| Press
Release
NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN
JOINS WITH CONGRESSMAN FOLEY, SENATOR HATCH AND VICTIM FAMILIES TO ANNOUNCE
TOUGHER SEX OFFENDER LEGISLATION
WASHINGTON, DC – May 18, 2005 – The National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) applauds Congressman
Mark Foley (R-FL) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for introducing sweeping
legislation that will overhaul our nation’s current sex offender
registration and community notification law entitled the Jacob Wetterling
Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Act of 1994.
“Today, there are more than a half million sex offenders that are
“supposed” to be registered in the United States; however
at least 100,000 of these offenders are actually “missing”
from the system. This is a massive problem,” said NCMEC President
and CEO Ernie Allen. “I commend Congressman Foley and Senator Hatch
for recognizing that the current federal sex offender law needs to be
revamped. This new legislation will help build a more comprehensive system
for tracking sex offenders and better protect our nation’s children.”
NCMEC believes this legislation, “The Sex Offender Registration
and Notification Act of 2005” will increase and tighten tracking
of sex offenders and provide standards for notifying the public about
these predators. It will integrate more than twenty years of legislation
into a more consistent way of governing how sex offenders are monitored
and how communities are notified.
Highlights of this legislation:
- Full Integration: The bill fully integrates the “Megan's
Law” and "Lychner” amendments into the Wetterling Act.
- Expands Covered Offenses against Children: The bill adds
the "use of the Internet to facilitate or commit a crime against
a minor" as one which could trigger registration.
- Bi-annual, In Person Registration: Sex offenders will have
to re-register in person twice a year (every three
months for a sexually violent predator) - not just once.
- Tracking Devices: Requires a first time sex offender to wear
a tracking device for the duration of their supervised release and requires
a second time offender to wear the device for their lifetime (sexually
violent predators must wear a device for their lifetime). The type of
device will be determined by the U.S. Attorney General after consulting
with the states.
- Taxpayer and Social Security Information: Allows for the
release of taxpayer and Social Security information to be released to
law enforcement when necessary in trying to locate the sex offender
or verify information supplied by the sex offender.
- Sex Offender DNA Database: Establishes a new federally maintained
sex offender DNA database.
- Model Sex Offender Registry: Requires the U.S. Attorney
General, in consultation with the states, to develop a sex offender
registry that can be used by those states that currently do not have
such a registry or prefer a better system.
Currently, there is a wide disparity among the state programs, in both
registration and notification procedures. NCMEC believes this is a serious
problem due to the mobility of our society and has led to “lost”
sex offenders who fail to comply with their registration duties. In addition,
there is a lack of resources to enforce these registration laws on a regular
basis. More funding is necessary to assist states in maintaining and improving
these programs so a comprehensive system for tracking sex offenders and
alerting communities can be developed.
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, on average,
child molesters were released after serving about three years of their
seven year sentence. And released sex offenders were four times more likely
to be rearrested for a sex crime than non-sex offenders.
Allen added, “Without reform, the current situation poses an enormous
challenge for law enforcement trying to keep track of these offenders
and evokes unparalleled fear among the public. There is a clear need for
more consistency among state programs for sex offender registration and
community notification. Our law enforcement agencies deserve more and
so do our most vulnerable members of our society, our children.”
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting
mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 300,000
leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement
with more than 104,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery
of more than 89,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its
toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST of visit its web site at
www.missingkids.com.
CONTACT:
Communications Department
NCMEC
703-837-6111 |
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