Closes Loophole For Sex Offenders
Continuing his efforts to combat sexual abuse, State Sen. Michael Gianaris anounced that legislation he sponsored to enhance safety from repeat sex offenders has passed the Senate.
This legislation (S.6129) closes a loophole in the current law so that individuals who commit persistent sexual abuse crimes are held fully responsible for their actions. Co-authored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, the bill would exclude time spent in prison from the 10-year period in which the actions of a sex offender would be deemed “persistent sexual abuse.”
“Repeat sex offenders must be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Gianaris said. “By specifically directing the exclusion of any time during which a person was incarcerated from the 10-year look back period, this bill would more effectively hold the offender accountable under the law.”
The crime classification of persistent sexual abuse is intended to impose harsher penalties on criminals who commit certain sex crimes on multiple occasions during a ten-year period.
Under current law, that 10-year period may include time during which the offender is incarcerated and unable to commit any crime.
By discounting periods of incarceration, this bill would allow law enforcement to more fully comprehend the criminality of any sex offender.
“This bill is intended to prevent sex offenders who repeatedly target women and children from finding leniency in legal loopholes,” Simotas said. “The legislation’s passage in the Senate is an important first step towards ensuring that individuals who commit persistent sexual abuse face the full consequences of their crimes.”
This legislation has not yet gone to the Assembly floor for a vote. If passed in that chamber, it will be sent to the governor for his signature.
