FAQs • Bothell WA • CivicEngage

Now that I know a sex offender lives in my neighborhood, what should I do differently to protect myself and my family?: Open communication between parents and children are vital components of family safety. In general terms, tell your children that this person has hurt someone before. Explain to them that they should stay away from this individual. Review safety tips, and be aware of common lures. Remember that the purpose behind community notification is to reduce the chances of future victimization of persons by this offender. The information gained through this notification should assist you and your family in avoiding situations that allow for easy access to victims. Don’t harass your neighbor. An offender put in a stressful state is more likely to relapse. Let’s help them succeed; we all win with fewer victims.

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Sex Offender Information

1. What are the different sex offender levels and what do they mean?: Level 1: The vast majority of registered sex offenders are classified as Level 1 offenders. They are considered at low risk to re-offend. These individuals may be first time offenders and they usually know their victims.

Level 2: Level 2 offenders have a moderate risk of re-offending. They generally have more than one victim and the abuse may be long term. These offenders usually groom their victims and may use threats to commit their crimes. These crimes may be predatory with the offender using a position of trust to commit their crimes. Typically these individuals do not appreciate the damage they have done to their victims.

Level 3: Level 3 offenders are considered to have a high risk to re-offend. They usually have one or more victims and may have committed prior crimes of violence. They may not know their victim(s). The crime may show a manifest cruelty to the victim(s) and these offenders usually deny or minimize the crime. These offenders commonly have clear indications of a personality disorder.

2. Why is the offender moving into my community?

This individual has committed a crime that has been reported to a police agency, quite possible the agency that is conducting this educational meeting. That agency investigated the report and arrested the individual. The local prosecuting attorney for that jurisdiction determined the criminal statutes violated. They charged the suspect with those violations and went to court to convict this individual of those crimes.

The offender was either found guilty by a judge or jury, or as happens in most cases, pled guilty to the offenses which he/she was charged. When an offender is released from prison, he/she usually returns to the same area of residence from which they lived when the crime was committed. Most offenders are released to jurisdictions that originally gained the conviction. Sometimes offenders are released to another jurisdiction because they may have family support there, additional treatment to complete at a program located in the other jurisdiction, or they may have found a job in the area that will lead to a productive lifestyle.

3. If the offender is so dangerous, why is he being let out in the first place?

Washington is one of the states that have specific sentence ranges for each crime. These sentence lengths are called presumptive sentences and are determined by the Washington State Legislature (this is called determinate sentencing). When this offender was sentenced to prison by the judge, the length of required prison time was within the range.

Someone with no previous offenses has a shorter sentence, than someone who has been in trouble before. A person, who has a previous offense against a person, will be sentenced to a longer term than someone whose previous offense was a property crime. These possibilities are included in the sentencing guidelines.

On some occasions, judges don’t follow the guidelines. This is called an exceptional sentence. When a judge has a compelling reason to depart from the sentencing guidelines above or below, he or she must submit the reasons for that departure into the court record.

At some point in time, the offender will have served the sentence required by law and must be released. Once the sentence is finished, neither the Law Enforcement Agency, nor the court has the power to tell the offender where to live or work. The information provided in this meeting is supplied to inform you of the location the offender has chosen to reside, and/or those other places the offender is most likely to conduct legitimate activities.

4. Now that I know a sex offender lives in my neighborhood, what should I do differently to protect myself and my family?

Open communication between parents and children are vital components of family safety. In general terms, tell your children that this person has hurt someone before. Explain to them that they should stay away from this individual. Review safety tips, and be aware of common lures. Remember that the purpose behind community notification is to reduce the chances of future victimization of persons by this offender. The information gained through this notification should assist you and your family in avoiding situations that allow for easy access to victims. Don’t harass your neighbor. An offender put in a stressful state is more likely to relapse. Let’s help them succeed; we all win with fewer victims.

5. What do I tell my children about this offender?

Avoid scary details. You may know more than your children need to know. Keep information general, as it may protect them from others who try to harm them as well. Explain the importance of avoiding dangerous situations in general, rather than trying to teach them how to be safe from just the one person you know about.

Some basics about this one offender:
- Don’t accept a ride from the offender.
- Don’t go into the home or yard of the offender.
- Tell your parents if this person offers you toys, money, or gifts.
- Try to use the buddy system when children play outdoors.
- Call 911 if your parents aren’t home and you are approached by this offender.

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