Of course Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should sign the law
recently passed by the California legislature to put registered sex
offender data online. We really don’t understand why he hasn’t put
pen to paper already.
Of course Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should sign the law recently passed by the California legislature to put registered sex offender data online. We really don’t understand why he hasn’t put pen to paper already.
Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to sign AB 488, which would result in posting data for about 50,000 of the state’s 110,000 registered sex offenders on a state-run Web site.
The information posted will include the sex offender’s name, aliases, description, photograph, gender, race, date of birth, criminal history, whether registration is current, county and ZIP code of residence and, for some offenders, home address. Home addresses will be published for sexually violent predators, those convicted of kidnapping, rape, aggravated sexual assault, sodomy, lewd and lascivious conduct, other violent offenses, and anyone with more than one registerable sex offense.
If the governor signs the bill, Megan’s Law information will be online by July 1, 2005, although state officials anticipate the Web site could be up and running by the first of the year.
California is one of just six states that does not use the Internet to post sex offender data. That means that to make use of Megan’s Law data, Californians must visit a local police station, usually during limited hours, to view a CD. Taking notes is not permitted. The other option is to call a toll-free line to get information on two offenders for $10.
It’s ridiculous that California, the epicenter of new technology, is so far behind the curve on this issue. We urge the governor to correct this lapse by signing this bill immediately.
We understand that there are concerns about sex offender registries – at what point do we consider offenders to have paid their debt to society? But we’re also painfully aware that sex offenders are notoriously difficult to rehabilitate, and some studies show high recidivism rates.
We hope the day comes when effective treatments are found for whatever goes so terribly wrong in the minds of those who use sex as a weapon.
But until then, and given the stain of a sex crime often affects multiple generations, we understand the caution the criminal justice system has chosen by creating sex offender registries.
And, if we’re going to have sex offender registries, commonly known as Megan’s Law, then we should make the information as accessible as possible to garner the largest benefit in protecting society.
It does no good to register sex offenders if the information is kept hidden away in police stations.
If sex offender registries are a good idea, then making the information easy to access via the Internet is a good idea, too.
Gov. Schwarzenegger, sign AB 488.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue or any other issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or e-mail to [email protected].
