ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) — Hundreds of sex offenders being tracked by authorities would not be allowed into public hurricane shelters under a new policy, but would be allowed to ride out the storms in prisons instead.
The policy was created to keep sex offenders and predators away from children in the public shelters, Robby Cunningham, spokesman for Florida’s Department of Corrections, said Saturday.
Sex offenders who choose to seek safety in a prison would be kept in areas such as visitor or meeting rooms, not with inmates, he said.
«They are not incarcerated,» Cunningham said. «We don’t want them on the streets. We don’t want them violating their probation either.»
The policy only affects sex offenders under state supervision who are not allowed near children, according to the report published by St. Petersburg Times.
Sex offenders will also have to sign a form that outlines the evacuation plan and instructions. They must wear an ID badge, while smoking is not allowed. They can make collect calls on a pay phone. No pets or family members are allowed and no using the canteen.
They can also be searched at any time by authorities.
Randall Marshall, a legal director of the Florida branch of American Civil Liberties Union, said the policy could push sex offenders out of the supervision of authorities.
«If you take people who have served their sentence and are released from prison and try to (reinstate) themselves in society, the more steps you take to isolate and ostracize them … there are very few options for them to live their lives and not reoffend.»
