Number Of Sex Offenders In Florida Increases Dramatically

December 21, 2012

The number of sex offenders in Florida has increased dramatically in recent years even as the number of offenders who can’t be found by law enforcement has decreased, according to a new report.

According to the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, there were 23,813 sex offenders in Florida communities in 2012, an increase of 28 percent since 2005. At the same time, the number of offenders whose location isn’t known by law enforcement has been cut almost in half, going from 1,259 in 2005 to 693 this year.

But OPPAGA also found that almost a quarter of sex offenders can’t get a driver’s license or state-issued ID despite a legal requirement that they do so, and that homeless sex offenders “present challenges to the registration and notification process.”

By The News Service of Florida

Comments

7 Responses to “Number Of Sex Offenders In Florida Increases Dramatically”

  1. grace on January 1st, 2013 3:18 pm

    The reason the sex offender rates in Florida, are increasing is partly because the system is turning teenagers into sex offenders. It is a tale as old as time. The young freshman girls likes the senior boy who is 18 to 19 years old and the next thing you know they are in a sexual relationship. Mommy finds out and the boys life is ruined. I know about it first hand. There is also another case of this going on in our county right now. A boy with a ruined life ahead of him. We need to quick clogging up the system with these type of “Sex Offenders” we are the only country that has such laws. I Europe this is considered normal human behavior. The younger girl likes the older boy. When researching sex offender databases, remember to look at the age of conviction and also remember that person could have been in jail for a year before they were actually convicted. Now they have a ruined life and are considered a pervert for the rest of their lives, when this was probably close to what we all did at that age. STOP THESE LAWS AND GET THE REAL SICK CHILD MOLESTING PERVERTS. NOT THE TEENAGERS.

  2. David Huie Green on December 22nd, 2012 12:02 pm

    “victim’s statement need not be corroborated.”

    “Second, there is no law that says a victims story does not need to be corroborated. ”

    From:
    http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0794/Sections/0794.011.html

    The 2012 Florida Statutes

    Title XLVI CRIMES Chapter 794 794.022 Rules of evidence.—
    (1) The testimony of the victim need not be corroborated in a prosecution under s. 794.011.

    (794.011 Sexual battery)

    So, yes there is such a rule, but no it does not mean the testimony has to be taken at face value by the jury. It means a woman accusing a man of rape does not have to drop the charge if there were no other witnesses available or willing to say they watched the person rape the woman (or man, or child).

    Sometimes people lie.
    Sometimes people tell the truth.

    Juries have to decide.

    David for better people and perfect juries

  3. Valerie Parkhurst on December 22nd, 2012 8:51 am

    Florida has more sex offenders for no other reason than the weather (especially in Winter months) add to that Florida practically hands these freaks a “welcome basket” at the state line or throws them a life preserver when they float up on any of our shores. Then of course God forbid we “deport” the worthless examples of DNA back to their own countries, that would be so “Pollitically incorrect”!!! Liars can figure, figures dont lie, a state cannot absorb 10 lb’s of sleazy sex offenders and try and fit them in a one lb. bag. But our illustrious legislators have the perfect solution, abolish sex offender residency restrictions and allow them to live closer to our families! Great idea uh? Florida better think about a moratorium on sex offenders who commit their crimes in other states and are given a free pass to come to ours! Florida better recognize that “society” is gonna reign down a world of hurt on these freaks, if they dont address the issue at its roots..

  4. SVU detective on December 21st, 2012 8:16 pm

    @ just saying

    Your comments are misleading and taken out of context. First of all, the statistics I believe you are referring to are for death penalty cases, which are almost exclusively homicides. Homicides are completely divergent animals because the victim can’t be there to testify, which opens the door to bad convictions. In sex cases, the victim testifies. The jury can listen to their story and decide for themselves what to believe.

    Second, there is no law that says a victims story does not need to be corroborated. All evidence is taken into account, including witnesses, DNA, and the suspects statements. The only way a person wi be found guilty is if a jury is convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, which is hard to do.

    I assure you that the number of guilty that walk free far exceeds the number of innocent that are convicted.

  5. just saying on December 21st, 2012 7:06 pm

    I would like to add that Florida has the highest wrongful conviction rate of any state in the country. Also that a sex charge is the only crime which a defendant cannot defend themselves against. There is a piece of law that states, “victim’s statement need not be corroborated.” So in Florida’s courts a person may be convicted based upon hearsay and not actual evidence. This is why there is such a spike in sex offenders in Florida.

  6. jcellops on December 21st, 2012 10:08 am

    not sure how i feel about the 1/4% (or 5,778) of released fla sex offender not being able to get a DL, …..but, it would serve everyone if they possessed a valid fla ID card- hope the system gets tightened up soon…..

  7. 429SCJ on December 21st, 2012 6:05 am

    Proably because more are being arrested/charged and convicted.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News