NH- Unlike for sex offenders, there's no registry for killers

4-12-2009 New Hampshire:

Once released from jail, convicted sex offenders must register with their local police departments as a means of allowing the public to monitor their whereabouts.

Any Web site that uses a state or federal registry of these parolees displays the fruits of this process: Maps of almost anywhere in the country pinpoint where a sex offender lives and the level of crime committed.

Soon, for instance, the registry will detail that Mont Vernon has a new resident: Raymond Fournier, who was released this month after serving 15 years for seven counts of felonious sexual assault. A public furor erupted after it was learned that the courts failed to act on a petition to have Fournier civilly committed as what is classified as a sexually violent predator.

This stands in contrast to when most convicted killers finally re-enter public life: These parolees register only with their parole officers. No database exists on the Internet, and thus many people might go about their lives unaware that a murderer resides down the street.

This difference in treatment of the parolees prompts just as many questions as answers, including the larger philosophical debate over why sex offenders are followed more closely if killing is generally viewed as the more serious crime.

"The assumption is out there . . . that sex offenders are driven to their behavior and are highly likely to repeat," said Peter Cordella, chairman of St. Anselm College's criminal justice department.

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Although somewhat circumspect, data suggests that the higher-level sex offenders will reoffend, Cordella said. Whereas with the exception of the obviously worrisome serial killers, not all other killers pose a risk, he said.

Whether a killer might kill again depends on circumstances facing the parolee, Cordella said. If there's a chance of a repeat murder, it will most likely be the same kind of murder, he said. For instance, a killing of a domestic nature or one that is tied to drugs, he said.

The state Adult Parole Board provided The Telegraph with a list of the 81 parolees who served prison time for murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide and now live in New Hampshire communities. The board provided the list as it likely would for any member of the public; it isn't available on the Internet.

Also, the list didn't include residences. The state Department of Corrections later provided the cities and towns in which the parolees live, but not their home addresses. The parolees report to their parole officers and are, for the most part, trying to resume life under the radar of scrutiny, state officials said.

New Hampshire doesn't require a registry of convicted killers; that would have to be implemented by the Legislature. Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin said he never hears the public question why sex offenders are monitored with greater scrutiny than killers.

"I don't know the answer," Strelzin said. "No one else has ever asked. I don't know what the distinction is. Maybe the studies of recidivism say the rates are higher with sex offenders."

Strelzin posits that perhaps when convicted killers are released, they are 30 to 40 years older and are physically and mentally "different" people. A 70-year-old parolee might not kill again, he said.

Cordella said the public probably doesn't feel threatened by the parolee down the street who killed his wife because of the circumstances of that crime. "His new partner" may have reason to be concerned, but not "the adult male down the street," he said. ..News Source.. by ALBERT McKEON Staff Writer