Won’t you please not be my neighbor?

OK, ethics majors, let’s get to work. From the Bismarck Tribune:

When high-risk sex offender Richard Vondal moved into a house so close to Mandan High School that the school district had at one time considered buying it, anger and fear was a common reaction among parents and community members.

Sex offenders often have trouble finding appropriate housing once people find out who they are and what they’ve done. Few property owners will rent to sex offenders, and when an offender finds a home, the neighbors aren’t always welcoming.

Is this a case of just deserts for someone who’s violated the very intimate rights of another person, or is it incumbent upon society to do right by finding housing for offenders?

Consider: More than 120,000 people were considered “chronically homeless” in the U.S. in 2007, and…

Research has tied stability to lower recidivism rates for sex offenders, which means offenders who are homeless or lack support systems are more likely to reoffend.

So, what do you do with a sex offender who can’t find a place to live?