Homes Where Sex Offenders Are Able to Police Each Other

[Muddleoftheroad]

By SARAH KERSHAW

POKANE, Wash., Aug. 2 — As a convicted child molester, Michael Flachmeyer knows how to spot trouble among his neighbors, 38 other sex offenders — rapists, pedophiles and exhibitionists — living with him in an apartment building in a gritty part of this city.

Mr. Flachmeyer, 33, known in the building as Flash, is not allowed to watch the Disney Channel as a condition of his probation, and he keeps a bottle of ammonia in his room, dutifully sniffing at its mouth to snap back to reality when he has deviant thoughts.

Mr. Flachmeyer lives in the New Washington Apartments, one of a growing number of buildings across Washington that house sex offenders, including some of the most violent and hard to place ex-convicts, together. And he said he was always on the lookout for bad behavior, his own and that of his troubled neighbors, snooping around for scraps of pornography, checking for signs of relapse.

"They know when I'm lying and not lying," said Mr. Flachmeyer, who served more than four years in prison for molesting a 2 1/2-year-old girl and has admitted, the authorities said, to molesting six other children, before moving into the New Washington Apartments in 2001. "Basically, we keep each other in line. Basically, we keep each other in check."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/03/national/03APAR.html?hp

[Muddleoftheroad]

1. Just what every neighborhood wants

A home filled with 39 sex criminals.

Am I the only one here who thinks this is a powderkeg?

And the lede of the article focuses on a guy who molested a 2 1/2 year old girl and served only four years. He admits to molesting six other children.

Why is this man free or even alive?

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

2. I agree...

I've seen so many cases where children are abused by repeat offenders... who barely received a hand-slap for prior molestations :-(

[Muddleoftheroad]

3. I don't understand it

Who are these judges that let this happen?

[jagguy]

4. so long as the building is sealed

and they are not allowed out, ever, seems like a good idea to me.

[Muddleoftheroad]

5. Unfortunately

That doesn't seem to be the case.

[jagguy]

6. oh dear

thats not so good

[Wonder]

7. Beyond Sex Offenders Anonymous

I still say Bikini Island's should be turned in to a penal colony, no exit. Scheduled rations dropped from the air to land, and let them police each other to their hearts content.

[bicentennial_baby]

8. What about the Bikinians?

Y'know, people still live on Bikini Atoll...

http://www.bikiniatoll.com/

[Wonder]

9. well I will admit

I haven't read about bikini aloll in a while, but aren't some of those islands still uninhabitable because of all the radiation testing? I meant one of the still uninhabitable islands. I perhaps since I read about that which was a while back, all has been cleaned up.

I meant one of the uninhabited islands.

[bicentennial_baby]

10. I think so

I'm sure a bunch of them are still very uninhabitable...You can go diving there, but you can't eat or drink anything from the islands themselves. Everything they consume has to be shipped in. It's amazing to me how these people have persevered and survived all this time, still with no meaningful reparations from the US.

[Wonder]

13. Reparation

doesn't seem to be that popular. Either that or it is a concept various leaders do not grasp. Anyway it was just a very sarcastic idea. I believe repeat offenders are beyond rehabiliation, then again, I haven't invested much of my time following their cause. I figure I'd leave that up to the ACLU. They seemed concerned enough with their rights, I certainly didn't need to stick my nose into it.

[Wonder]

11. hmmm a variation

a penal colony would do the trick... no guards... no thinging... perhaps a boat surveillance ... construct adequate but simple facilities... drop rations... food and various sundries... and let them live amongst each other.

[Mairead]

14. Priceless photo

The incredible level of sensitivity show by this cake all but leaves me speechless.

[bicentennial_baby]

16. OMG

That is...disgusting. :puke:

[Wonder]

17. Well that takes the cake...

a picture is worth a thousand words!

[jmm]

12. a gritty part of this city?

I get the feeling that the people who thought up this idea live do not live near these houses of sex offenders.

[Muddleoftheroad]

15. Well put

In other words, we're going to put the sex fiends in with the poor not in the white suburbs.

[Wonder]

18. I guess the rationale behind that is

aren't "they" all sex offenders? Kind of like aren't "they" all terrorists. I of course do not agree in either case with rationales along these lines. Then again and speaking compartively, it has been pointed out more than once that my views tend to represent the voice of a vocal minority.