Hidden Sexual Predators

No Legal Requirement

The Tribune-Review published an incredible report on sexual predators in the nursing home industry. Justice Department statistics show that even after 15 years, 24% of convicted sex offenders will commit another sex crime. South Carolina law does not require nursing homes to disclose if sexual predators are living with your loved ones in nursing homes.

Wes Bledsoe is a nationally recognized elder care advocate. He warns:

“You’re putting felons into nursing homes and memory care units — the most vulnerable populations. There’s the church lady, your former kindergarten teacher (and) your veteran that are being physically and sexually assaulted by these offenders, and no one cares.”

No federal law requires nursing homes to notify residents, families or staff when the facility admits a convicted sexual predator. The omission is dangerous and unnecessary. Experts point to huge financial incentives for facilities to admit sex offenders. It is only going to get worse as aging prisoners get released to local nursing homes.

How often does it happen?

All the time. However, no data exists on assaults by sex offenders in facilities. No statewide or national monitoring exists. It is shameful.

The Tribune-Review’s investigative report found that families sometimes are the last to know when an assault occurs. Ridiculous.

Call us if we can help. The Tribune-Review also discovered that:

“Across the nation, many of these offenders have found new victims among the ailing, vulnerable residents of these facilities, a trend experts fear will escalate as more of the roughly 900,000 offenders on U.S. sex registries grow older and require increased medical care.”

We can do better or we will hear more tragic stories.  As a nursing home attorney for over 25 years, I have heard enough.