Sex offenders: How to Deal with Them

Sex Offenders: How to Deal with them

Turn on the news almost any day of the week and you will see a report on a missing child. Jessica Lunsford, a nine-year-old girl from Florida, went missing in February of 2005. A month later, a repeat child sex offender admitted to kidnapping and murdering the innocent child. The deranged man, John Evander Couey, was registered with the state of Florida as a sex offender, but was staying at a different house than the one where he was registered “Person of Interest”. He was staying at his sister’s house, which was in sight of Jessica’s home. It’s believed by the local authorities that he may have been in his sister’s home, with Jessica, when police talked to her about Jessica’s disappearance. I propose a federal law be passed that requires all sex offenders, who must register, must also wear a G.P.S. tracking device. Had John Couey been wearing such a device, the police would have had a way better chance of recovering Jessica Lunsford alive.

That the safety of our children is of the utmost importance is not in question. The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act requires that persons convicted of sex crimes against children register with state authorities (Megan’s Law). This type of legislation is necessary because the prison system in America is already overcrowded. It would not be possible to lock up sex offenders and throw away the key, even though this is what many Americans would be more than happy to do. So we have registration laws. These laws are evidence that the people want more tools available to law enforcement to find sex offenders who may be responsible for missing children.

Most states disclose private and personal information about registered sex offenders to the general public. Forty-seven states have state-sponsored internet access to the information. Being able to access the information on the internet enables parents to find out where and how many sex offenders are in their area. This information is available because it is widely believed that sex offenders pose a high risk of re offending after release from custody (Megan’s Law). While each state is required by the Jacob Wetterling Act to register sex offenders, it is left to the state’s discretion to make public the information.

Even without public access, registration of child sex offenders is still a valuable tool to law enforcement officials. In the case of Jessica Lunsford, law enforcement became interested in Couey when interviewing all registered offenders in the area “Person of Interest”. Although it is a valuable tool, it is not enough. When a registered sex offender changes residence, it is up to the individual to notify the authorities of his change of address. Here lies a fundamental flaw in the system. We cannot accept that we are allowing the safety of our children to be dependent on the honor of a convicted criminal. We cannot trust a sex offender to notify the authorities every time she moves. A G.P.S. tracking device would make certain that we know where she is.

Massachusetts is implementing a program that uses G.P.S. and the estimated cost is ten dollars per day per person (Massachusetts). That seems like a very reasonable price for the safety of our children. I suggest that the federal government follow Massachusetts’ lead and implement a law requiring all states have a program similar to Massachusetts. Of note, is Florida’s brand new legislation in response to the murder of Jessica Lunsford. In this law, persons convicted of sexually motivated crimes on children under the age of twelve, will be faced with 25 years minimum to life confinement. Also, if released from prison, they will have to wear a G.P.S. tracking device for the rest of their lives. This is more than I am asking for, but is certainly acceptable.

G.P.S. (Global Positioning System) is a relatively new technology that uses satellites to locate a device. This technology has been used by the military, automobile manufacturers, and others. “OnStar”, used in automobiles for tracking by the owners in case theft, among other uses, is one know application of the technology. By placing a G.P.S. tracking device on sex offenders, law enforcement officials will be able tolocate him or her to within a 15-foot radius of his actual location. The program will also have the capability to record movements of the individual so that if a crime occurs, officials will be able to tell if a sex offender was at the scene. The tracking system will also alert officials if a sex offender enters restricted zones such as schools and playgrounds or a specific address specified under the offenders terms of