ACLU Sues Over Indianapolis Sex-Offender Ban

ACLU Sues Over Indianapolis Sex-Offender Ban

POSTED: 3:53 pm EDT May 31, 2006
UPDATED: 3:55 pm EDT May 31, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS -- Six sex offenders sued the city Wednesday to block a new ordinance that bars them from venturing within 1,000 feet of parks, pools and playgrounds when children are present.

The plaintiffs went to federal court to argue that the law is unconstitutionally vague, violates their rights to vote and attend church, and prevents them from freely traveling on roads that may pass within 1,000 feet of the affected sites.

The ordinance was approved May 15 and took effect immediately. It carries fines of up to $2,500.

The law includes an exception that permits sex offenders to visit those sites as long as they are with another adult who is not a convicted sexual offender.

http://www.local6.com/news/9300160/detail.html

:mad:

An 19 yr old having sex with a 17yr old for last two years (17-15) could be labeled a sex offender.

I think it would be helpful if judges had degrees of offender status to label folks (like they do degrees of felonies and such).

a consentual (but illegal) relationship between two people like you say is not the same as someone who forcefully abuses a young child. There's a whole spectrum of crimes, so there should be a whole spectrum of labels.

I am in Columbus, so can't escape them :) Not a huge hockey fan myself, but the wife is. If you're in the area swing by the house sometime for a beer!

I'll be leaving columbus for the summer in about a week (classes are over). but maybe in the fall we can get together :hi:

I think pedophilia poses a unique problem because the majority pedophiles don't accept that their orientation is a problem which makes treatment nxt to impossible.

But I tend to agree with the ACLU here. If the sex offenders don't belong in prison, then they don't belong in prison. You shouldn't continue to punish someone the rest of their lives when they've already paid their debt to society. If you think they're still dangerous, keep them in prison. Otherwise, they've done their time, and let them go.

Not to mention that the vast majority of child molesters molest children in their family, or that they know closely. They don't go trolling at playgrounds, etc.