EVENTS IN Co Wicklow have raised serious questions about how Irish society deals with sex offenders. Public protests in recent weeks and a near-hysterical response to the attempted housing of a sex offender’s family by the local authority have led to the burning of a designated house in Ashford and the unanimous adoption of a deeply discriminatory resolution from Labour Party councillors. It is an issue Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore should confront with urgency.
By proposing a motion to remove sex offenders “and those who consort with them” from the local authority housing waiting list, Labour representatives sided with what the council’s director of services Michael Nicholson described as “a mob mentality”. In such a heightened atmosphere, with more than 100 people demonstrating outside the chamber, other councillors went along with this populist approach. It was a shameful abdication of civic responsibility and involved rejection of the council’s own non-discriminatory housing policy. The resolution will only take effect, however, if approved by the Department of the Environment. And that is unlikely to happen because of constitutional and legal considerations.
The particular case involved an individual who, 18 years ago, was found guilty of having sex with a minor and received a suspended jail sentence. Checks by local authority officials established the man was in the “low-risk” category and it was decided to house him and his family. When news of his conviction became known in the community, however, people objected to the family being housed in their area. And when a house was formally allocated in Ashford, it was badly damaged by fire last weekend. Subsequently, Labour Party councillors led what they described as “a zero tolerance campaign” to the housing of sex offenders, and those who consort with them, within the county. As part of that exercise, council officials were instructed to give councillors 10 days notice of all housing transfers and allocations.
These developments have focused attention on the need for public debate and broad agreement on the treatment of various kinds of sex offenders within the community. International experience has shown that helping offenders to reintegrate through careful monitoring, official support and help in finding work offers the best outcome for protecting children. Lurid media reporting of this issue and zero tolerance action by Labour Party councillors are regrettable. A more considered humane approach is required.