NJ town approves pedophile free zone (the entire town)
Because of the specifics it would essentially ban pedophiles from moving anywhere in the entire township.
Hamilton draws the line
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
HAMILTON - Township officials took an unprecedented stand against sex offenders last night, signaling to convicted pedophiles they will no longer be welcome residents in much of the township.
The council voted 5-0 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting anyone convicted of a sex offense against a minor from living within 2,500 feet of a school, playground, park or day-care center. Violators will face possible jail time, fines and community service.
In adopting the ordinance, Hamilton became the first community in the state to institute a so-called "pedophile-free zone.
For Hamilton resident Danielle Ference, 28, the ordinance struck an emotional chord.
"I know that if this stops one child from becoming a victim, it's worth it," Ference said. "This ban is important to me, maybe more than most. It hits close to home.
"I grew up in Hamilton and what happened to me happened in Hamilton Township. What happened to me affected me in every aspect of my life and has for over 20 years. We have to draw the line somewhere and it should start here and it should start now."
Ference refused to discuss details of what it was that happened to her.
The nearly half-mile buffer around the township's 30 schools, 30 parks and more than 40 registered day-care centers will make it difficult for a convicted sex offender to find a home anywhere in Hamilton, but Mayor Glen Gilmore, who proposed the ordinance two weeks ago, has said that's a consequence he is willing to live with.
"It's certainly going to impose strict limitations on where (sex offenders) can live, but that's a situation they brought upon themselves with their actions," said Gilmore. "It is our obligation to do all we can to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
While sex offenders would be prohibited from moving to the new buffer zones, any of the township's 46 registered offenders who might fall under the law and may already live in a banned area would be able to stay.
Gilmore's comments were echoed by residents who came out to support the new law.
"I'm a grandfather now," said Ronald Wolff. "I think one of the strongest things we can do is send a message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our community," Wolff said.
The ordinance is the first of its kind in the state, Gilmore said, and puts the township at the forefront of the statewide movement to protect children.
Earlier this month, the Monmouth County municipality of Keansburg introduced an ordinance that would set the ban at 1,000 feet.
Last week, a statewide law that would set the buffer at 500 feet was approved for a vote by the state Assembly. That bill, introduced by Assemblymen Brian E. Rumpf and Christopher Connors, both Republicans from Lacey Township, could face a vote by the full Assembly this month.
But bans at the state and local level are not without opposition.
At an Assembly committee hearing on the bill last week, American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Deborah Jacobs called the legislation "wrong-headed" and said it would do nothing to stop pedophiles from preying on children.
"While Megan's Law, civil commitment and (these buffer zones) all play to the fears of the public, in fact, when it comes to stopping sex assaults, these measures do more harm than good," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said the ban would only make it more difficult for sex offenders to succeed in society once released and would promote repeat crimes instead of stopping them.
Jacobs advocated programs that would reduce sex offenses, such as education on the effect of abuse and the importance of reporting it and mental health treatment for victims and offenders.
John LaFond, a law professor at the University of Missouri who has written a book on dealing with sex offenders, said the restrictions represented a "not-in-my-back-yard" mentality and might make it more difficult for released sex offenders to re-enter society.
"I think it's a symbolic gesture that lets politicians say they have done something and falsely assures the community that it is safer," LaFond said in an interview earlier this month. "Worse, it squanders scarce police time and other resources."
LaFond said a better option would be programs that would identify offenders who are most likely to repeat their crime and monitor them with extensive parole and polygraph testing.
"It's unpopular, but smart," he said. "You can't strike out at every sex offender but can target the most dangerous ones by imposing very restrictive conditions on their daily lives."
If passed by the Assembly and the Senate, the state law would supersede the Hamilton ordinance and make the law far less stringent than the council intended.
With that in mind, Councilman Dan Benson asked fellow members to consider a resolution asking the Legislature to extend its ban to 2,500 feet or add a clause to the bill allowing municipalities to enact stronger legislation.
Gilmore also has called on the state to toughen its ban to match what Hamilton enacted last night.
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