Governor backs tougher laws on sex offenders

[davidinalameda]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/17/BAGKTE8S2P1.DTL

Tens of thousands of California sex offenders would be forced to wear electronic tracking devices for the rest of their lives under two new bills backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bills, which also would boost punishment for a wide range of sex offenses, "will give California the strictest laws and the toughest penalties for the worst crimes,'' he said Tuesday. "We want these criminals off the streets and away from our schools and children.''

The governor's Capitol news conference turned up the heat on the Democratic-led Legislature, where many of the measures contained in the bills have died in party-line committee votes.


I have mixed feelings on this--if it could stop an attack on a child, then yes, I'm in favor of it but if these people have served their time as proscribed by law, then it's the law that need to be changed to provide for longer sentences.

I don't think that certain child molesters and abusers should ever see the light of day.

[bullimiami]

1. well the serial groper can put a tracker on himself then.

[davidinalameda]

2. that crossed my mind as well

[Peggy Day]

4. me too! nt

[Oerdin]

3. I'm against this

I like to think a man can pay his debt to society and then start over with his life. This makes people forever a criminal who cannot start over. Studies have concluded that the recitvism rate for ex-cons is so high because we currently punish them for life; many states have outlawed convicted felons (and there are 14 million of them who have served their time and been released) from working in vast sections of the economy. In many states they aren't just restricted from government jobs and schools but even things like barbers, nursing, car salesman, and they can't even vote.

How can we expect people to start over if we've made sure they can't ever get a job?

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/006050.html

[bliss_eternal]

5. If he isn't going to wear one, or at least offer restitution to the

women he harassed, he has no business labeling a guy as a sex offender for life.

Setting his acts aside though, I still don't like this idea.

This is very difficult for me to say, as I have major issues w/the men that commit these kinds of crimes, and am not at all sure that many of them are ever rehabilitated. But I have to say this, I just think it's inhumane. There I said it.

They committed a heinous, horrible crime, yes. Would I like to see them castrated, absolutely. But MY personal feelings and beliefs should not dictate public policy.

The men that commit these crimes are still people, human beings. Labelling them with devices smacks of some insane futuristic society or Nazi Germany--where Jews had to wear signs labelling them as such. I'm sorry, I can not be a party to that.

Schwarzenneger is a hypocritical fascist. I will not vote for such a thing.