Washington Department of Social and Health Services officials picked Walla Walla from 11 nominated sites. Eight of those were in Eastern Washington. The fine fellows who will live in the halfway house are sexual predators and considered dangerous. They aren't rehabilitated, but their prison sentences are up and a federal judge wants them released. This is a problem we better start getting used to, especially in Eastern Oregon.
Sexual predators are different than more typical sex offenders.
That's not to say that sex offenders of any classification are completely safe, but many who have been convicted never re-offend again. The sexual predator label, however, is a different story. These people are deemed dangerous by folks who should know. But beyond the argument of whether they should be released, what's really in question is the choice of places to have such a halfway house. The truth is, it's easy for lawmakers and bureaucrats to shove these predators into relatively small communities where constituencies can do little about it.