Around the Square (06.02.08)

Original Posting here.

Today marks the first installment of a new piece called Around the Square that we'll be posting periodically (hopefully a couple of times a week) that will capture some of the interesting stories out there percolating in the news feeds and blogosphere that may not rise up to the level of a full posting, but are still worth briefly writing about. We're calling it Around the Square because we often feel as if we're a lonely town crier screaming at the top of our lungs about the obvious and apparent injustices placed on those accused of sex crimes, while the restless and bloodthirsty mob is gathering nearby with pitchforks and torches in tow.


We start with a story from Hamilton, NJ, where a popular high school football coach seems to be getting railroaded by the local prosecutor for pulling a female student away from a 6-year old that she was harassing. He has been charged with criminal sexual contact for allegedly rubbing against the 18-year old student's buttocks while pulling her away. (The Trentonian, Trenton, NJ - June 1)

Carl Jordan, 39, has been charged with criminal contact following an incident in April when his groin allegedly rubbed against an 18-year-old female student’s buttocks. Jordan’s attorney, Robert Wills, said the U.S. Naval Academy grad pulled the female student away from a 6-year-old boy whom she was allegedly harassing. Saying Jordan “did nothing wrong,” DiStephano concluded his public statement by noting that the incident occurred out in the open and not “behind closed doors.” As DiStephano sat down, local residents clapped their hands in a round of approval.

Remember our post from Friday critiquing the KIDS Act bill currently in Congress? Apparently the great state of Tennessee has already decided to require sex offenders to submit their email addresses and IM screen names, effective July 1st. (Eyewitness News, Memphis, TN - May 28, 2008)

Starting July 1st, Tennessee sex offenders are required to report their e-mail addresses, user names, and screens names to Tennessee’s Sex Offender Registry. Lawmakers created the new requirement for sex offenders during this year’s legislative session in Nashville. Police say the requirement will make it easier for them to spot sex offenders trolling for prey online.

Did you know that Arizona is using GPS devices to track some sex offenders, and they have been doing so since 2006? We didn't either. But apparently they are, costing Arizona taxpayers $180 a month for the tracking devices. If a device enters an "exclusionary zone," a signal is immediately sent to the offender's probation officer. (GPS News Update & GPS Review - June 1, 2008)

In each case, the child molesters are told there are
certain areas where they can't go, Sanders said. If they go into an
"exclusionary zone," the ankle bracelet sounds an alarm and immediately notifies
his probation officer.If the probation officer thinks it's necessary, he or she
can immediately call the police, Sanders said.Exclusionary zones could include
playgrounds, school yards and victims' neighborhoods.

Sex Offender Research blog is preaching to the choir with its recent posting of an academic article from the University of Manchester in the UK. It's key finding on sex offender reintegration into society? It's lacking.

The process of reintegration of offenders after release from prison, or during a community sentence, is a key aim of criminal justice policy. This article provides details from recent research that investigated the barriers and opportunities to employment for sex offenders. The authors describe the barriers that are faced by sex offenders and the anxieties that employers experience when employing sex offenders. The authors conclude that the approach taken by the State is less than reintegrative and serves to increase the barriers and reduce the opportunities for employment for sex offenders.