MN- Citizens attend sex offender info meeting to learn first hand what is working, what needs fixing

7-31-2008 Minnesota:

Chisago City Council members, residents, state lawmakers, area law enforcement filled the community room at Chisago Lakes Area Library last week to update everybody on sex offender laws, and brainstrom ideas to help make the community safer. The meeting included a representative from the governor's office, another from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, plus Dept. of Corrections representatives, a state crime victim advocate supervisor and the Chisago County Attorney.

The purpose in calling the meeting was public education, and to hear ideas and concerns that could become laws to address issues.

While one sex offender living in Chisago City is basically motivating this citizen activist energy, those attending the meeting heard a lot about sex offenders in general from people whose careers involve sex offenders and their victims.

In a nutshell, Chisago County looks like this:

~ There are 94 registered criminal sex offenders who have Chisago County for a home address filed with the courts system.

~ Of all the recent criminal sexual conduct cases in this county 87 percent of the crimes were perpetrated by someone the victim personally knew.

~ Of the 94 county sex offenders 82 don't have a "level" assigned them.

The level designation is what legally triggers public notice of an offender's whereabouts. The offender's level needs to be #3 in order to air information about this offender in public format, through a legally required notification. (There is one level 3 offender in the 94-- he lives in North Branch.)

Levels 2 and 1 still get tracked and information is shared by law enforcement but they have a certain amount of ability to make their way in the world anonymously.

~ Levels are assigned to any offender who has spent time in lock-up. There are so many in Chisago County who don't have a level designation because they didn't actually serve time. They do have to register though. The audience was told plea agreements don't affect the need to register. As long as the final disposition of a case is stemming from an original criminal sexual conduct violation, the offender must register.

~ The one thing in common with all 94 offenders in Chisago County is that local law enforcement and state agency personnel know who they are and where they live.

~ In Chisago County compliance with registration is 95 percent. And, the few who have violated the rules of their release are known to not be physically residing here.

The state Department of Corrections (DOC) official told the audience the last thing society wants to do is drive offenders "underground" by placing such restrictions on where offenders can live that they start to lie or shirk their probation/parole conditions.

William Donnay showed statistics and charts depicting how since 1992-- when intensive supervision and registration began-- the incidence of recidivism declined from 20 percent to 4 percent. He opined, "I attribute much of that to the protective wall we've been building." The 'wall' being treatment, civil commitment procedures, monitoring, enhanced sentencing guidelines, DNA collection, etc.

Randy Tenge, a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent officed in Center City, said his guys are out 24 hours a day visiting or surveilling known sex offender residences and routes. He said, "Sex offender monitoring and behaviour management is a system of layers."

Tenge said from what he's seen this county benefits from excellent work being done with sex offenders, adding he has no worries about living and raising his kids in this area. He added, "Minnesota is years ahead" of other states in managing and monitoring sex offenders.

Lakes Area Police Chief Kevin Stenson told the approximately 40 citizens at a meeting last week that the ages-old idea that "...criminals do their time and pay their debt to society" has been turned inside-out with the advent of sex offenders.

The public isn't satisfied with sex offenders doing time and being released. The audience at the meeting reinforced that sentiment. They suggested more measures lawmakers must consider, hoping to keep their kids safe and sex offenders from re-offending. Ideas like Big Brother ankle bracelet monitoring were discussed.

Sex offenders shouldn't be allowed to live where they can even view children or where children might see them engaging in indecent conduct.

There needs to be a national system tracking offenders on an equal, consistent basis, not left up to each state.

Any offender moving into Minnesota must be required to be evaluated and assigned a level.

Offenders should be locked up forever.

Rep. Kalin and Sen. Olseen said they'd take what they heard and look into laws that might be applicable on some issues. Offender tracking, psychological assessments and lock-up cost money and require manpower, however.

Donnay said it's like a newly-invented highway guardrail system that acts like a net and traps and holds vehicles that cross the median, saving lives. But it costs $1 million per mile to install. The legislators weigh the cost, risk and benefits of all tax dollar expenditures.

On a personal level: children must be taught skills to know when a situation feels wrong and how to respond or avoid an offender.

Donnay reminded the audience in 2004 there were 585 sex offenders convicted in the state, and 527 of them had no priors. "It's the ones who are outside the wall" or the unidentified sex offender who poses the biggest threat.

-Like uncle Joe and other acquaintances in the daily life of potential victims.

Lydia Newlin, victim advocacy unit state supervisor, stressed safety tools need to be taught at all developmental stages in a child's life. The most-often victimized age group is 11-17.

Identify five healthy adults in your child's life they can go to. Many children who are violated won't talk with parents, but will with another trusted adult.

Have a code phrase for phone use, if kids want to get away from a situation and maybe can't talk openly on the phone...like, I left the iron on.

Stop by the house of a friend of your child's unannounced. ..News Source.. by DENISE MARTIN