# Federal Legislation Proposes Longer Terms For Sex Crimes



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*STEVE PAINTER*
_Eagle Topeka bureau via Knight Ridder_

Violent sex offenders would stay locked up longer under a proposal made Thursday by Senate Republican leaders.

Harsher penalties being considered include a 25-year minimum sentence for raping a child under age 14. Some convicted offenders would be required to wear electronic monitoring devices the rest of their lives. And three-time violent sex offenders would be locked up for life.

"The heart of our proposal is to incarcerate them longer, and then to require very close monitoring of them once they are out," said Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt of Independence.

The plan is patterned after Jessica's Law in Florida, which Gov. Jeb Bush signed on May 5. Versions of the law are being considered in numerous states.

The Florida law was named for Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old who disappeared Feb. 23. Her body was found March 19, buried in the back of a home where a previously convicted sex offender had been staying.

That offender, John Couey, awaits trial next summer on charges of capital murder. Florida police have said he confessed to taking Jessica from her home, molesting her, then burying her alive.

Last month, House Speaker Doug Mays proposed a law that would prohibit registered sex offenders whose victims were children from living within 2,500 feet -- just less than half a mile -- of any school or licensed day care facility.

And two years ago, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline proposed doubling sentences for sexual predators, but lawmakers took no action.

Mays expects action next year.

"There's obviously a great deal of interest in this subject, which would tell me there will be a good chance of getting something done this session," he said.

Schmidt and Mays said the two proposals do not conflict.

"I think they're complementary. They address different parts of the problem," Schmidt said.

Under the Senate leadership plan, the 25-year penalty for first-time conviction of child rape would double the current sentence, which ranges from 12 to 14 years.

A convicted offender who finished the 25-year sentence still would be required to wear an electronic device monitored by a global positioning system.

An offender convicted of a violent sex offense a third time would be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.

All other violent sex offenders would be placed on parole for the rest of their lives. If they violated any condition of their parole, they would be required to wear the monitors.

Sebelius said she is ready for action on the issue, particularly for offenders who victimize children.

"That's why in 2003, the attorney general and I proposed doubling sentences for sexual predators. The Legislature took no action," she said.

Imposing longer sentences is likely to require extra prison space. The state's prisons are nearly full.

Mays, who intends to seek the Republican nomination for governor next year, said he expects lawmakers to approve additional prison construction if the new penalties are enacted.

"When you're talking about child molesters, it's paramount that we keep these people, one way or another, away from children," he said.

Even with the cost of additional prison space, Schmidt said, the state could save some money under the proposed sentencing plan.

Currently, some offenders who have finished their terms are sent to the sexual predator treatment program at Larned State Hospital, where costs are substantially higher than prison, he said.

The program treats offenders who are considered likely to repeat their crimes if released.

A report by the Legislature's auditing division earlier this year shows that the number of people being treated and the cost of the program have skyrocketed in recent years and will likely continue to do so.

Keeping some of those offenders in prison could limit that growth, Schmidt said.

Sponsors of the Senate Republican leadership plan, in addition to Schmidt, are Senate President Steve Morris of Hugoton, Vice President John Vratil of Leawood and Appropriations Chairman Dwayne Umbarger of Thayer.

Kline has appointed a 29-member task force that met for the first time Tuesday in Lawrence. The Security and Firm Enforcement is assigned to recommend sentencing options and ways to ensure that sex offender registration records are accurate.

The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 13 in Wichita. The time and place have yet to be determined.

Among the task force members are Sedgwick County Sheriff Gary Steed, Harvey County Sheriff Byron Motter, State Sen. Mike Petersen, R-Wichita, and State Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Wichita.

Wichita Eagle


----------



## JoninNH (Jan 29, 2004)

Can't argue with longer sentences for sex offenses... although I think it would be cheaper and better therapy to lock the convicted sicko in a room with four COs and the victims father/older brother. :beat: 

Although this looks like a state bill, not a Federal one.


----------

