By Gary Warth
North County Times [California]
March 22, 2007
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03/23/news/top_stories/19_07_133_22_07.txt
Area churches may find a cautionary lesson in the ongoing debate about whether a Carlsbad congregation should allow a registered sexually violent predator to join them in worship.
"I hope everyone goes to their church on Sunday and asks, 'Do we have a safe-church policy?' " said the Rev. Madison Shockley, pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad.
Shockley said he thought about such a policy only after being approached by Mark Pliska, who introduced himself as a twice-convicted registered sex offender who wanted to attend his church.
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| The Rev. Madison Shockley of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad says all churches should have a policy to deal with sexual offenders in their congregations. His church has been struggling with that issue since January, when a registered sexually violent predator asked to join the congregation. Photo by GARY WARTH Staff Photographer |
Pliska, 53, attended four services in January, and on the final Sunday of the month, told the congregation about his past: He was convicted of molesting two boys in 1983 and served six months in jail. He was convicted of indecent exposure in 1998 and served seven months in prison. Upon release, he was committed to a state hospital for four years.
Pliska has not attended church since, a request made by Shockley to give the congregation time to develop a policy for the situation.
Their struggle with the issue jumped into the public eye earlier this month when a parent of a student who attends the church-run preschool next door launched a petition drive asking the congregation to ban Pliska.
Media attention sparked a debate on local radio stations, in the press and on the Internet about whether the church would be irresponsible by letting Pliska attend or hypocritical for banning him.
"If I knew a year ago what I know now, I would have handled what happened two months ago differently," Shockley said.
Since meeting Pliska, Shockley said, he has learned that Pilgrim Church could have been better prepared by having a policy on sex offenders in place.
Many among us
Of course, Pliska is not the only registered sex offender in North County. According to the state attorney general's Web site, www.meganslaw.ca.gov, he is one of 443 living along the Highway 78 corridor between Oceanside/Carlsbad and Escondido. Considering those numbers, Shockley said it is likely that other local churches also have registered sex offenders in their congregation.
While Pilgrim's policy is still several weeks away from adoption, Shockley said, it would be likely to include psychological evaluations, escorts, and several other restrictions that would make the congregation more comfortable, as well as protect the offender from unfounded accusations.
Shockley said he has found many good suggestions in "A Time to Heal; Protecting Children and Ministering to Sex Offenders," by the Rev. Debra Heffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing of Westport, Conn.
Heffner recently wrote about Pilgrim Church on her Web site's blog:
"They did not have a safe-congregations policy, they did not have procedures in place for dealing with an accused or convicted sexual offender, their congregants had not been educated about the realities of sexual abuse prevention, and so now they are in a crisis situation about what to do. They are far from alone. Almost all of the congregations who contact me for assistance around these issues have not addressed them until a KNOWN sex offender is in their midst."
Heffner also wrote that every congregation probably has members who are sexually attracted to children. While sexual offenders who make themselves known and who agree to restrictions are not threats, she wrote, the ones who are unknown are potential threats.
"That's why policies for screening all volunteers who work with children, doing background checks for all staff and employees, having a two-adults-in-the-classroom rule, providing annual sexual-abuse prevention lessons to children and parents and so on are so important," she wrote.
Besides those restrictions, Shockley said, his church is considering a policy that would include background checks on all volunteers who work with children, which is now required only of employees.
Cool heads needed
A new policy also may see the church retaining a professional qualified to evaluate whether a registered sexual offender should be considered a threat.
Rancho Santa Fe resident Glenn Lipson, a forensic psychologist who has worked with county and law enforcement agencies regarding sex offenders, has spoken to the congregation and offered to perform risk assessment for Pilgrim Church. "The church is taking this seriously," he said.
Lipson said cool heads and accurate information are needed to help the church through this time.
One of the most inaccurate statements Lipson said he hears repeatedly is that all sex offenders will repeat their crimes. "Any reoffense is too much, but in the hysteria, (people) believe that anyone who commits a sex crime is going to go out and do it again."
Lipson said statistics from the federal government's Bureau of Justice showed sexual predators had a recidivism rate of one in 94, or 5.3 percent, over a three-year study that included California and 14 other states. A research paper from last August summarized findings of 79 studies and found a recidivism rate of 12.7 percent, he said.
According to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, the recidivism rate for other crimes is much higher. One study showed 67.5 percent of criminals who were released in 1994 after serving time for a violent, property or drug offense were rearrested within three years. A similar study showed a 62.5 percent recidivism rate for criminals released in 1983.
An organization called Keeping Kids Safe Ministry, in Nashville, Tenn., is another resource for churches facing situations similar to Pilgrim's.
"There's such a need to educate church leaders on how to deal with these offenders," said Greg Spores, the program's co-founder and a former Ramona resident who used to operate the similar Sexual Outlets Accountability Program in San Diego County before moving to Nashville and starting the new ministry last year.
Spores said he used to work in a prison, where he counseled sex offenders. There, Spores said, he noticed that more than 50 percent of the sex offenders attended church, a statistic he confirmed continues when offenders are released.
Keeping Kids Safe Ministry offers resources such as online training, phone consultations and on-site seminars to churches struggling with what to do when a registered sex offender joins their congregation.
Two different situations
Spores said churches usually face two situations: a registered offender who makes his past known, and unregistered offenders who stay hidden.
"The two different types are like night and day, and the registered offenders are actually doing pretty well," he said, noting that repeat offenses from registered sex offenders account for a tiny fraction of reported sex crimes.
Spores said he first advises churches that they cannot give unconditional trust to anyone who is a registered offender, but must ask the person to agree to a list of conditions before being allowed to attend services.
"We want to verify whether this offender is praying to God or preying on kids," Spores said. "We want to get the probation officer involved and also the local treatment provider, and we'll work as a team."
Spores said he trains about 25 churches a week. Information is available on the ministry's Web site, www.KidsSafeMinistries.com. Church officials also can attend conferences for $275 or put the ministry on retainer for between $30 and $55 a month. Churches that approach Spores for consultations generally want the offender in the congregation to stay.
"They want these offenders to succeed," he said.
When a minister first realizes a sex offender is in the pews, however, Spores said the initial reaction is panic.
"But then they start thinking about it, and they realize they're doing what a church is supposed to do," he said. "A church is supposed to be a place for sinners, and God offers forgiveness to all, even sex offenders.
"At the same time, a pastor has to keep his church safe, so it's a challenge for the church."
There are rules
Spores said offenders must agree to more than a dozen rules.
"He can't sit next to a kid," he said. "He can't be alone in the bathroom at church, because there's kids going in and out all the time. He's got to stay out of any area of the church where there's kids. When he pulls up, he goes from his car straight to the main worship area, and he's got to choose very carefully where he sits. He can't sit next to kids. Once church is over, he doesn't hang out. He goes right back to his car and leaves."
Spores said he believes it is good for society as a whole for churches to accept registered offenders, and he sees some harm in continuing to persecute them once they are released.
"You can go overboard sometimes," he said. "You can make it impossible for them to live, and then what are they going to do when they can't get a job? It's best to keep them busy, not having to move from one place to another. Eventually, they do give up, and then they may be a higher risk to offend again.
"It's not that we need to feel sorry for these guys, because they did it," Spores said. "But as a society, we can cause more problems if we frustrate them."
Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.
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