More commentary to come, and not about the offender himself, the journalist has given us some very important knowledge which he should have expanded on to the general public. Commentary continued at end of article.
8-21-2008 Pennsylvania:
WILKES-BARRE — Police are warning residents in a second city neighborhood about the presence of convicted sexual predator Kevin Joseph Konze.
Last week, some residents of the city’s Rolling Mill Hill section protested Konze’s recent move to an apartment at 182 McLean St. after police notified them of his background.
When the double-block home was condemned last week, Konze decided to temporarily move in with his father at 19 Schoolhouse Lane until code violations were fixed.
On Wednesday, city police distributed fliers to neighbors on and around Schoolhouse Lane, notifying them of Konze’s new whereabouts and his past sexual crimes.
“I’m worried because you never know if he’s going to do it again,” said Rusbelina Marmolejo, 31, a mother of four children, ages 3 through 14, whose backyard faces the home where Konze is living.
Konze was convicted of sexual battery of a victim under 12 years old in Palm Beach, Fla., and served a decade in Florida state prison before his release two months ago. The 42-year-old is classified as a sexually violent predator and, therefore, police must notify his new neighbors wherever he moves, according to Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law.
“That means you guys do not leave my side at all,” Amy Aberant, 30, told her children just seconds after officers spoke with her about Konze.
Aberant later said, “I’m strict the way it is. I will be more cautious now.”
In an interview last week, Konze said “I did my time” and he was tired of being harassed by neighbors. He said he would comply with all Megan’s Law requirements and wanted to get on with his life.
Konze’s father, John, was cooperative with police on Wednesday and said his son’s stay at his home will be short lived. He plans to return to 182 McLean St. when the home is rehabilitated, he said.
Of the 9,949 registered sex offenders on the Pennsylvania State Police Megan’s Law’s Web site, Konze is one of 264 who are classified as sexually violent predators and subject to community notification of their whereabouts. The others are searchable on the site.
Those convicted of any of the five the most serious sexual crimes, such as rape, are classified as predators. Defendants with two or more convictions of lesser sexual crimes also receive the classification, state police say. ..News Source.. by BOB KALINOWSKI, STAFF WRITER
COMMENTARY:
Out of 9,949 registered sex offenders only 2.65% of the entire registry are considered "Sexually Violent Predators." What is important to know about the 2.65% is, how the state determined they were SVPs, for the answer we turn to the State's Sexual Offenders Assessment Board (SOAB), which says:
The SOAB is responsible for conducting assessments of certain convicted sex offenders in order that the court may determine if they meet the legal criteria for SVP classification, and therefore be subject to lifetime annual registration (on a quarterly basis), lifetime counseling (approved by the SOAB), and community notification. The SOAB assessment for the PBPP, an independent expert opinion, does not address the classification of SVP, but instead focuses on issues related to the risks, treatment, and management needs posed by the individual sex offender being considered for parole. ....
In addition to the investigator and administrative staff members, a fulltime psychologist facilitates the work of the SOAB members on a daily basis, through the critique of all assessments for adherence to SOAB standards. The psychologist also consults with all SOAB members and assists in their ongoing training. The psychologist is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of sexual offenders, including certification in the administration of the Hare Psychopathy Check List-Revised (PCL-R), a status achieved by few professionals nationwide.
The SOAB uses only tests and instruments relevant to the assessment at hand, and meeting the appropriate scientific standards. The SOAB, through the work of a national research expert, has established the reliability and validity of two such instruments on a Pennsylvania population.
Now, my point, this state does a quality assessment of the offenders but this will soon change, coming is the Adam Walsh Act (AWA). Under AWA the only assessment required is to equate the STATUTE the offender was convicted of to a list of STATUTES that will decide whether a offender is a Tier I-II-III offender.
No more assessment of the offender, the AWA Tier system is a sham and gives the public a false rating of the offenders. The actual affect will cause many offenders to be misclassified, generally worse than the really are. Where the public could rely on what Levels I-II-III meant before, under AWA they will not know because Tiers I-II-III show ONLY a dangerousness AT THE POINT OF THE CRIME not in today's light. Further, those tiers will never change even though the offenders will change.
Oh yes, one final point, the number of offenders that were SVPs, will rise dramatically using the AWA system which doe snot evaluate the offender at all. Think about it, is that good, or does AWA just scare the public when they see the numbers of SVPs rising?
eAdvocate
No comments:
Post a Comment