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October 26, 2007
Lifetime GPS tracking after consensual teenage sex
A helpful reader sent me this notable piece from Arizona discussing a case in which, under a new state law, a fellow who pleaded guilty to having consensual sex with a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl when he was over 18 is now subject to lifetime electronic monitoring. Here are more details:
Upon his release from jail, he was placed on probation for the rest of his life, and he has to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
On Oct. 15, in accordance with a 2006 law, he was the first person in Coconino County outfitted with an electronic device that allows his probation officer and surveillance officer to know exactly where he is 24 hours a day. If he tries to take the device off, his probation officer will be contacted. If he gets too close to a school or a park where children frequent, his probation officer will be contacted. If he gets more than 100 feet from his tracking monitor, his probation officer will be contacted.
"Anyone who has been convicted since November 2006 for dangerous crimes against children gets one," said Rick Day, probation officer. The purpose of the law, according to information from the office of Gov. Janet Napolitano, is to give law enforcement agencies more updated information on sex offenders to protect the public.
According to the law, "Beginning November 1, 2006, after conviction of a dangerous crime against children ... if a term of probation is imposed, the court shall require global position system monitoring for the duration of the term of probation." [This defendant], because he's on probation for the rest of his life, must wear the device the rest of his life.
Day said the law also covers crimes that are not sexual in nature. For instance, if a child is in a home where meth is being manufactured and is physically injured, that is considered a dangerous crime against a child.
Some related posts on sex offender GPS tracking:
October 26, 2007 at 07:30 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Contrary to its title, "Sex offender tracking program gets good marks," an article at http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5533219,00.html provides some illuminating facts about a recent pilot program in TN, which tracked about 500 registered sex offenders using GPS:
1) It cost $2.5 MILLION dollars.
2) Law Enforcement was so frustrated by the quantity of false reports that many transferred out of the department.
3) The cost of Law Enforcement overtime skyrocketted. In the previous year, overtime cost that entire department $33K. In the pilot year, ONLY the 34 officers that handled the GPS system alone cost over $146K.
4) Of the 259,144 'alerts' the system generated, 8 (EIGHT) charges were pressed and 0 (ZERO) of them were for a new sex-related crime.
www.sosen.us
Posted by: TimF | Nov 2, 2007 4:34:53 PM
