aid for a sex offender?

Question

This kid I know has been institutionalized throughout his whole life and has been diagnosed with bipolar, antisocial, and many other illnesses of the mind. He meets this fifteen year old girl who starts to date him (he's eighteen) for his money and rides. He loses his job and she doesn't want to date him anymore because of that so she goes to her mom and tells her about it. He goes to jail gets back out and she is after him again because he has a job. He gets back with her (she's now sixteen) and he gets in trouble again. She has his baby and since he is a sex offender... he will never see it.

Now he can't get any work or financial aid. Since he is an orphan and mentally challenged he is at an even bigger disadvantage. SSI has been denying him and he says he hasn't been able to get any aid. He resides in NY state. He spoke to his parole officer about not being able to find any work and he said that is his problem. He is supposed to see a psychiatrist but can't.

Can anything be done?

On a side note, I think that our justice system is terrible. Protecting children should be a priority. That is true, but should we disable people from becoming productive members of society by stripping them of their livelihood. Should we make it so that the only form of livelihood that they would be able to obtain would be through criminal organizations or drugs or even homelessness?


I think I can speak to this issue being someone who has suffered from sexual abuse by a family member as a child and knowing this person from elementary school and knowing his disabilities he has had throughout his life.

Answer 1

I don't understand why people waste their time answering...sorry about that....yes if he can find a clinic on a sliding scale payment system based on his income,that would be great.but he needs more than a sex group meeting.Yes,it may help him share his feelings but...He needs meds,help with work and housing.There is not "nothing he can do"....

I just wanted to add yes,there are flaws in our justice sytem,and Megans Law was set up to protect violent pedophiles and sometimes there are people that some may think are not appropriate for the sex offenders registry.but,if we did not have this in place at all,how would we protect our children.Unfortunately we have to be aware of the laws and do our best to protect ourselves from situations such as these.I understand he has psychological problems and I am truly sorry for how much more difficult that makes his life and his decision making process.I hope he can get back on his feet and not make the same mistake again.
Ok,you said you were in NY state,not NY city,but I found out some invaluable information and resources that your friend could be provided with including psychiatric care aand housing for people with special mental needs.If he can get there,or find a public health system in the city in which he lives,that is the only option.Free care and low-cost housing is going to most likely be provided through state funding and dispersed throughout it's counties,hence the county hospitals.Anyway here's some info about the psychiatric help and the link:


The Division of Mental Hygiene’s (DMH or Division) Office of Adult Services is responsible for planning, funding, and overseeing much of New York City's comprehensive network of community-based adult mental health programs. The Division contracts with a wide range of community organizations, including hospitals that provide a variety of services to adults with mental illness. These services reflect a wide range of program models which are designed to meet the varying treatment and support needs of New York's diverse population. Included in the service mix are different categories of outpatient care, case management, vocational and rehabilitation services, supported housing, assertive community treatment (ACT) teams, programs serving the geriatric community, and crisis intervention services

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/dmh/oas.shtml#6

Now the housing info:

The Office of Housing Services was established in 2004 to create housing opportunities for homeless New Yorkers with serious mental hygiene disorders so that they may live independently in the community. In coordination with other government agencies and not-for-profit organizations, we promote the development of supportive housing, which combines affordable housing with supportive, recovery-oriented services.

Most supportive housing funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is located in single-site buildings, although some programs are also located in scattered-site apartments spread throughout a community. DOHMH’s supportive housing is permanent, and tenants pay up to 30% of their income toward rent and utilities. The units typically are integrated with other affordable apartments for residents from the community without special needs.

The Office of Housing Services contracts with supportive housing providers to ensure the provision of or referrals to voluntary, individually tailored services for residents, which may include:

Case management services
Primary medical and mental health care
Drug and alcohol abuse treatment
Educational, vocational and other recovery-oriented services
Medication management and counseling
Assistance in gaining access to government benefits
Referrals to providers in the community for other needed services

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/dmh/dmh-housing.shtml

Navigate through the site and there are alot of programs that could be looked into,or they could direct you to the best mental health programs in his county/city.Also tell him to continue to appeal his SS claim,he may eventually be awarded benefits.Also,he may want to apply for gov't assistance like section 8 and food stamps,like we have here in IL.He should also be aware what level sex offender he is,the lowest is able to be removed from the registry in NY state after 20 yrs,there are 3 levels.

NOW,This is the link to New York STATE Dept. of Health health programs,again,navigate through this helpful site.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/

This is the link to the Mental Health Information Center for NY STATE and they have plenty of programs regarding housing and care:

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/

this is as good as it gets if he has no othe rmeans.be sure to look for employment services as well for people with special circumstances as well in terms of his sex offender status and his mental health.Hope this helps you friend.....wheeww that was alot lol

Answer 2

Really?! I mean its just plain wrong. There is a fine line between a sex offender and someome who has HIV. Although people think those with HIV are bad people, its not the case. That would cause chaos in the world. IF thats the case why not have a syphilis, herpes, or hell tuberculosis registry? In case you may not know, everyone who has HIV/AIDS are not bad people, sex offenders are. Those with the virus are already suffereing emotionally, physically, socially. Some are threatened, even greeted with violence just because of their hiv status. It'd be plain wrong.

Answer 3

Sounds like both of those kids have problems. He should have been smart enough to stay away b/c that is statutory rape. It is his responsibility to get a job and hold it, and if he can't then that is a violation of his parole. There is nothing he or you can do. The state does not have to help with anything if he is not considered a danger to society and himself He needs to do anything and everything in his power to get a job and a psychiatrist b/c if he doesn't do one thing in the eyes of the state it is his problem and he goes back to prison for a long time.
Here is the problem with sex offenders they can not be rehabilitated. They have psychological problems that enable them to be rehabilitated. I don't know if he commited a sex offense such as rape or molestation against another or if it was just statutory rape, but NO matter what it is an issue that needs to be handled. Unfortunately his psychological problems play a large role in if he will commit another sex offense. Most offenders that commit crimes have psychological probems. 1 out of 2 sex offenders commit another sex offense and hopefully get caught and go back to prison. Those that commit sex offenses once should be locked up for the rest of their lives!!!!

Answer 4

this all varies state by state.

if the state requires him to see a therapist and he can't afford one, i don't think they can penalize him for not having money.

there are also some therapists who see people and charge based on their ability to pay.

also there are very helpful groups call SLAA (sex and love addicts anonymous) - i know that there are detractors out there who will say that this sort of thing is silly or unhelpful, but there are thousands of pages of docmented cases where groups like this one - based on the 12 steps of AA (alcoholics anonymous) have helped enormously.

your friend should, just for sanity's sake, seek out an SLAA group near where he is - they charge nothing and ask nothing of their membership.

it might be that this sort of group program could substitute for therapy - but maybe not as well...

Answer 5

Sounds like they both need therapy. Is he to the point he could qualify for Social Security disability? It's a hassle, but if he can justify his mental issues, he should receive benefits.