Sex Offender residency restrictions failed to prevent "just one victim." It created one instead.
Portland, OR (PRWeb) April 2, 2007 -- SOhopeful International, Inc., an organization dedicated to reforming Megan's Law, would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and community of Christopher Barrios.
If effective methods of protecting children is the goal, it must be recognized that young Christopher's life was ultimately jeopardized by recent legislation passed by the state of Georgia that prohibits registered sex offenders from residing anywhere near an area where children congregate.
Christopher's father, Mike Barrios, is also a registered sex offender and was subject to the same restrictions as George Edenfield, the sex offender implicated in the murder. The media has reported that Edenfield and his family recently moved to the trailer park where the murder occurred because his previous residence was in violation of the new law.
Young Christopher Barrios may have never come in contact with George Edenfield had Georgia's residency restrictions not placed these two families together as a result of the limited places available for them to live in compliance with the law.
This latest murder is one example of the current evidence showing how residency restrictions disrupt the stability of ex-offenders that is vital to recovery, how the lives of innocent children of offenders are equally disrupted, and how little residency restrictions actually safeguard children at an enormous cost to law enforcement resources.
This law failed to prevent "just one victim." It created one instead.
For information on prevention of child abuse, and solutions to child safety, please visit SOhopeful.org (
http://www.sohopeful.org).
Press Contact: Jim Freeman
Company Name: SOhopeful International, Inc.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 503-381-6535
Website: http://www.sohopeful.org
Press Release Source: EMediaWire
