In response to the death of 17-year-old Chelsea King, San Diego Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher vows to change California’s sex offender laws. His efforts are fully supported by principal members of King’s family. Specifically, sex offender’s records (including all field notes) are purged one year after year after probation is completed, which is the case with registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, who plead not guilty in Chelsea King’s death last month. An outraged Assemblyman Fletcher has written to the Department of Corrections and to Inspector General Dave Shaw to determine why such policy is “in the best interests of public safety.” The corrections office maintains that certain information about a parolee is retained in a central file, but both Fletcher and Governor Schwarzenegger find this so called policy to be unacceptable!
Fletcher insists that high risk, violent, sexual predators cannot be rehabilitated, so, at the very least, significant prison sentences should be given; and, lower-level offenders should be heavily scrutinized by law enforcement.
Chelsea’s Law, when finally presented before legislature, likely involves a broad coalition of law enforcement and citizens. Stiff penalties would be enforced for the convicted. A first time offender would be given life in prison. If the victim is murdered, then capital punishment may apply. GPS devices would be installed on lower level offenders and monitored beyond their probation.
Lady Justice hopes future nefarious loopholes which befell Chelsea King, Lily Burk, etcetera, be avoided by law enforcement policies that indeed are “in the best interests of public safety.”
Personally….i think surgical castration is in the best interest of the public…This in large part should
help prevent a re-occurance of sexual
predation. This isn’t a cure-all for the problem, but it sure beats the present system that is now in place.
…It is a scarey thing for a child or
an adult to be a victim in these circumstances. The present law doesn’t make any sense to me.
I wonder what was the original intent of this law? Surely, the interests of the
criminal was first in the prioity of this law. Somehow, I cannot figure out
the logic of the law as it is now.
I agree with Charlie. However, chemical
castration should not be used…only
surgical castration. Somehow, I think
this procedure makes a valid point.
Just so he is castrated, surgical or
otherwise , makes me more comfortable.
Can i perform the surgical csstrations?
In Lapland, castration of domestic reindeer used to be done by biting off the testicles. Maybe some victim might like doing the same thing.
…kill him….just kill him
I wish they would publish all convictions in the paper so we can all read their names and what crimes they did.
Right now, just try to check someone out to see if they have convictions, their records are guarded and private in California – it is not right to keep them secret.
I hope Chelsea’s law passes, and quickly.