Stacie L. Patterson Law Blog
Posted - 10/09/2009 04:10pm
0 Comments | Add Comment Should Sex Offenders Be Allowed to Attend Church?
In California and many other states, sex offenders are barred from being near daycare centers -- many of which are located in churches. Lawmakers, law enforcement officials, congregants and sex offenders who desire to worship are caught in a bind if the church maintains a childcare center. Recently, a North Carolina resident sued to be able to attend church. To read more, click here.
When faced with this very same question two years ago, Pilgrim United Church of Christ, a Carlsbad, California congregation, drafted a "safety policy" intended to protect congregants and allow individuals who had been convicted of sex offenses to attend services. To read more about the policy, click here. If the policy has been successful, the church has managed to keep church attendees safe and probably helped one individual on his path to healing.
