Councilman Calls

For Tougher Laws
To Protect Children
By Tonia N. Cimino
With Governor George Pataki taking a tougher stand on the issue of sex offenders, Councilman Peter Vallone, chair of the Public Safety Committee, is calling for New York to follow Florida's lead and enact the Jessica Lunsford Act, which would increase prison time both for first-time offenders and for recidivists.
Named after Jessica Lunsford, a nine-year-old girl abducted and murdered by registered sex offenders, the Act would imprison first-time offenders for 25 years to life and second-time offenders for life.
&#8220Our laws must be made tougher and until they are, these predators are free to roam our streets and stalk our children,” said Vallone, who, along with Councilmember James Oddo, is also calling for New York State to enact civil commitment legislation to keep high-risk offenders off the streets.
&#8220Just yards away from my house, a nine-year-old girl was brutally sexually attacked and the monster that committed this heinous crime only faces a maximum of seven years in jail because of Albany's failure to pass strong sex offender legislation,” continued Vallone.
Recently Pataki had utilized the state's Mental Hygiene Law, which is geared to those who have &#8220a mental illness for which in-patient care and treatment in a hospital is appropriate” to incarcerate high-risk offenders.
But the statute is not specifically designed for sex offenders and a judge ordered the offenders released.
&#8220If we want to make child protection a priority, our state Legislator has to enact tougher laws,” said Laura Ahern, executive driector of Parents for Megan's Law.
Over the past year a number of publicized incidents have called into question the effectiveness of Megan's Law, a federal and state law that governs community notification measures regarding sex offenders. It allows for information to be released about those convicted of sexual crimes who are considered Level two and three offenders (the most violent). Information regarding Level one offenders is not released.
&#8220Registration, electronic monitoring and housing restrictions are all positive steps but they can only do so much to protect our children,” said Vallone. &#8220The real answer is to lock these animals in cages for as long as possible.”