Communities construct tiny parks to keep sex offenders away

Some communities have begun building small parks to force sex offenders to move, The New York Times recently reported. Because sex offenders are often forbidden from living near areas frequented by children, such as parks and schools, cities from Los Angeles to Miami have developed parks to keep sex criminals away.

These parks need not be large. One Los Angeles park scheduled to open in several months will be a simple patch of grass less than 10x10 in size.

 However, the parks, which are intended to make areas safer, may have the opposite effect. Because parks will force sex offenders in proximity to move, the offenders may become homeless and thus slip through the cracks.

 Due to restrictions on where offenders can live, many sex criminals are unable to find housing and so turn to the streets. However, should the sex offenders become homeless, the threat actually becomes greater, according to studies.