Four registered sex offenders in California have successfully challenged the state's law forbidding them from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park.
William Taylor, Jeffrey Glynn, Julie Briley, and Stephen Todd argued they were forced to be homeless after being paroled.
Taylor and Briley also said they had to live in alley because a 2006 statute known as Jessica's Law imposed such harsh regulations on sex offenders, Courthouse News Service reported Friday.
California's Fourth Appellate District ruled last week the law is "unreasonable and constitutes arbitrary and oppressive official action."
Jessica's Law's requirements also restrict parolees' access to medical and rehabilitative programs, which are often located in populous areas, according to CNS.
"We find the blanket residency restriction, as applied in San Diego County, excessive and unduly broad in relation to its purpose — namely, to establish predator free zones around schools and parks where children gather," the court ruled. "The statute limits the housing choices of all sex offenders identically, without regard to the type of victim or the risk of reoffending."
DON'T MISS: The Obama Administration Says It's Unconstitutional To Strike Down The NDAA >
Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
