Sex Offender Issues

Hailed last year as one of the nation’s toughest to protect children - the law is now being tested with a real case – and some are asking whether it went too far – and was passed too quickly. We’ll look at how this law has played out and what may change. Laura's guests are TBA and Will Delker, Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Criminal Justice Bureau of the NH Attorney General’s Office. He helped craft the law and is the point person for the sex offender registry at the AG's office and is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Franklin Pierce Law Center.

Further Audio Discussions:

• Sex Offender Bill Comes With Unknown Costs -


• Sex Offender Package Heads To Senate -


• When a Sex Offender Moves into a Community -No audio, must purchase it!
  


• Politics and Punishment Trump Rehab In Child Sex Proposal -


• House Takes Up Child Protection Act -


• State Republicans Say They'll Regroup By Election Day -

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My Comments on the "Assessing the Sex Predator Laws":

1. These people are not experts in treatment, and they talk about treatment for people who have been in the system for years, which is most cases treatment won't work for repeat offenders, but some it will. If they give the people the correct treatment on the FIRST conviction, then it will more than likely work. If you wait until they've committed numerous crimes, then treatment probably won't work.


2. One caller says there is an EXTREMELY small group of people who are dangerous, which I totally agree with. People like John Couey and the like. Yet these laws are treating every sex offender as if they all killed some child, and are punishing all for the crimes of a few, which is wrong. And the legislature has said this is the intent, to go after the most dangerous, yet they are not, why? The laws are for the repeat offenders, not the people who made one mistake long ago! And he said those who are remorseful and who are willing to seek help, those are not who we need to be going after, which I agree with. Each person is different and should be treated differently. You cannot lump everyone into one catch-all group.
   


3. The called called Adam says he's been employing sex offenders for 23 years and he's had incredible success with them, over 20 offenders. His concern is he doesn't know how these laws will make any offender better and integrate themselves back into society. I totally agree with this and commend this man on employing these people.


4. Overall, this is a good discussion and I recommend everyone listen to it.


5. They also talk about double jeopardy and ex post facto issues with civilly committed offenders.


6. One other caller brings up an IMPORTANT issue. She said she heard on the news of a repeat DUI offender who lost his license over and over and has killed a person, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and came out and continues to violate the law (repeat offender). And another case a man raped a young girl once and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Now does that make any sense? No! And she mentions about not having the ability to find out if her next door neighbor is a drunk driver, thus leading to a DUI offender registry. I totally agree with this. If we MUST have a sex offender registry, which I don't agree in registries period, then we should just have ONE criminal history registry with ALL criminals on it, and their pictures and personal info, just like the existing sex offender registry. Otherwise it's discrimination.