Providence Housing Offenders and One of Their Neighbors.

Further to Justin's post, the homeless shelter on Prairie Avenue in Providence, one of two in the state required to accept predators, is next to (that would be next to) Edmund W. Flynn Elementary School‎.

As the host city of the other homeless shelter required to accept predators, Cranston is understandably up in arms because

... the Howard Avenue location, less than a mile from Brayton Avenue Park and its youth playing fields, as well as three elementary schools and the city library, has sparked an outcry.

Less than a mile from children in Cranston. Less than a block from children in Providence.

It's one thing for a homeless shelter to be located near children. It's another matter when some quirk of funding or of law subsequently requires that that shelter house pedophiles. Somehow, the location of the shelter and the proximity to potential victims gets forgotten between the two steps.

Let's be clear that keeping a distance between elementary schools and shelters which accept offenders does not necessarily deprive offenders of new victims. Once offenders have served their sentence and are out in the community, they can and do strike again anywhere.

At the same time, there are certain steps that can be taken to eliminate easy targets. Keeping a twice daily parade of potential victims away from such offenders would seem to be one obvious step.

Addendum - Credit

Thanks to Michael Morse for pointing out, under Justin's post, the alarming juxtaposition of these two buildings.