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CA - Sex offender residency limits not for juveniles

Original Article 12/18/2010 By Bob Egelko California's lifetime residency restrictions for sex offenders, which prohibit them from living within 2,000 feet of a park or school, can't be imposed on juvenile defendants without a jury trial, a state appeals court has ruled (Ruling PDF). Juvenile court trials are conducted by a judge. But the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana said the voter-approved residency limits - "banishment under a different name" - amount to lifelong criminal punishment that must be left up to a jury to consider. The court noted that most residential neighborhoods in regions like the Bay Area are near parks or schools, so convicted sex offenders must often choose between relocating to a distant area or going homeless...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sex Offender Issues on December 18, 2010 (boomark / email).