| Matthew 5:9 |
| "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." |
| 08/17/09 - Church Security: convicted sex offenders in your church |
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On a regular basis, through our website, webinars, or seminars, we are asked by Christian leaders or security people what to do when a convicted sex offender begins to attend their church. I think this an easy question to answer, but maybe not an easy one to live with, given what we know – let me explain. We are talking about registered, convicted sex offenders – whether the victims were adults or children. One of the biggest advances that the criminal justice system in our country has made over the last couple decades is developing laws and a system to register, track, and notify the public of these criminals. Many see it as too severe punishment; to be “branded” in many instances for life, when other criminals, even those that commit murder, can serve their time, be released, and not be in any public database like convicted sex offenders. However one needs only to look at the statistics of the crime and offenders to see why our criminal justice system took these drastic measures. Look at the information from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm): Sex offenders - Of the 9,691 male sex offenders released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, 5.3% were rearrested for a new sex crime within 3 years of release. - Of released sex offenders who allegedly committed another sex crime, 40% perpetrated the new offense within a year or less from their prison discharge. Child victimizers - Approximately 4,300 child molesters were released from prisons in 15 States in 1994. - An estimated 3.3% of these 4,300 were rearrested for another sex crime against a child within 3 years of release from prison. - Among child molesters released from prison in 1994, 60% had been in prison for molesting a child 13 years old or younger. - Offenders who had victimized a child were on average 5 years older than the violent offenders who had committed their crimes against adults. Nearly 25% of child victimizers were age 40 or older, but about 10% of the inmates with adult victims fell in that age range. The “take away” from these statistics is that convicted sex offenders were about four times more likely than non-sex offenders to be arrested for another sex crime after their discharge from prison –– 5.3 percent of sex offenders versus 1.3 percent of non-sex offenders. Now, one of these people (most are males) shows up in your church. As Christians we have to believe in redemption and that God can work in people’s lives and change them. It is not our place to judge and no one knows another person’s heart. That said, you know the scripture we always quote from Proverbs 22:3 “….foresee danger and plan ahead….” I don’t believe in this case you sit idly by and ignore the situation, I also don’t believe that you secretly follow the convicted offender around making sure he/she doesn’t do anything wrong. My approach is simple – go talk to the offender. It isn’t a secret that he/she is a convicted sex offender – it is public knowledge. I feel that these folks should be welcomed to the church and then told that the church is aware that they are a registered, convicted sex offender. Make no secret that you know who they are up front. Do it respectfully and in private (with witnesses of course), But I think in the discussion some rules should be set down, given the high rate of recidivism for these people. They need to understand that you have an obligation to protect those in the church and given their history, they need to follow certain rules. You will determine the “rules”, but they should include things like stay away from the children’s area, don’t be in the church during non-service times unless prior approval is given, and let the offender know that there is a security/safety team in place (I pray that you have one) and that they are aware of the offender’s status. Make it clear that if there is ever any indication that they are acting out of line, the authorities will be called and they will be barred from church property (and believe me, they are more scared of the police being called because they do not want to do anything that would violate a parole or probation). You may or may not agree with my approach, either as a Christian or as a security person, but I believe the direct approach is best. In my experience in dealing with people with a criminal history, they are usually relieved when they know you know and don’t kick them out immediately and give them a chance. Beyond that I would make sure safety team members, ushers and children’s ministry staff know of the sex offender. If you have not gone to the website we have recommended in the past, Family Watchdog (www.familywatchdog.us), I would recommend you visit it. They have an area on the website where you may register your church (and I recommend your home) addresses. They will e-mail you alerts when a new sex offender moves into your area or begins working in your area. They have all the information that is out there and put it on one website for you, along with offender’s pictures, description, crime details, etc. They are a great organization, not-for-profit, and could use a donation if you feel moved to do so. As we always say, being informed is the first step in being prepared. Know who is attending your church and confront a concern before it becomes a legitimate problem. In Christ, Jeff Hawkins Executive Director |
