Clusters of Sex offenders where child killed

Most people have a sense that so long as sex offenders

are registered police are keeping a watch. Two main

factors are often overlooked: the list contains both

predators and those whose offense is much less serious;

when someone required to register moves, that person

may or may not register. Those who register and follow

all the rules tend to be the ones who want to become

law abiding and being on the registry often works against

their finding jobs. Maybe we need to rethink who we

want to register and for what type of offenses. The current

system didn't protect this child or some unfortunate

others.

Dense Population of Sex

Offenders in Fla. Case Is

Alarmingly Typical

Density of Offenders Near Home of Somer

Thompson, 7, Missing Since Monday, Is Not Unusual

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN

Oct. 21, 2009—

There are so many sex offenders living within blocks of

where 7-year-old Somer Thompson vanished Monday

that when their homes are represented by pins on a

digital map they create a cluster so thick it overlaps in places.

Law enforcement officials have interviewed at least 75 registered

sex offenders who live within a 5-mile radius of the second

grader's home on Orange Park, Fla., but state officials say

there are some 161 convicted offenders in that area.

Experts say despite what appears to be an extraordinary concentration,

the number of local offenders is actually quite typical for an area

so close to a major city. Most people, they say, have no idea

just how many sex offenders are living in their neighborhood.

"In spite of appearing it to be a lot, that's about average,"

said Ron Book, a Florida lawyer who lobbies for tougher

sex-offender legislation. "Some areas have hundreds of offenders."

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement,

which maintains the state's sex offender registry, there are some

82 sex offenders living with a 3-mile radius of Somer's home in

Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville, and 161 registered

offenders within a 5 mile radius.

By contrast there are 10 McDonald's restaurants in the same 5 mile radius.

State officials would not comment on whether they believed 161 offenders

in the area was a high or moderate density.

But Professor David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes against Children

Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, agreed that

161 sex offenders in a 5-mile area that included parts of a major

city is not necessarily a high density.

"Different states have different policies about what level of

sex offenders are required to register. You can have over

1,000 offenders in an urban area without much difficulty.

It sounds scary to people, but many states have registration

regimes that include people who are not all that dangerous," he said.

The 5-mile radius around Somer's home in 1700 block of Horton Dr.

in Orange Park includes parts of the city of Jacksonville,

the largest and most populous city in Florida.

There are some 53,201 registered sex offenders in the entire

state of Florida. Of those, 318 live in Clay County, where

Orange Park is located and an additional 1,671 live in Duvall County,

where Jacksonville is located.

The ratio of residents to sex offenders in Jacksonville is estimated at 486 to 1.

Of the 161 offenders in the area, 16 are classified as predators,

which generally means the offender was convicted of a first-degree

felony sex offense  many of which involve the molestation of children.

Laws about where sex offenders are allowed to live vary from

county to county and depend on the severity and nature of the

crime for which the criminal was convicted.

Book said sex offenders often cluster together in part because

of laws that restrict the places in which they can live.

Though high concentrations of offenders appear to be problematic,

high densities actually help police.

"Some laws have forced clustering. While that appears to have a

downside, some say it's a good thing from a law enforcement

prospective. If you have clustering its easier for parole,

probation and police officials to keep track of them," he said.

Some offenders are not permitted to live within 1,000 feet

of a school or are banned from activities like distributing candy

on Halloween, said Mike Morrison spokesman for the Florida

Department of Law Enforcement.

Ten registered offenders live within 1 mile of Somer's school,

Grove Park Elementary, a 10-minute walk from her home.

Finkelhor said sex offenders tend to have lower recidivism

rates than other felons, and many of the worst crimes are

committed by first-time offenders. However, he said,

it's well worth law enforcement officials' time to interview offenders

who have a history of crimes against children.

"One of the best and most important uses of registries is as

tool of law enforcement, so they can identify individuals

who have committed similar crimes. It is important to check

those people out."

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The little girl's body was discovered in a garbage dump

used to dispose of trash from her part of town.