July 19, 2011

Tories announce plans to track sex offenders

7-19-2011 Canada:

The Tories want to force people on the sex-offender registry to wear GPS units, to monitor where they go, and the party also wants to publish the offenders' names and addresses on a public website.

Peterborough's PC candidate Alan Wilson said this will make communities safer, while Liberal MPP Jeff Leal said police already have a "fairly comprehensive" tracking system to know where offenders are 24-7.

Wilson and Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller stood outside the Superior courthouse on Monday during a press conference about the Tory pledge, saying Premier Dalton McGuinty does not make fighting crime a priority.

Tracking with GPS would allow police to monitor offenders "day and night" and "react immediately" if somebody who's banned from certain areas goes to a school or playground, for example, Miller said.

"People deserve to feel safe," Miller said.

He said there are more than 14,000 people on Ontario's sex-offender registry, which is now only available to police.

He said people on the registry would be deterred from going to prohibited places because they know they'll be caught via the GPS. "It would prevent crime," he said.

He said more than 40 U.S. states, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Manitoba as well as the federal government use GPS to monitor certain types of offenders.

While publishing addresses of people on the registry may lead to vigilantism, Wilson said it's a matter of balancing public safety with the public's right to know.

Wilson said the Tories would consult with police about the best way to implement these measures. "That's the smart way to do it," Wilson said.

Leal said he wouldn't comment on publicizing offenders' addresses online.

"Police already know where they are on a 24-7 basis," Leal said. ..Source.. by ELIZABETH BOWER, Examiner Staff Writer

2 comments:

Daniel Goichman said...

It's obviously a bad idea. Another knee-jerk reaction to the phobia that strangers are committing sex crimes. these 14,000 people have paid their debt back to society and society is obligated to let them live their lives freely. without interfering with their work, their families, their lifestyle. It's another attempt by law enforcement or politicians to do more harm than good to a problem that doesn't exist. "Making a mountain out of a molehill." Does anyone in Canada or the USA know what that means? the only way former criminals can lead normal lives is to blend back into society and be self-sufficient.

Michael said...

Here are some of the things that Mr. Hudak is NOT telling you:

1. Former sex offenders have a lower recidivism rate that any other group of offender. Most

will never reoffend.

2.The Canadians sex offender registries, utilizing funds and police resources for over a

decade, have never assisted in solving even one crime.

3. Solicitor General Jim Bradley said in order to use effective technology the price tag

would actually be “quadruple” that. So, we're now looking at approximately $200 million

dollars per year.

4. Minnesota Department of Corrections stated of gps usage "It does not prevent offenders

from committing crimes."

HERE ARE MORE *FACTS*:
http://ontarioregistryandgps.webs.com