In the mid-90’s, governments began barring sex offenders from residing within specific distances of schools, playgounds and parks, ostensibly to prevent repeat crimes post-release.

The Wall Street Journal had an article yesterday looking at cities and towns that are looking at scaling back limits on sex offenders, saying that “buffer zones”  don’t prevent repeat offenses and actually make predators harder to track. From the lede:

When Palm Beach County, Fla., was sued earlier this year over its housing restrictions for registered sex offenders, its attorneys took an unusual approach: They suggested the county relax its law.

The county’s commissioners— prompted largely by the lawsuit brought by a sex offender who claimed the limits rendered him homeless—voted in July to let such offenders legally live closer to schools, day-care centers and other places with concentrations of children.

“We realized the law was costing the taxpayers money [for services for the homeless] and was causing more problems than it was solving,” said county attorney Denise Nieman.

Read more: Cities and Towns Scaling Back Limits on Sex Offenders, Wall Street Journal, 11/30/14.