and convicted. In addition, up to half of all cases of child molestation are committed by other adolescents between the ages of 13 to 17. There are some more stats I could throw at you, but I figure I’ve scared you enough.
If the citizens of Lebanon really want to protect their children, they may want to start by doing a check of the people around them. Like the data says, it’s probably not the guy down the street who’s more likely to molest your child, but like vampires, it’s the one you’ve already let into your home.