Panel approves changes to South Dakota sex offender registry

Reporters, at times and this is one, miss the most important facts! Senate Bill 12 also says:

Sec.-4: Any person who is on the state sex offender registry on the effective date of this Act shall be deemed to have been assigned to Tier III. However, any such person may petition the court, pursuant to § 22-24B-17, for appropriate reassignment in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

Right, force everyone to be the worst-of-the-worst, and if you don't like that, get an attorney (bill also says none will be appointed) to petition the court to get a CORRECT Tier Level. This is legal? Should the state be forced to pay the attorney fees & costs for every registrant who has been MIS-CLASSIFIED by the legislature? Obviously I say YES!

2-12-2010 South Dakota:

Legislation in South Dakota would give some sex offenders convicted of rape or indecent exposure a chance to remove their name from the registry after 10 years.

PIERRE, S.D. — A South Dakota Senate committee today advanced a bill that would create tiers for the state’s sex offender registry, giving some people a chance to get their names removed from the list eventually.

The measure, which now heads to the full Senate, would create three groups of sex crimes.

Those convicted of the most serious ones, including crimes against children, could never get off the offender list. Those convicted of midlevel sex crimes could ask to be removed after 25 years, and those convicted of less serious crimes such as misdemeanor indecent exposure or statutory rape when the offender is 25 or younger could ask to be removed after 10 years.

“I think it’s a good bill,” Attorney General Marty Jackley told the committee.

The bill is a product of a summer study by a special legislative committee. It advanced out of the Judiciary Committee on a 7-0 vote Thursday after several debate sessions and a half-dozen amendments during the past month.

Lawmakers have said for years that it’s unfair to treat those convicted of less serious sex crimes the same as those convicted of rape and other more serious crimes.

Sen. Craig Tieszen, R-Rapid City, called the bill a good compromise that might need some tweaking later.

“I think in the big picture that we have made progress on this. We’ve addressed the issue,” he said. “We’ve shined a bright light on the registry.”

Convicted sex offenders are required to register with local law enforcement. Their names, addresses and crimes are available on a state Internet site.

Committee members killed a separate bill asking the attorney general to study and report on possible improvements to the Internet site after Jackley said his office would begin working on the changes immediately and report back to the committee next year. ..Source.. Dirk Lammers