Articles
Judge: Law Can't Retroactively Punish Sex Offenders
A Missouri judge ruled that sex offenders who live near schools or day care centers can’t be evicted if they moved in before a change in state law took effect in 2006.
The 2006 change to state law forced sex offenders living within 1,000 feet of a school to move, regardless of whether or not they moved in prior to the law taking effect. According to Judge Patricia Joyce, the change to the law was unconstitutional because it punished sex offenders retroactively.
Last year, the Missouri parole board was sued by a sex offender who was told to move or else risk violating his parole. The man lived in his home—near a grade school—since 1997. In 2005, he pled guilty to attempted enticement of a child.
“These people plead guilty under one scenario. You can’t change the rules of the game at halftime. If you want to tinker with (the law) for political gain or otherwise, do it in a constitutionally firm manner,” said Chet Pleban, the man’s attorney.
Brian Hauswirth, spokesman for Missouri’s Department of Corrections, said he didn’t know how many of the state’s nearly 7,000 registered sex offenders would be affected by the recent ruling.
(Source: Associated Press)
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