Homeless, Homeless, Moonlight Sleeping in a Midnight Chat Room

David Weigel | November 1, 2007

Who could have predicted it? A draconian anti-sex offender law pushed by (among others) Bill O'Reilly is making sex offenders even more creepy.

A year ago, 70 pecent of California voters approved Jessica's Law, which bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or a park where children gather. That leaves few places where offenders can live legally. And now, hundreds of sex offenders are declaring themselves homeless -- whether or not they really are. And that's making it difficult for the state to track them.

I'm confused: Did lawmakers (and voters) really think that by treating these people more and more like criminals they'd become less criminal?

Kerry Howley looked at the folly of erogenous zoning in 2006.