How can we solve a societal problem that, for most people, is too horrifying to discuss or even contemplate? That is the central question raised by Pervert Park, a film about the people nobody wants as their neighbors—convicted sex offenders—that offers possible insight into curbing the rise of sexual crime in the United States.
The documentary, which features the work of Florida Justice Transitions based in St. Petersburg, offers a mindset-challenging look at this deeply stigmatized category of criminals and how they are trying to give back and become productive members of society.
Transitions, as it is known, is a privately-operated support agency that houses and monitors its clients while offering counseling and addiction therapy.
The nickname "Pervert Park" is the Palace Mobile Home Park near Interstate 275 and 54th Avenue N where Transitions' clients lived during the filming of the documentary. According to our news partner The Tampa Bay Times, the agency has since moved its housing program to Clearwater, after a dispute with the Palace park's owner that is still in litigation.
Pervert Park, which won a special jury award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, raises significant questions. Should America give these criminals a second chance? And can their experiences help in devising a successful strategy for reducing the growing number of sex crimes?
“The typical reaction of normal citizens is, ‘We don’t are. They committed a crime and we don’t care if they die,’” says Transitions therapist Don Sweeney. Yet, one offender says it is time not only for greater public understanding of sexual crimes but for the offenders to take the lead in stating their case.
“You have to look at the bigger picture,” he says. “Nobody will stand up and fight for us, and that’s why we’ve got to do something about it now.”
“These are the crimes that are often too painful or uncomfortable to discuss,” say filmmakers Frida and Lasse Barkfors. “These are the people no one wants to live amongst. These are the neighbors we wish away and, through sex offender laws and labeling, literally and figuratively move to the outskirts of our towns and our lives. And yet there they are, 1,000 feet away from our schools and our parks and playgrounds and churches.
“Although many of their crimes are unspeakable, what do we, as a community, gain from our willful silence? If we hope to curb the cycle and culture of sexual violence, is there value in exploring the lives of sex offenders, regardless of how heartbreaking and difficult it might be?”
The documentary airs on POV (Point of View) on Monday, July 11, 2016 at 10 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.) Click here to watch the trailer.
