A preacher in Jacksonville, Florida who is currently on probation for a sexually-based crime has rescinded his appeal to allow children into his Sunday sermons until he completes a therapy program for sex offenders. The preacher has enrolled in the program, and he seems to be making a concerted effort to comply with both his probation and the limits of being registered as a sex offender.

As part of his three-year probation, the man cannot have unsupervised contact with a minor. That seems to have prompted some confusion during the preacher's appeal. Since he restarted his Sunday sermons, his church has routinely seen 150 people attend his services.

It is possible that the man and his attorney believed that the supervision provided by that many people in a large church would align with the conditions of the preacher's probation. The church supported their preacher in his appeal.

A licensed therapist must decide when a sex offender can have supervised contact with a minor. They can set conditions that must be met before determining if the registered person is set for such supervised contact. This is important in this case because the sex offender therapy program is a condition of the man's ability to have supervised contact with minors.

Protestors have been at the church, objecting to the man's presence. This is just one example of the serious consequences that can arise from a sexually-based crime, even after the conviction and serving prison time. There are personal, professional and intangible consequences that come with the accusation of a sex crime.

However, the preacher remains upbeat in the face of these challenges. "Somehow I will prove that life isn't over when one has committed a crime for which he receives this heinous label," he said, adding that sex offenders should not have to "languish on the fringes of society."

Source: Florida Times-Union, "Duval court hearing: No kids for now in church where sex offender preaches," Jeff Brumley, Feb. 10, 2012