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School zone exemption for sex offenders may be narrowed

State Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appears to be on a mission to overhaul the way the state treats convicted sex offenders, as not long after he sponsored successful legislation effectively addressing the so-called “Romeo and Juliet” issue prompted by the state’s sex offender registry program, he has introduced new legislation stating that sex offenders living within school safety zones can’t live there if they have been convicted of a sex crime after Jan. 1, 2006.

Senate Bill (SB) 354, which was slated for a hearing in the upper chamber’s Judiciary Committee yesterday, Tuesday, May 10, would narrow the exemption that exists for sex offenders living in a school safety zone, which is an area 1,000 feet or less from school property in which those registered with the state as sex offenders can’t live or work.

When state law was changed in 2005 to strengthen the school safety zones, registered sex offenders who were already residing within a school safety zone were grandfathered into compliance (or exempted), allowing them to remain at their residence.

Jones’ bill would add language continuing to exempt those people, but only provided that they have resided in that safety zone since Jan. 1, 2006, and that they haven’t been subsequently convicted of an offense that would require inclusion on the sex offender registry.

Under state law, first-time offenders found guilty of violating this portion of the Michigan Sex Offenders Registration Act face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Repeat offenders can face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.

Neither Jones nor state Sen. Mike Kowall (R-Commerce, Milford, Highland, White Lake, West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Wixom, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake) could be reached for comment prior to press time on Monday, May 9.

One Response to School zone exemption for sex offenders may be narrowed

  1. Village Resident

    May 12, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Whilst sex crimes are hardly “popular” by any stretch, sex offenders have the LOWEST rate or recidicism in the crimal justice system which brings up….. Just where do all these people on the SOR come from. That’s right, nearly all a NEW cases. What the registry has done is mistakenly placed the attention of the public onto those that have already committed these haneous crimes and gone through intensive psychotheraphy before being released back into the general public, all while that very same general public is never educated on the warning signs / what to look for, BEFORE these crimes are committed in the 1st place. Unfortunately though such news reporting / education is not popular and doesn’t help to sell newspapers or raise ratings, we’ll never see any such preventive measures become mainstream news. FACT 70% of these types of crimes go unreported to begin with and history & facts prove that more than not, are committed right under our noses by those closest to us…. Fathers, brothers, step fathers, boyfriends, TEACHERS, coaches, babysitters and so on, and far far to many times the danger signs or such abuse are right there in our faces, but due to a lack of education and many times just falt our denial in the form of “naw, he/she is a nice person and would never do that….. It only happens to other people” type of mentality not only allows it to occur in the 1st place, but far far to often allows it to continue until FINALLY and far to infrequently…. The victim finally comes forward or the perp gets sloppy and gets caught.. BUT AGAIN…. 70% of these crimes go UN REPORTED.

    Wise up people.

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