TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A legislative policy analyst says studies show residency restrictions on sex offenders don't work.
Marti Harkness, who specializes in criminal justice issues, told a Florida House committee Tuesday that the limits also may be counterproductive.
Harkness said better options may be to bar offenders from smaller zones near places where children congregate at all times and keeping tabs on them through electronic monitoring.
Florida prohibits certain sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools and other places that attract children, but some local governments have expanded the ban to as much as 2,500 feet.
That's so limited where they can live that one group of offenders took refuge under a Miami bridge.
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