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Sexual offenders living in nursing homes
Sex offenders in Ohio nursing homes, other facilities do not have to notify fellow residents of their status.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
CINCINNATI — Sex offenders are living in nursing homes across the state, and there is no state law that requires that their fellow residents be notified in all cases.
At least 89 sex offenders are living in the state's 972 nursing homes, according to an analysis of nursing home and sex offender data by the Associated Press.
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Across the country, about 700 registered sex offenders were living in nursing homes and facilities for the mentally retarded in 2005, according to the General Accounting Office, the investigatory arm of Congress.
In Ohio, sex offenders must register with the county sheriff, and the sheriff must notify neighbors in houses, apartments and condominiums when sexual predators — the most serious sexual offenders — move in.
State law also says sheriffs must notify residents of multiunit buildings when sexual predators move in, but it is up to the sheriff's office to determine whether a nursing home qualifies as a multiunit building, Erin Rosen, assistant state attorney general for special prosecution, said Monday.
Jeff Dion, senior attorney with the National Center for Victims of Crime, said sexual assaults in nursing homes are a serious problem.
He said sexual offenders may not be supervised appropriately and be able to prey on bedridden victims.
"You're dealing with a vulnerable population," Dion said. "Many of these victims of sexual assault may not be able to communicate what has happened to them."
