On October 19, the New Haven (CT) Reentry Round Table held its monthly meeting. After an informative presentation by members of the Community Reentry Clinic at Yale Law School, participants were asked if they had any comments or ideas about what areas the NHRRT should focus on in the future. Several suggestions were made, including finding employers who will hire ex-offenders, creating and supporting entrepreneurial initiatives by formerly incarcerated persons, and doing more outreach to bring newly released people into the Round Table. Then a topic that was not generally discussed was brought up.
Someone who works with veterans with criminal histories spoke about a client who was a convicted sex offender and who was, like most sex offenders, having a difficult time with reentering. Sex offenders, another person related, are the ones who have the hardest time finding a job, housing, or acceptance after release from prison. The energy in the group grew electric as a third person proclaimed that sex offenders are the population that reentry initiatives need to focus on. Comments such as "Yes!" and "That's so true" were heard. The Elephant in the room was acknowledged.
The question that followed was “Don’t sex offenders deserve a second chance, too?” The consensus was that in most cases the answer is yes. It was pointed out that all sex crimes are not the same. An example was given about a 17 year old who has a consensual sexual relationship with his 15 year old girlfriend and is arrested and convicted for doing so. That young man will be branded as a sex offender and have his name listed in the National Sex Offender Registry for life. Current registry laws do not differentiate between a serial rapist and the young man in the above example. The general public apparently does not, either.
When legislators even hint about changing laws concerning sexual offenses there is a roar of opposition. Any candidate who dares to mention revising these laws is doomed to lose the election. And yet, a reasonable person can conclude that laws regarding sex offenders need to be changed. A person who committed a sexual crime long ago, but has since become a model citizen must still be registered as a sex offender and have his photo and crime posted on the internet for life. Some charged with a sexual crime, but declaring innocence, will plead to a lesser charge because the fear of losing at trial and being sentenced to decades in prison is enough to scare anyone. Some plead out because they cannot afford to take any more time off from work. All are not innocent however, and the laws were created to deal with them.
The New Haven Reentry Round Table members did not minimize the severity of rape or serial sexual abuse. In those instances, it was generally agreed that the law should come down hard on violent or serial perpetrators. Sexual abuse of children is a horrendous crime. No one thinks those convicted of serious sexual crimes should get a slap on the wrist. But can sexual abusers be rehabilitated? The criminal justice system believes that most can, and offers sex offenders programs to help. The Vera Institute of Justice issued a comprehensive report Treatment and Reentry Practices for Sex Offenders, An Overview of States. (Read full report in the Library section of www.reentrycentral.org)
Reentry initiatives across the country face a thorny problem. Reentry organizations were designed to help formerly incarcerated persons successfully transition back into their communities. There are no written guidelines for providing help only to those whose offense was not of a sexual nature. Yet the Elephant, or as one NHRRT member put it, Gorilla, remains in the room, seemingly ignored, when ignoring it does nothing to solve a very real problem, and can be construed as being hypocritical. Not every participant of a reentry initiative may agree that sexual offenders can be rehabilitated, or should be given a second chance. Each case is different. But, to be able to speak about a topic that for too long has been shrouded in silence can be liberating, for reentry initiative members, and for reentering sex offenders who count on them for help.
|
|
|
|
