OK expected on bill to keep sex offenders at a distance

'It needs a little work': Everyone of different mind

COLUMBIA — South Carolina could soon limit the places sex offenders can live, if a bill working its way through the Legislature becomes law.

The bill, which is expected to get the approval of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, would bar certain registered sex offenders from living near schools, playgrounds and other areas frequented by children.

"This is another layer of protection for both children and parents in the state," said Rep. Joan Brady, R-Columbia, who sponsored the bill. "I am concerned with the civil rights of sex offenders but I am even more concerned with the safety of our children in South Carolina."

The legislation, similar to laws passed in some South Carolina municipalities and states including Georgia, have critics who say it isn't tough enough and others who it say infringes on the rights of sex offenders.

The bill would stop sex offenders who have committed sex crimes against children from living within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, park or recreation area. The first two offenses would be misdemeanors and the third a felony.

It would not require sex offenders who already live close to those places to move, nor would they have to move if a school, for example, is built sometime in the future near their home.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said he expects the bill to get broad support but would like to see stronger penalties.

Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, has similar concerns.

"The question becomes how meaningful is it?" said Malloy, who heads the Senate's criminal law task force.

Two Lowcountry mothers who took their children on a weekly play date to the Northwoods Mall earlier this week said they support the measure but weren't sure the 1,000-foot restriction goes far enough.

"It's still too close for my comfort," said Mary Lee, a mother of two from Goose Creek.

Lee and Cara Wade said they both actively check the state's online registry of where sex offenders live. They said allowing sex offenders to live too close to where children gather only creates temptation.

The New York-based independent group Human Rights Watch argues the such laws create more problems than they solve by forcing offenders away from jobs, relatives and treatment programs.

Still, Reps. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, and Seth Whipper, D-North Charleston, both members of the House Judiciary Committee, said they support the legislation. Some details must be sorted out, such as the procedure for measuring distance, before the bill makes it to the House floor.

"It needs a little work," Stavrinakis said. "You want to protect children. You just don't want to punish innocent people."

Outline of the bill

The Legislature is considering statewide restrictions on where certain registered sex offenders can live. The bill, which is being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee, would:

--Make it a felony on a third offense for the offenders to live within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, children's recreational facility, park or public playground.

--Affect only those sex offenders who have committed crimes against children younger than 16 or anyone convicted of kidnapping a child younger than 18.

To search for the 1,100 sex offenders living in the state, log onto the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's online registry at http://services.sled.sc.gov/sor.

For more information on the legislation, Bill 3094, check out the Statehouse Web site at www.scstatehouse.net.

Reach Yvonne Wenger at ywenger@postandcourier.com or 803-799-9051. Reach Andy Paras at aparas@postandcourier.com or 745-5891.