Helping sex offenders? Are you kidding?
We don’t like sex offenders. Let’s face it. many liberal Americans will stand behind illegal immigrants, transgender persons, gays, mentally challenged individuals and homeless people. But sex offenders? Nope! No way! Well, you and I have a problem. Right here in Michigan we have some 4,000 sex offenders in our state prisons, and most are going to be released someday. However, we’ve placed so many hurdles in their path that successful reentry is very difficult and recidivism is very possible. These men and women can’t get housing, can’t get jobs, can’t avoid the social stigma attached to their record, and face all kinds of problems due to our sex offender registration system. They are even shunned in the Christian community. Many churches develop policies regarding sex offenders including conditional attendance, perhaps other risk management strategies, and in some cases, even total exclusion. I’d like to introduce you to CoSA CoSA (Circle of...