The place pedophiles and rapists call home: Florida trailer park houses 126 residents and ALL of them are sex offenders

Their crimes are among the worst imaginable: sex offences, often carried out against children, that has seen them shunned from regular society.

But for sex criminals who have no choice but to try and rebuild their lives outside of jail, places like Palace Mobile Home Park in Florida offer them a second chance.

The park, located away from parks, bus stops and schools because of restrictions placed on many of its residents, bills itself as 'a safe place for sex offenders to begin transitioning back into society'.

More than 100 people live in this Florida trailer park in St Petersburg where homes cost $500 per month and you have to be a sex offender in order to get in

Residents range from low-level offenders caught looking at child pornography to those deemed predators - convicted for rape or sexually assaulting a child

The site was the subject of a documentary, Pervert Park, which had its theatrical premiere in New York last week but also scooped an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.

The critically acclaimed documentary, by filmmakers Frida & Lasse Barkfors, looks at how the community is separated from the outside world, and the lives of some of the residents.

One woman to feature was raped by her father and his friends growing up, and then went on to have a sexual relationship with him as an adult. She was later convicted of having sex with her own son.

Another resident is a man who was caught by police in an internet sting operation when he expressed an interest in having sex with a young girl online.

The park is a source of debate over what should be done with sex offenders when they are released from jail - whether they should be allowed back into the community at large, or confined to spaces with others who have committed similar offences.

The community is located in St Petersberg, near Tampa Bay, and began taking shape back in 2007, according to old news reports.

Back then, sex offenders lived alongside members of the public, though that is not the case anymore, according to the park's website. 

The park was not intended as a home for sex offenders, but in the mid-2000s cities brought in laws on where criminals could live, and the park happened to be far away from restricted sites

The site was the subject of a documentary, Pervert Park, which scooped an award at the Sundance Film Festival last year and charts the lives of some of the residents

In the film, this woman relates how her father and his friends used to abuse her as a child before she was eventually arrested for having sex with her own son

Offenders began moving there after cities began enforcing restrictions on where they could live based on their convictions, and Palace Park was conveniently located away from problem spots.

Up to 200 people can live on the site at any one time, often bunking with people whose crimes are similar to their own, and range in age from 25 to 88.

Typically the majority of those are sex offenders, criminals caught looking at child pornography or expressing an interest in sex with children, without actually carrying it out.

However the park is also home to sexual predators, high-risk offenders jailed for sexually abusing children or rape.

All of the homes meet registration requirements for offenders, while counseling services are available on site, along with AA group meetings, and even a church.

Residents of the park often share their trailers with others, with owners saying they try to match those who have committed similar offences

While park owners claim no resident has ever committed a sex offence while living there, residents are often subject to abuse from locals, with one stabbed to death back in 2013

The park's website boasts that no residents have ever been convicted of a new sex offence since moving in, though residents are often victims of crime from locals unhappy about their presence.

The most common offense reported at the park, according to the Tampa Bay Times, is trespassing as the owners attempt to keep drug dealers, prostitutes, and others away from the residents.

For obvious reasons, there is also a no-child policy that is strictly enforced.

Residents are also subjected to vandalism and attacks by locals, and while these are rarely serious, in 2013 one person was stabbed to death in the park.