New Senate Bill Combats Child Sex Abuse
2006
by Anai Rhoads
AnaiRhoads.org -- A new bill was passed on Thursday that will
make it harder for sexual predators to abuse children.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act passed through the
Senate S. 1086 bill that will allow local law enforcement officers to better
track and catch sex offenders. The bill will also increase penalties
for certain crimes, and will provide grants to help States set up
sexual predator databases.
"I am so pleased that we have finally passed this bill," said Senate
Democratic Leader Harry Reid. "These measures will make it easier to
catch the criminals who prey on our most vulnerable citizens. It will
help keep our kids safe, and will help give parents peace of mind."
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act provisions will
make it a felony if they violated their registration. For those who have commited sexual crimes against children,
and for those who have a conviction as a result of acts upon children, will now be required to register
before leaving the jail or prison.
In addition, there will be stiffer penalties for those who prey on
children online. In certain cases, the individual may be required to register as a sexual
offender.
New guidelines will soon be in place that will help States either
revamp or adjust offender registration programmes, including a
requirement that sex offenders' photographs be updated annually. The
National Sex Offender Registry will soon be able to integrate
information as well, helping locate and identify offenders
out-of-state.
A similar bill recently passed the House of Representatives that
dealt with juvenile sex offenders, among the many other provisions.
Since they both differ on criminal penalties, both House bill is H.R.
4472 and S. 1086 must be reconciled by negotiators from each chamber
before the legislation can be sent to the White House to be signed in
by President Bush.
The Sex Offender Registry began in 1994 when the Jacob Wetterling
Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration
Act was passed as part of the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act, which requires all States to create and maintain a
registry.
Former President Bill Clinton signed an amendment in 1996 to this act
which included Megan's Law. The amendment made it mandatory that all
50 states establish a community notification system of sex offenders
in their area.
Other programmes, such as Amber
Alert, have proven successful in locating children that have been
taken or reported missing within the first 24 hours. The hope is that
with all of the programmes in place, sexual predators will think
twice before hurting another child.
Related Articles:
Sex Offenders Lose Privacy War
©2006 Anai Rhoads. Reproduction must be authorised in writing by author only. Altering, redistributing, or selling this material is strictly prohibited.
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