BishopAccountability.org
	Sex Offender Registry Hot Meeting Topic By Thatcher Moats Times Argus August 8, 2008 http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080808/NEWS01/808080372/1002/NEWS01 RANDOLPH CENTER – About 30 people attended a panel discussion in Randolph Center Thursday night to hear officials from the Legislature, law enforcement, Department of Children and Families and other organizations detail how the state handles sexual predators. The discussion was organized by Randolph Cares, an ad hoc group of community members and leaders that formed in response to the death of Brooke Bennett about a month ago. Rev. Robin Junker, who moderated the event, said the group formed after Bennett's body was found to try and answer the question, "How can we respond to this long-term?" Randolph Cares is designed to "empower" community members to deal with the tragedy and with the future, Junker said. Many in the audience had questions about how the state's sex offender registry works and how they can access and use it. Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington and head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the gathering that he expected major changes in the state's Internet sex offender registry because of a new federal act. Sgt. Craig Gardner with the Vermont State Police gave audience members an explanation how the registry works and who gets on it. He pointed out that about 10 percent of the sex offenders on the sex offender registry have their information posted on the Internet. Those on the Internet are there either because they have failed to meet registry requirements, or the state has determined they are high -isk offenders, who have, for example, committed aggravated sexual assault, kidnapped their victims, or committed more than one offense. Gardner also explained that sex offenders on the registry are classified into two categories – what he called "normal" and "heightened" – in terms of how information about them can be distributed. Under normal classification, a citizen can't call and just ask who the sex offenders are in their community; they have to call with a specific name and say why they need the information. Gardner gave the example of a parent who has concerns about their child's Little League coach: The parent can call the registry with the coach's name and explain the situation, and the Department of Public Safety can then say whether the coach is a registered sex offender, and if so, give out the information. If a sex offender is under "heightened" classification, a caller can just give the name, and if that person is a registered sex offender, their information – such as aliases, town of residence and physical description – can be issued by the department. Audience member Andre Souligny asked Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, why just 10 percent of the registered sex offenders are posted on the Internet. Sears acknowledged that Vermont has taken "baby steps" with the Internet, but added that the state will soon have to comply with the Adam Walsh Act, a law passed in 2006 that will require all states to have similar registries. Sears said compliance with this law means more sex offenders will be posted on the internet. "I expect significant changes in the Internet registry," Sears said. Karen Transgard-Scott, the director of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, had specific suggestions on how to make Vermont safer for victims and the community. She said pre-trial depositions – a process that often means victims being questioned by a defendant's laywer – should be eliminated. "It's impossible to ask a parent to bring in a 4-year-old kid" who has been the victim of abuse and have them be questioned, she said. Risk assessments of sex offenders that are presented to the court during sentencing also should be improved, she said. Transgard-Scott addressed the question of Jessica's Law, which includes a 25-year mandatory minimum, but said the state should stick with the laws it has. "We have good laws on the books," she said, pointing out that Jessica's Law means 33 different things in the 33 states that have adopted it. Adults should educate themselves on this issue, Transgard-Scott said. Most sex offenders commit their crimes against friends and family members, she noted, and community members should acknowledge that and learn the warning signs. Most of the education about sexual offenders is geared towards kids, she said, but as adults, "we need to be responsible."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.