Sex offender exclusion zones

The Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald-Record: The Village of Walden is about to learn a lesson that others have taken a while to understand. No matter what laws you put on the books regarding the places convicted sex offenders may live, the best way to keep children safe is to educate them and their parents to the dangers they face.

If children are taught ... what to do should they be approached by a stranger, they will be better equipped to avoid trouble and find the help they need. If parents are aware of the presence of these offenders, something that laws requiring notification to police help publicize, then they, too, will be on guard.

As for the debate over the creation of zones where sex offenders may or may not live, there is little evidence that they have much of an effect on safety. If they are restrictive enough, they might be able to keep any offenders from trying to live in a community. But short of enacting a village-wide ban, something that the courts would not allow, these efforts are always going to be ineffective.

The Walden law would prohibit a registered offender from living within 500 feet of a school. But it is almost impossible for laws or law enforcement to keep the targets of the law from walking, driving, shopping or otherwise spending time in places where children will be.