When a sex offender moves in next door

In California, residents can log onto a sex offender registry and see where offenders live. "How many of these people are we driving underground?" asks Ron Kokish, a clinical social worker who has directed sex offender treatment programs. "They lose their jobs, their homes, move, don't register [as a sex offender], and live in constant fear. This makes them more likely to offend again."

Recidivism among sex offenders is generally accepted to be very high, although accurate figures are hard to find. The latest available figures from the California Department of Corrections show that of the 2,300 felons who had committed sex crimes and were released from prison in 2001, about 1,000 returned to prison within two years.

After release, an SVP like Badger are monitored electronically and receive psychiatric treatment - something 99 percent of sex offenders don't get, says Nathan Barankin, a spokesman for the state attorney general. Despite that, the public objected to Badger's release here because of the concentration of college students that would be living in close proximity.

Badger, who is a diagnosed schizophrenic, has a history of sexually assaulting mostly young male hitchhikers, often at gunpoint. His most recent convictions include one in 1981 for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 29-year-old man; in 1991 he was convicted of sexual assault against a 21-year-old man. He has admitted to victimizing 20 others. In 1997, after serving a prison term, he was admitted to Atascadero State Mental Hospital. Last year, according to the state Department of Mental Health, Badger petitioned for release. After extensive evaluation, it was granted.

But no matter where Badger winds up, it's unlikely he'll be well received. Amy McVeigh, a mother of two who also lives near the halfway house proposed for Badger, says she was stunned by news of his release. "I thought it was odd he would be placed in the middle of a college community. It's like releasing a pedophile by the elementary school," says Ms. McVeigh. "A lot of us moved here looking for a safe place to raise our kids. My son's preschool was right near the halfway house, and we were all very upset."

But if community rejections like this continue, says Cindy Radavsky, assistant deputy director for the California Department of Mental Health's long-term care services, it seems inevitable that someone will challenge the constitutionality of requiring notification, treatment, and monitoring of high-risk offenders. "These guys have a constitutional right to due process and introduction back into the community."

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