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I am a registered sex offender. I found your article fascinating because you've pretty much hit all the valid points, especially with regard to recidivism, reasons that sex offenders commit their offenses, and who the registered sex offenders may be. I've decided to add a novel idea to the mix.

In most cases, when people think of registered sex offender, they think of someone that is Charles Manson or John Wayne Gayce in personality, when in reality most RSO's are usually more timid and less likely to be involved with society. In fact, the bigger problem with sex offenders are not that they are prone to recidivism, but that shutting them out completely actually adds to that chance.

So the answer is obvious: Invite the registered sex offender to a neighborhood watch meeting. Note that I didn't say he should join that night, nor did I say he should be considered someone you can trust your kids, or even with your adult friends. In fact, we aren't asking that you do this out of deference to him.

Instead, this is an opportunity to actually defuse the fear that many people have. That fear generally works AGAINST families, not help them cope with potential dangers. And of course, certainly I don't advocate this for ALL RSO's.

There are some points about this that should be discussed.

1. Consider the fact that some people may have shut out any rational thought when it comes to RSO's, and may not want to attend the watch meeting if the RSO shows up. This is due to an inborn bias that cannot readily be overcome, and frankly is not something that I can help advise. However, note that it is BECAUSE of this bias that such registries occur in the first place. (Imagine the man to be a burglar, a carjacker, or a child ABUSER, not sex offender. Realistically compare offenses in that manner).

2. While not necessary, it would be wise to have a community law enforcement rep at the meeting, not so much for actual safety, but peace of mind by the membership.

3. When you invite the RSO, let him say a few words to the general meeting. Don't interrogate him on his crime, as he has already been tried, sentenced, and punished for it; ostensibly, he's either being rehabilitated (on parole, therefore still under jurisdiction of the court), or post correctional with just a requirement to register. To interrogate him would not be reassuring to the questioner, and frankly is not productive to your goal, which is community safety.

4. Obviously, he's not looking for friends at this time. But if he passes muster at the first meeting, invite him on a regular basis. Over time, his demeanor and personality will overcome your natural desire to judge him as an offender. In fact, he may be at a point where you can consider him to potentially join the group as a participating member. Of course, such membership should only be offered with certain limitations. You can refer to your law enforcement liaison representative for guidelines.

5. Finally, I'm not saying that anyone should ever invite the offender into their life as one would any other non-RSO neighbor. But, with everything else in life, a person's intuition should always be highly regarded, and as time progresses, you will most probably see that the RSO is not really the devil that society has him to be...

...But there are exceptions. Those exceptions are very rare, and frankly are more likely to evolve from non-RSO's than from RSO's. And certainly, these people aren't going to let a listing on the Internet Registry, or exclusion from society, affect their own offending personalities. THOSE people represent the