As a result of efforts by the University of Washington, 13 registered sex offenders will be forced to move out of a neighborhood adjacent to the university this month, and the school is seeking the relocation of more.
Given that the 90024 ZIP code, which includes UCLA and Westwood, is listed by the Department of Justice as having three registered sex offenders, UCLA should reevaluate its role in neighborhood security, but should not go so far as to seek preemptive removal of registered offenders without their first committing an offense in the community.
The registered sex offenders are rehabilitated and should be allowed to coexist in our society without the stigma of previously committed crimes. They should be respected as members of our society and have the ability to live in peace, rather than be pushed out to another neighborhood.
Rather than simply petition departments of corrections to relocate registered offenders, universities should focus on increasing preventative safety measures like better street lighting, frequent police patrolling, and informing people of steps they can take or concerns that might affect them.
While Westwood may have areas with less than ideal street lighting, the frequent patrols by university police in the surrounding city, in addition to campus, have effectively helped to create a safe environment. And programs like Sexual Violence Prevention and Education, run by the UCLA Center for Women and Men, should receive more attention.
Members of our own community should be proactive in learning how to make our campus safer, instead of just demanding action from the university, which may not be effective in eliminating the risks of sexual assault being committed by our peers rather than by the registered sexual offenders living in the Westwood community.
The actions taken by the University of Washington exemplify the fact that universities can have ““ and should have ““ a significant role in improving the safety of surrounding neighborhoods.
UCLA is no different, as evidenced by UCPD patrols, and it should continue to take further steps to increase safety in Westwood.
Unfortunately, the typical college student faces sexual offenses in less predictable forms, such as acquaintance rape. Usually, acquaintance rape is not committed by a registered sex offender, and given that there are only three registered offenders in the area, it seems that their relocation would have little impact on the incidence of sexual assault in the area.
Furthermore, safety is a concern that should not focus only on sexual offenses, but violent crime as well as crime in general.
During the last school year, a string of nonsexual violent assaults were committed against women in Westwood over a brief period of time.
While it may be easy to target a handful of registered, rehabilitated sex offenders with no offenses in the area and feel secure by booting them off to another area, universities must not forget that most crimes are not being committed by such people.
Compared to many similar campuses, UCLA is relatively safe and the university is doing a sufficient job in taking care of its students. Although improvements can always be made, community members should abstain from targeting those who have already been punished for the crimes they have committed.