California relaxes residency rules for sex offenders, will apply restrictions on case-by-case basis
Following a California Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that a blanket state-law ban on sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of a school or park was unconstitutional, state prison officials on Thursday announced new rules.
Such restrictions will be imposed on registered sex offenders only on a case-by-case basis, they said. Existing restrictions will remain in place during the two months it is expected to take to review all individual cases throughout the state, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
The supreme court decision striking Jessica’s Law technically applied only to San Diego County, because that was where the plaintiffs resided. However, “the state attorney general’s office has advised us that applying the blanket mandatory residency restrictions would be found to be unconstitutional in every county,” a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told the newspaper.
“The court’s ruling is specific to San Diego County; its rationale isn’t,” said Luis Patino.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “California Supreme Court rules for parolees who challenged housing restrictions for sex offenders”
