Alabama Changing Sex Offender Policy

[Maddy McCall]

By PHILLIP RAWLS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Sex offenders finishing their prison sentences will be re-arrested when they walk out the prison doors if they haven't provided a verifiable address of where they will be living, Gov. Bob Riley said Thursday.

"The days when these sexual predators could slip anonymously back into our neighborhoods are over," Riley said at a news conference.

Keeping up the sex offenders' correct addresses is critical, Riley said, "because they are some of the most likely to re-offend."

State law already requires sex offenders who are getting ready to leave prison to provide the prison system with an address where they will be living. The prison system sends the address to the appropriate county sheriff's department and city police department. Not providing the correct address is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

More at: http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/state/12136468.htm

[bushisanidiot]

1. OMIGOD! I agree with Alabama!

ugh..

[liberalnurse]

2. Ohio is considering a strong sex offenders law....

It's still in the infancy stage.....The Bill needs researched then written. I plan on assisting with this as well working on it in Committee this fall.


http://www.wdtn.com/index.cfm?action=dsp_story&storyid=73046

snip>

State Rep Wants Sex Criminals Jailed For Life

Ohio legislators are working on a plan to keep violent sex predators behind bars for life.

State Representative Courtney Combs, flanked by Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, held a press conference on Tuesday announcing the new legislation. Both men say after seeing all the recent tragedies involving predators who re-offend, they say there's no other choice to protect our children.

"There's not a day goes by you don't see 'em in the news most of 'em are re-offenders. Makes me sick to my stomach," said Jones.

Representative Combs said his bill would lock up offenders for life, "Under this law, convicted of sex crime deemed to be a sexually violent predator, you will spend the rest of your life in jail without the possibility of parole."

The bill could go to committee this fall. Combs hopes to have the bill on the floor of the House by end of year.

end>

[northzax]

8. ahh, the old one strike law

let a prosecutor decide whether someone serves a life sentence or not.

seems fair.

[redqueen]

9. I'd love to see that started here as well.

Thanks for the link!

[merwin]

6. What happens if they have no home?

I mean, not everybody has friends or family. And I'm assuming it's not that easy to go shopping for real estate while behind bars.

Would that mean that they will be in jail until they die?

[Mairead]

7. The same thought occurred to me.

It's like the old 'vagrancy' charge: the criminalisation of poverty.

[bamademo]

13. They have halfway houses they can go to.

Of course no one wants one in their neighborhood but they have time to make arrangements before they are released. I have to agree with Riley on this. He's not been that bad for a Repub Governor. I never thought I'd say that after I lived through Fob James.

[merwin]

15. Something tells me that the prison isn't going out of their way to provide

the offenders with the tools necessary to arrange a stay at a halfway house.

Remember that they're re-arresting them the instant that they get released. That doesn't allow them even an hour to find a halfway house when outside of prison.

[Megahurtz]

11. Ha!

Me too.

[atreides1]

3. I see the need, but wonder!!!

While I truly feel that society and especially children need to be protected from these criminals, I cannot help but think if this is
allowed who will be next?

The people that commit sexual offenses are not the only ones that can slip anonymously back into our neighborhoods, thieves, killers,
drug dealers, they too can slip back into society, and no one would know.

The only ones that other criminals have to report to are probation/parole officers. But this doesn't stop them from moving
without informing the authorities, and what of those that serve their time and are released permanently? How do you keep track of them? Would you comfortable living across the street from someone
who murdered an adult? How would you react to a "former" thief living just down the street?

When does someone stop serving for a crime that they committed?

It's one of those slippery slope questions, sort of like when Congress passed the Patriot Act after 9/11, how do we maintain the
view of freedom that we say we believe in and yet enact laws that
clearly show some level of hypocrisy?

It's a tough call! At least for me.

[fob]

4. What aobut the white collar criminals that slip right back behind

a desk in a big corner office and regain control over thousands of lives with only "profit" as their sole motive?

[VegasWolf]

5. White collar criminals don't have any sexual connotation whatsoever. They

are fine.

[atreides1]

10. Sorry

I forgot about them.

[Megahurtz]

12. You are absolutely right...

There needs to be a huge movement against fraud and white collar criminals :mad: because these slimeballs are ripping off millions of people in this country DAILY :grr: and the Authorities turn a blind eye and do nothing!!!:banghead:

Thanks to Bush & Corp. for promoting this behaviour with their policies........
:rant:

Oops, sorry.......off subject.....

[Eloriel]

14. I'll take my chances with the others than can slip back into

society -- and in fact, I might TOAST them if they can stay straight.

But VIOLENT SEXUAL PREDATORS are a different breed. Please don't put yourself in the position of defending violent sexual offenders versus standing up for protecting our children.


When does someone stop serving for a crime that they committed?

Maybe some stiffer laws will actually act as deterrents, prevent those people from doing it in the first place? After all, that's supposed to be a major reason we have punishment for crime in the first place.

AND, if they stay on the straight and narrow, their lives aren't that

Further, what's wrong with a sentence that merely says: because you were a VIOLENT sex offender, even though you've done your prison time, we want to know where you are at all times? But you're free to participate in society fully as long as you behave. Would you rather have life-without-parole sentences for these people? Because that's what it would take otherwise.

I'm sorry, I just see nothing wrong with this, not when you consider the alternative: more victims of violent sexual assaults, many of them children.