MA- House passes sex offender law reforms

6-13-2008 Massachusetts:

BOSTON — State Rep. Patrick M. Natale, D-Woburn, has announced that the House of Representative passed reforms to the current Sex Offender Laws which will better protect children from sex offenders through the enforcement of tougher sentences and enhanced tracking of online predators.

“These new reforms strengthen the current laws in protecting the children of the Commonwealth” said Natale. “The House displayed strong support passing this legislation because there is no higher priority than the protection of our children.”

“Here in the city of Woburn we know all to well the devastating impact these predatory sex offenders can cause,” he added. “In January 2004, a Level 3 sex offender raped and murdered a Woburn mother, Joanne Presti, age 34, and murdered her daughter, Alyssa Presti age 12.”

The legislation provides a number of minimum mandatory sentences for child predators, creates three new criminal charges for child rape and broadens the aggravating factors for the new crimes to include the use of a weapon, providing drugs or alcohol to the victim and cases where the offender holds a position of trust and authority over the victim such as teacher, coaches and clergy.

The legislation amends current law to help prosecutors to better track online predators as well as offenders of other crimes, by allowing the use of administrative subpoenas to Internet service providers to obtain basic subscriber information.

The bill also expands criminal laws regarding subsequent offenses, allowing prosecutors to charge a subsequent offense for those who had previously been convicted of crimes such as indecent assault and battery on a child or attempted rape of a child.

The bill also instructs the Chief Justice for Administration and Management of the Massachusetts Trial Court to establish and implement an annual reporting system to provide the Joint Committee on the Judiciary with information regarding the prosecution and disposition of sex offender cases as of December 31, 2008.

The legislation now proceeds to the Senate for its consideration. ..News Source.. by Local News