Posted on 12/01/2006 7:45:48 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should convene a statewide summit to help decide what to do with sexually violent predators who are shunned by communities after their release from state mental hospitals, a panel appointed by the governor said Friday.
The High Risk Sex Offender and Sexually Violent Predator Task Force agreed with the administration that the League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties should join law enforcement in finding a solution.
Panel members said that after consulting with top administration officials, they decided not to recommend options like state-sponsored housing for high risk sex offenders.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Bill Maile said the governor's office has agreed to participate in such an event to "help find ultimate solutions to protect families and children from sex offenders."
League lobbyist Liisa Lawson Stark said her board voted last month to co-sponsor a summit. She praised the administration for working with communities, saying a summit could also address other concerns like placing offenders in unlicensed group homes.
Schwarzenegger had asked the task force to keep working after it completed an Aug. 15 report that said sex offender housing needed more study.
Strong community opposition has made it hard for the state to find homes for sex offenders, particularly the handful of sexually violent predators who have been released. Some predators have wound up in hotels, office buildings or trailers outside state prisons.
The housing problem is expected to get worse with voters' approval last month of Proposition 83, known as Jessica's Law, which bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a park or school. More offenders will also qualify as sexually violent predators under the new law.
"Housing is still the biggest unresolved issue," said Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, who co-chaired the panel with Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez, D-Norwalk. "I want to put all these issues on the table and have a statewide summit."
The panel asked Schwarzenegger to convene the summit by February, giving lawmakers time to draft legal changes next year if necessary. Schwarzenegger's spokesman said no date has been set for a summit.
The task force also offered 26 policy recommendations in its 46-page report. They include giving victims and law enforcement officers more time to object to offenders' release, and more time to prepare once a sex offender is cleared to move into a community.
On the Net:
Read the report at http://www.chhs.ca.gov
Grope-inator asked to convene a summit on housing Calif. sex offenders ..
I was thinking death valley would be a good spot for them!
California condors need large amounts of carrion in order to survive.....could we get rid of child predators permanently and save an endangered species at the same time?
Something for both liberals AND conservatives.
"Sex offenders" is a catch-all term that can mean too many things. An 18 year old who had consensual sex with a 14 year old is a "sex offender", but not the same as a 45 year old NAMBLA type abusing an eight year old, or a 35 year old man seducing that same 14 year old girl. In most states two adult homosexuals caught "getting it on" are sex offenders, as are violent rapists.
Leave the 18 year old kid and the two queers alone (so long as their behavior is PRIVATE); sock it to the NAMBLA queer, the thirty-something child seducer and the violent rapist!
My bet is after all is said, postured and done it will end up costing us more money and heck, he will probably give them all money. Watch.
I don't like sex-offenders either but the fact is they are going to be let out of prison eventually.
Lets look at the problem honestly and realize that society better work to do what they can to keep them from re-offending.
"Something for both liberals AND conservatives."
I like your creative plan, a lot!
In exile...
I don't have a problem with that. But I don't want to give them three hots and a cot for the rest of their life either.
Once they are released from prison they need to feed themselves.
Mexico has plenty of tortillas.
The state-sponsored housing for high risk sex offenders already exists. It's called prison.
If truth be told, none of them should be out of the pokey. I suggest building more prisons to hold them longer!
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