Court orders ban criminals from certain neighborhoods

[The Straight Story]

St. Louis (KSDK) - They are robbers, burglars and car thieves and now is many cases, they're now banned from certain areas.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney is a proponent of something called "Neighborhood Orders of Protection," which actually prohibit suspects from returning to the neighborhoods where they committed their crimes.

The hope is that residents will have access to this information, and if they see someone who is banned from their neighborhood, they can call police.

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce says, "It's a good feeling for the members of the community to know they can stand up to people who commit crimes in their neighborhood and say we don't want you here and there's some teeth behind that."

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/270371/3/Court-orders-ban-criminals-from-certain-neighborhoods

[slackmaster]

1. I'm sure those criminals are quaking in their boots

:crazy:

[MadHound]

2. And away we go, sliding further down that slippery slope.

I remember when sexual offenders started getting limits placed on where they could go, where they could live. A lot of people, both here and IRL were happy about it. I warned folks that is was a bad precedent to set, and now we see why. It has moved from sexual offenders on to other criminals. Before long it could be all criminals. How draconian are we willing to go.

[slackmaster]

3. If we got truly draconian about where criminals are allowed to go, it might actually work

Imagine a world where criminals can't go anywhere except for selected small, tightly guarded locations.

[WingDinger]

4. Soon, theyll move from prison, to post prison. Criminal communities.

[slackmaster]

7. John Carpenter made a movie along those lines in 1981, starring Kurt Russell and Lee Van Cleef

[Shagbark Hickory]

5. They do something similar here already with Sex "Offenders".

They just ban them outright.

Laws prohibit them from living near a school bus stop, near a stop sign, near a park, near a county owned anything, near a church, near a private school, near a tree, near a highway, near a garbage dump, just about anywhere.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Which makes them homeless, unemployable, and rootless

and vastly increases the chances of recidivism.

This kind of thing allows the state to continue to punish people who have already done their time.

I thought that 'shunning' went out of fashion in the 18th century.

[X_Digger]

6. So much for freedom of association / right to travel.

As long as it's only a condition of bond / parole, it'll probably stand up to legal challenge.

Crap like this makes me wonder if people still understand some of the basic principles of our system of government.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/JESSICA%27S+LAW+TRIGGERS+LEGAL+MESS+FOR+STATE-a0155805811

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Of course, once in place it justifies police road blocks and random

stops "Papers, please" to make certain that proscribed people are not entering proscribed areas.

[Jkid]

8. Britian has already has them, they're called ASBOs

Anti-Social Behavior Orders. But the last time I checked, they're phasing them out.

[surrealAmerican]

11. The article seems to be including "suspects" ...

... of crimes in this. That's very likely unconstitutional, and even if it isn't, it leaves a system that could be abused way too easily.

[X_Digger]

12. They make it a condition of bond.. therefore, suspects 'agree' to it.

At least that's the legal tissue paper covering it.

[potone]

13. Will this apply to white collar criminals, too?

The kind that caused the financial meltdown and destroyed the pensions of millions of people, and caused many people to lose their houses and jobs? Of course not.

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. "law abiding"...criminals?

So, the "new" neighborhoods who get these criminals, they are going to be happy?

And the "criminals" are going to obey ...the law?

I swear, the national IQ is dropping 10 points a year.