news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8110356.stm

'Isaias - who served five years in prison for having sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl and is now out on parole - says that all that he and many of his neighbours under the bridge want is to be able to attempt to lead a normal life and move beyond their criminal past.

"I can't live with my wife and my daughter. I would like to have a normal life and be able to become a productive member of society again, but society is not giving us that chance," he tells me.'

ITN covered this last year, and I recall one of the reporters nodding in agreement with the Miami authoriries while doing the story. It was one of ITN's sensationalist "We should do that over here!" stories.

A rather silly law anyway. If these guys are as dangerous as some people make out, is it really sensible to collect them all together so that they become almost an army? When things become too unbearable, won't they lash out? How is that helping to maintain law and order?

I would fall back on that old saying "Only in America," but I wouldn't be surprised if they tried it here too. Most American ideas find their way over here eventually.

My own opinion, though, is that the government's Super Prisons are being built to intern everyone on the sex offenders register, regardless of whether they have "re-offended" or not. Out of sight, out of mind. Meanwhile, the restrictions they currently live under, such as having to report travel details and other whereabouts, will be imposed on the rest of the population in general.

I heard this yesterday on Radio 4 and was shocked. Apparently the bridge is the only place that is far enough from children where they can "live".

a truly bizarre situation and direct result of 'pedo panic'. It doesn't do the slightest thing to protect a single person, continues punishment for a lifetime which is"cruel and unusual punishment' as defined in the US Constitution and even worse-makes the offendors families into victims.

One state-I can't remember which has had the law struck down in the courts with the judge agreeing that the quite ludicrous distance rule is total nonsense. The idea that a line drawn in the sand actually protects or harms some child is blatant lunacy.

One offendor did make money out of this-he purchased a home in the allowed area and posted huge signs around the property claiming a 'sex offendor' lived there. It was a response to laws saying such a sign was to be posted during Halloween.

As property sales stalled he successfully negotiated a $10,000 fee raised by locals to sell up and move on. Some enterprising property dealer should get in on the action.

The USA is going quite balmy. Not only do these laws impact on the dozens of young people being arrested for 'sexting' or those similar in age but one is just under the legal age, it means a person could be convicted for killing a child and eventually walk free with no restrictions. Insane.