From law to reality

Enforcing Jessica's Law proves complicated
10-28-2007 California:

Implementing a state law aimed at protecting children from sex offenders is proving complicated, local corrections officials report.
Seventy percent of California voters approved Proposition 83, also known as Jessica's Law, last November, putting into place tough regulations for sex offenders - including prohibiting them from living within 2,000 feet of parks or schools.

"It's a complex situation. So much is going on with this law," Solano County Chief Probation Officer Isabelle Voit said.

The law applies only to offenders who have been paroled or put on probation since last November. In one of many court cases that have sprung up in the wake of Prop. 83, a federal judge ruled this spring that the 2,000-foot rule could not be applied retroactively.

Those 2,000 feet, less than half a mile, may not seem far. But with more than 25 parks in Vallejo and 23 public schools, not including private schools, preschools and day care facilities, much of the city is off limits for offenders.

Statewide, about 3,500 parolees must adhere to the new law, with hundreds more being paroled every month.

Of the approximately 200 sex offenders on probation countywide, about 20 of those are subject to regulation by Jessica's Law, and about 15 of those people will have to move, Voit said.
Officials cited concerns about displaced offenders becoming transient or unstable - and therefore more difficult to supervise.

"We hope that won't happen. We want them to have some stability," Voit said.

The county has hired an additional probation officer to meet the new law's demands, but no extra funds were provided by the state, officials said.

Among the questions raised by the new law is who will monitor offenders once they are off parole or probation. The issue has come up more quickly than anticipated, corrections officials said.

Prop. 83 requires offenders to wear GPS anklets for life, but the state is yet to purchase the needed devices.

Currently, there is no penalty for violating the 2,000-foot rule once the offender is no longer under supervision by a probation officer. ..more.. by SARA STROUD/Times-Herald staff report