Do you have convicted sex offenders in your neighborhood?
By
Hicks@CountyWideNewspaper.com
There were 38,936
people listed on the state's sex offender registry as of May 1; 594 of those
were registered sex offenders in
Prior to 1994,
only five states required convicted sex offenders to register their addresses
with local law enforcement.
The Wetterling Act requires state implementation of a sex-offender registration program or a 10 percent forfeiture of federal funds for state and local law enforcement under the Byrne Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Not only does the government keep an eye on each state’s sex offender registries, groups like Parents For Megan’s Law, Inc. (PFML), keep watch too.
PFML is “a not-for-profit national community and victim's rights organization, dedicated to the prevention and treatment of childhood sexual abuse through the provision of education, advocacy, counseling, policy and legislative support services.”
PFML recently conducted two national surveys. The first survey evaluated sex offender registration compliance, which revealed that about 24 percent of the nation's sex offenders are failing to comply with state registration requirements.
The second study
assessed the ease of obtaining sex offender information through various forms
of community notification. In this study, the PFML asked each state 10
questions and graded the state on their responses. The PFML gave
In May 2005, photographs of registered offenders were added to the registry database.
Beginning in
January 2007,
One Three Rivers man on the Sex Offender Registry said that “since the web site I have had my house and car vandalized, threatening letters and phone calls. I see nothing wrong with the limits put on living next to a school for pedophiles, but to put a flag out or a notice is asking for vigilantly justice.”
Email is not the only new addition to the Sex Offender Registry notification. Now you can use your web-enabled mobile phone to keep track of registered offenders near you.
Family Watchdog (www.familywatchdog.us) boasts that “you can view the same information with Family Watchdog Mobile that you can see on our website. Names, addresses, photos (where available) conviction information, and more.”
This is a free service for web-enabled phones. Subscribers can view their saved addresses quickly, get instant information about predators and know about potential threats in their area with just a couple clicks.
Who is on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry? There are many offenses that require registration as a sex offender. Some of the more common offenses are criminal sexual conduct (any degree); accosting, enticing or soliciting child for immoral purpose; kidnapping; indecent exposure; child sexual abuse; gross indecency; and prostitution.
Almost 93 percent of the offenders in
Criminal Sexual Conduct in the first degree requires a person to engage in sexual penetration with another person who is either 13 or younger or between 13 and 16 and is one of the following: a member of the same household, a blood relative to the fourth degree, in a position of authority, uses force or a number of other criteria.
Criminal Sexual Conduct in the second degree has many of the same requirements as first degree.
A person is guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the third degree if any of the circumstances exists: involves a minor who is 13 – 16 years old; force or coercion is used to accomplish the sexual penetration; the actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapable, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless; the victim is related to the actor by blood or affinity to the third degree; or the victim is at least 16 years of age but less than 18 years of age and a student at a public or nonpublic school, and the actor is a teacher, substitute teacher, or administrator of that public or nonpublic school.
A person is guilty of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the fourth degree if any of the circumstances exists: involves a minor who is at least 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age, and the actor is 5 or more years older than that other person; force or coercion is used to accomplish the sexual contact; the actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapable, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless; the victim is related to the actor by blood or affinity to the third degree; the actor is a mental health professional and the sexual contact occurs during or within 2 years after the period in which the victim is his or her client or patient and not his or her spouse; the victim is at least 16 years of age but less than 18 years of age and a student at a public or nonpublic school, and the actor is a teacher, substitute teacher, or administrator of that public or nonpublic school.
About 3 percent of
the registered offenders in
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm recently signed a revision to the Indecent Exposure Law. The law used to require a person guilty of indecent exposure that involves a lewd and lascivious act to comply with the sex offender registration requirements. As of December 20, 2005, the references to a lewd and lascivious act were eliminated and instead the law requires a person guilty of a second indecent exposure conviction to register as a sex offender.
Sex offenders with a listed offense are required to register prior to sentencing. The offender’s registry is updated upon release, within 14 days of residing in state or within 10 days of changing address.
Failure to register is a felony punishable by up to four years imprisonment and/or $2,000 fine; probation/parole or youthful trainee status revoked.
Failure to comply with verification duties is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days and/or $1,000 fine. Failure to sign the registration form(s) is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days and/or $1,000 fine
Depending upon the charge, offenders will remain on the Sex Offender Registry for 25 years, or for life. Visit www.mipsor.stat.mi.us for more information.