Days after a sex offender registered in Downers Grove, police checked on his residence and found he was missing.

Downers Grove police continued to investigate the offender, who had been released from county jail in January 2006, said Det. James Stark. With the help of several agencies, he was tracked down in Sarasota, Fla., and extradited back to Illinois. A similar flight was uncovered by a spot check in October 2006.

In another case in February, an offender violated restrictions and moved back in  his Downers Grove home with his family, which included children.

While all these violations resulted in arrests and further prison time, they highlight the serious need for supervision of sex offenders. Monitoring has been made more difficult by many offenders choosing to serve their parole in prison because of few housing opportunities.

For convicted sex offenders, parole becomes an extension of the prison sentence. Roughly 540 sex offenders are serving parole in prison and are poised to depart with no supervision or treatment, according to the state’s Prisoner Review Board. On average, sex offenders serve three to five years of parole.

When sex offenders serve parole behind bars, treatment is optional. And when they leave prison after completing parole, agents do not supervise their transition back to the community.
Sergio Molina, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, acknowledged this it is a significant problem. He said the DOC goes out of its way to investigate and identify possible homes for sex offenders who are done with their sentences. About 1,200 sex offenders are on parole in Illinois.

Meanwhile, local agencies have been working to ensure offenders register and maintain their restrictions.

“State law requires law enforcement to do a physical address verification of all offenders once a year,” Stark said. “The Downers Grove police check offenders every 90 days or more.”

In addition to frequent checks, Stark said the police keeps information on sex offenders on file even if they say they have left Downers Grove. Offenders are fingerprinted and photographed when they register and are required to provide work, school and vehicle information. When an offender moves in, Downers Grove is one of a few departments sending out mass mailing notifications to neighbors.

Besides the mailers, parents who want to learn more about risks to their children can visit workshops organized by the police and the Downers Grove Park District each season.

The next session on protecting children from sex offenders will be Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Lincoln Center, 935 Maple Ave. Currently 24 people are registered, said Recreation Supervisor Kelly Novotny.

“If people knew how important the classes are and how much you actually learn, attendance would be greater,” she said.

Stark, who will teach the class, said it is important for parents to be vigilant. One way is to monitor the National Sex Offender Public Registry, which can be accessed from the Illinois State Police Web site at www.isp.state.il.us/sor.