Statement at City Council Meeting

“Regulating Where Convicted Sex Offenders
May Reside in Reynoldsburg” 

Ron Stake, Councilman
City of Reynoldsburg

January 22, 2007

President Hills, Members of Council, Mayor McPherson, ladies and gentleman. We are here tonight to take the third and final vote regulating where convicted sex offenders may reside in Reynoldsburg. 

I’ve heard some council members comment that this doesn’t fix the problem of protecting children from sexual predators. The intent of this legislation never was to fix the problem of protecting children from sexual predators. The intent was to establish requirements providing for an additional level of protection of the health and lives of our children in this community from sexual predators.

I’m convinced by the following research that our children need this additional protection from sexual predators.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in a report titled Recidivism of Sex Offenders released from Prison in 1994 found:

• 46% of rapists and 41.5% of sexual assaulters were returned to prison within 3 years of their release.
• 39.4% of child molesters and 49.9% of statutory rapists were rearrested within 3 years of their release.
• These statistics reflect those only who have left prison for the first time. In other words those released from prison for the 2^nd and more times were not counted.

The State of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in a report titled Ten-Year Recidivism Follow-Up of 1989 Sex Offender Releases stated:

• Rapists returned to prison at a rate of 56.6%
• Child Molesters returned at a rate of 42.4%
• Almost 50% of sex offender victims are under the age of 13 another 22% were between the ages of 13 and 17
• Incest child molesters were the least likely to return to prison at a rate of 13.2%
• Of all sex offenders who were returned to prison two-thirds did so within 3 years

Both studies I’ve outlined contain scientific research regarding the recidivism rate of sex offenders. Neither study accounts for those who repeat the offense but are never caught or prosecuted. A sex crime involving a child is particularly heinous. This research clearly shows that our children need this extra level of protection against sex offenders.

Reynoldsburg City Attorney Jed Hood has provided us with an ordinance he believes stays within the boundaries of the United States Constitution. We have discussed other proposals that our City Attorney believed would violate the Constitution. We’ve also discussed narrowing the requirement to certain types of sex offenses that our City Attorney has said would be costly and time consuming.

The ordinance before you is reasonable common sense legislation. It stays within the confines of the constitution and provides an additional level of protection from sexual predators for our children.

I would like to thank Councilman Clemens for championing this legislation with me. I also would like to thank Councilwoman Newman and Council President Hills for joining me in voting to move this legislation out of the Safety Committee and on for its third and final reading and a full vote of council.

Council members your vote tonight in favor of this ordinance will help further protect our children. Your vote against this ordinance will give the convicted sexual predator more opportunity to commit the crime again.

Thank you.