We believe the letter from John Graham to his supporters will serve as a template for their communication to you. The arguments and threats contrived are fatally flawed and without merit. Graham states “this law is bad for three reasons”.
Graham: They have no research data showing this will make the community safer.
Response: Studies in sociology and criminology seldom produce the conclusive proof that Graham requests.[1] He has sent the Council on a fool’s errand. One of Graham’s early sex offender enrollees with a drug addiction was sentenced to 30 years for rape within six months of leaving the program.[2] The question then becomes: Does Graham’s program work and make the community safer? Sociologists do agree that dumping sex offender felons with psychosis and drug addictions will overwhelm the community resources to deal with their endless problems.[3]
Graham: Council has no plan how or even who will enforce this ordinance.
Response: The ordinance will be enforced the same way the current State 1000 foot requirement is being enforced, which should not be a very great problem since it is only a 500 foot extension. Greenville will perhaps employ some of the enforcement methods used by cities have extended their zoning to 2000 to 2500 feet.
Graham: Most important the city simply can’t afford to defend this issue in court. It is a blatant waste of taxpayer money.
Response: What the city cannot afford is to become a DRC dumping ground for sex offender felons with drug addictions and psychiatric problems that far exceed our mental healthcare, addiction monitoring and management and law enforcement capabilities. Sociologists do agree that what the DRC is doing is a prescription for the destruction of our community that will cost tens of millions of dollars not including the human toll of the victims. According to the 2010 study by sociologist Dr. G. Suresh et al “This suggests that social processes which have the effect of relegating Registered Sex Offenders to disadvantaged and undesirable communities will only serve to drive those neighborhoods deeper into social problems.3
Regarding the threat of “court”, we should be considering: (1) an injunction against dumping, (2) a charge of “gross criminal negligence”, especially if a rape or murder or major drug bust occurs as a result of the DRC’s misplaced felons, (3) enactment of laws protecting the community from sex offenders similar to those in Chicago and California. We had better do this because we know they are coming based on Kasich’s plan of closing three more prisons.
Finally, do the threats of a “radical ministry” (as Graham has labeled himself) have any place in an American government?
* This was a letter submitted to the Greenville city Council, and re-published here as the opinion of Charles E. Reier, MD, and Rebecca Reier (their footnotes are below the jump)
[1]Margaret L. Andersen, Howard F. Taylor - 2007 - Social Science, A warning often used by sociological researchers is, Correlation is not proof of causation. [2] Citizen Circle: A mentoring model for rehabilitating ex-felons in Darke County Ohio by John Graham March 9, 2009. [3] SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION AND REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS: AN EXPLORATORY SPATIAL ANALYSIS. Geetha Suresh University of Louisville Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine University of Central Florida Richard Tewksbury University of Louisville George E. Higgins University of Louisville 2010
Thanks again Mr. and Mrs. Reier for all your research!
ReplyDeleteThere is one point which has been missed on all of this: 10 years ago there was no need to "make the community safer" because the problem didn't exist. The fact that city council was not proactive before the gate was open will hardly allow them to be reactive now. Why not make the limit 2 miles from any school? That would put the problem in Greenville Township and out of our hair. That is about the only reaction that will work, common sense hasn't. We could take the path of CO2 sequestation which is to trap it, pressurize it and send it somewhere else. That'll work!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the problem is not with where these low lifes live but the fact that there on the street to start with.Toby Gilbert got sentanced to 4 years for his crime and it was the second time he has been in trouble for this.I mean come on people he will be out in 6 months with a judicial release and I see today that another low life is locked up for raping a young boy.The fact remains if the judge is going to let these creeps off with a lite sentance why not move to darke county?I mean you can blame who you want and say what you want but it comes down to this.If you touch a child in a sexual way or abuse a child you shouldnt see the light of day for at least 20 years or more.There are people doing a lot more time for far less crimes.It just doesnt make no sense to me why a judge would go so easy on some one that would harm a child especially in a small comunitty like this one.
ReplyDeleteGraham Cracker will soon have all of the fock drinking the cool-aid.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible states to pray for wisdom (common sense). With this in mind I agree with the article D.r. and Mrs Reier wrote. It takes years of education an experience for a person to work with and help a sex offender. It is just as important for directors to use safety nets for the community safety.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I do not understand how a director who needs to be out of town would choose a person to oversight a facility for sex offenders with little or no education or experience, and nervous in charge. Not only did this decision shown a lack of judgement (wisdom and/or common sense) but also greatly placed the safely of this community in danger. Labeling a sex offender as a low risk does not mean they will not re-offend.
Has anyone checked the Reier's sources? Someone has, thankfully. When you look them up yourself you'll find that they do not support residency restrictions. Read for yourself from another rag:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.countynewsonline.org/news/2011/feb/sex-offender.html
So, are the Reier's so blinded by their own desire to see this rule go into effect that they cannot see the descrepancies in the sources they are using?
JUST The Facts: You might want to look again Graham supporter , Seems your so caught up with sex offenders that you are the blind one! The rier's are right on the money! You might want to research Graham and you will find out that every word that comes out of his mouth is right out of the DRC book !
ReplyDeleteWe did. Here is the actual conclusion from the article.
ReplyDelete“Results reveal there are clusters of RSO residential locations both in general and for those living within 500 feet of a school or park. Additionally, the strongest measures of social disorganization that are associated with these clusters are lower median housing income, community poverty, unemployment, and vacant housing.” And the final statement of the paper:
“This suggests that social processes which have the effect of relegating RSOs to disadvantaged and undesirable communities will only serve to drive those neighborhoods deeper into social problems.”
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION AND REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS: AN EXPLORATORY SPATIAL ANALYSIS Geetha Suresh University of Louisville Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine University of Central Florida Richard Tewksbury University of Louisville George E. Higgins University of Louisville 2010
Just the facts, Your site dont exist! Maby you should try again!
ReplyDeleteThe Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction was guilty of gross criminal negligence when they sent a non-repentant rapist with a drug addiction to Graham’s program in Greenville/Darke County - which lacks the psychiatric and many other professionals necessary for management. No surprise within six months after leaving the Graham program, he raped another victim and is now serving a sentence of thirty years. Graham’s mentors were shocked by the event and had to be told by a parole officer that this was a product of “free will”.(1) Clearly the management of this individual was incompetent starting in Columbus and ending in Greenville. It seems that the predictable "social disorganization" began right there. The over-rated reference to the Levenson study by Graham and Mackenzie of the Advocate is the most egregious example of misinterpretation because it does not apply to the problem that Greenville and Darke County faces – that of the dumping of sex offenders into a small and already disadvantaged community. The Council has no other choice for the time being but to pass this resolution.
ReplyDelete(1) Citizen Circle: A mentoring model for rehabilitating ex-felons in Darke County Ohio by John Graham March 9,2009