Exile From Main Street
A few centuries ago, banishment was a popular alternative to death as a punishment imposed by English judges. Colonial America received its share of banished horse thieves and other offenders, as did Australia.
Modern American judges typically lack the power of banishment in their arsenal of punishments, but legislative bodies have taken to telling sex offenders "you can't live here" with the hope of making them some other jurisdiction's problem. The resulting dilemma: where can they live? And how can society expect to achieve rehabilitation if banishment, rather than treatment and supervision, is perceived as the cure?
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