State Sen. Joseph Addabbo and his colleagues in the Senate approved a series of bills designed to better protect children, victims of sexual assault and other New Yorkers from potentially dangerous convicted sex offenders.
“Among other efforts, these bills seek to further restrict sex offenders from living in close proximity to their victims, as well as to children — whether in schools, pre-kindergarten programs, or in child care,” Addabbo said. “Parents shouldn’t need to worry that their children will come into contact with high-level sex offenders who happen to live in the same vicinity as programs they are attending, and victims of sex crimes shouldn’t have to relive the trauma of their assaults by finding out their attacker lives right around the corner.”
The legislative package consists of initiatives that would prohibit sex offenders who are on parole, on probation or conditionally discharged from being within 1,000 feet of a child daycare facility whenever anyone under 18 years of age is on the premises. Additionally, the state’s searchable sex offender registry information would provide not only the ZIP code of sex offender home residences, but also the ZIP code of their place of employment. The bills would also prevent Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders — those who have committed the most serious crimes — from living within 1,500 feet of their victims.
The bills also restrict all Level 1, 2 and 3 registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school; prohibit sex offenders whose victims were children, as well as all of the most serious Level 3 offenders, from knowingly being within 1,000 feet of a facility offering kindergarten or pre-K classes; and require school districts, after receiving notice from law enforcement agencies, to notify parents when Level 2 or Level 3 sex offenders are residing in the district.
“Given the severity and traumatizing effects of sex offenders — whether they are committed against young children, adults or senior citizens — we need to take steps to help prevent high-risk offenders from committing additional crimes, and many of the bills in this package seek to limit opportunities for re-offending,” Addabbo said. “While some registered sex offenders will live productive, crime-free lives after their conviction and release back into society, we need to worry about those who won’t and who are most likely to victimize others again.”
Addabbo is also a co-sponsor on a piece of legislation that would prohibit the placement of Level 2 and 3 sex offenders in any temporary emergency housing or in homeless shelters that are used to provide housing for families with children. This comes on the heels of a recent investigation that found that there were registered sex offenders currently living in a number of Queens family shelters.
The legislation was forwarded to the Assembly for further action.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
- NY Senate passes legislation to up the offense for veteran gravesite desecration
- Federal charges for alleged Ridgewood, Middle Village bank robber
- Brooklyn man arrested in deadly shooting of Rockway teen
