There are many bills working their way through the Legislature this session dealing with sex offenders. The state has always had strong penalties for offenders, but spurned on by the disappearance of college student Dru Sjodin late in 2003, the state has been looking to get even tougher. In the widely publicized case of Sjodin, a sex offender recently released from a Minnesota prison is charged with her kidnapping. Under the most ambitious legislation being proposed, the most violent sex offenders would be locked up for life in prison without the chance of parole. Often called “the worst of the worst,” these violent offenders would receive a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted of a first-degree sex crime. The current maximum sentence is 30 years in prison. The same legislation also imposes stronger sentences on those convicted of the most serious second- through fourth-degree sex crimes. The new penalties would include the possibility of life in prison without parole. Current sentences range from 10 to 25 years. This centerpiece bill is aimed at taking the worst offenders off our streets and not allowing them the possibility of re-entering our communities to offend again. It’s clear from cases like the Sjodin kidnapping that our current system is not working. There are also many other bills dealing with sex offenders being debated at the Legislature. One bill would ensure that high-risk sex offenders that relocate to Minnesota from other states are subject to risk assessment and the same community notification laws as Minnesota offenders. Another bill allocates $500,000 for global monitoring, often called GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) tracking, of sex offenders. The legislation would place bracelet tracking devices on high-risk sex offenders who are on supervised release or probation. I welcome your comments on this or any issue. Please feel free to contact me by calling (651) 296-4373 or by my other contact information printed above.
