The Contra Costa Times reported yesterday that state officials “set new rules concerning where homeless parolees can stay and for how long.”

The new policy, sent in a memo to parole agents statewide, bars sex offenders who register as transients from staying at any address more than two hours — or the time it takes to charge their GPS anklets — except for work, business or government reasons or for care or treatment services…
…The policy, which takes effect immediately, mirrors one the state Department of Corrections issued in July, then quickly rescinded after legal questions arose. It comes as the number of transient sex offenders steadily rises two years after voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 83. As of last week, nearly 1,300 paroled sex offenders in California are registered transient, according to the agency.

Corrections officials said that many homeless sex offenders “bounce between motels and other places that fall within the banned zones.”  Jessica’s law requires offenders to wear GPS anklets for tracking purposes. In addition, the law “allows cities to craft tighter restrictions on where registered sex offenders can live, and some have responded with laws further limiting the housing options — increasing the number of transient offenders.”
Click here to read the full article.