New FL law requires GPS tracking of sex offenders,what do you guys think?

[megatronrules]

So what do you guys think of this? I've cut and pasted it for you to read. Don't get me wrong I think sex offenders should be monitored but I'am just a bit unesy about the idea of a gps device being implanted in someone I guess it always starts with "the undesirables" first. I'am guessing it would be a chip maybe because why use an ankle braclet that can just be removed? Anyway heres the article:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Spurred by the kidnapping and murder of a 9-year-old girl, Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation Monday that strengthens punishment and monitoring of child sex abusers.

The Jessica Lunsford Act sets a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison for people convicted of molesting children under 12. If offenders serve less than life, they would be required to wear a global positioning system device after their release so authorities can monitor their whereabouts.

The bill was quickly drafted after the Jessica's body was discovered March 19 near her home. The proposal sped through the legislative process, pushed by outraged lawmakers — many of whom said it was hard to temper their anger and not go for something even harsher.

It passed both the Senate and House unanimously and was sent to Bush on April 22.

Convicted sex offender John E. Couey, who lived near Jessica, is charged with her killing. Couey did not inform the state when he moved into the girl's neighborhood in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa.

The House had passed the bill unanimously April 19, two days after another sex offender was charged in the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Sarah Lunde of Ruskin. David Onstott allegedly told police he choked Sarah and dumped her body in a pond on April 10. Onstott was convicted of a sex crime in 1995.

Advocates for satellite monitoring of offenders say that in addition to warning authorities when a sex offender is someplace he shouldn't be — such as near a school — it also will allow for quick pinpointing of suspects if a child is abducted.

The tracking requirement only affects people convicted in the future, but current sex offenders who violate their probation would be ordered back to jail or be placed under GPS monitoring.

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[dolanp]

They ought to just mandate castration. That would be the most effective deterrent against both initial offenses and repeats.

 

[megatronrules]

Amen to that in my opinion a child molester is worse than a muderer or any other breed of criminal. They are the lowest thing there is and should be treated as such.

 

[TC66]

Here is another vote for castration. There is nothing worse that doing something like that to an innocent child.

 

[Dave P]

"Jessica Lunsford Act sets a mandatory sentence"

This is a double-edged sword: allows no intellegence on sentencing, that should be based on mitigating factors.

 

[Alex45ACP]

They shouldn't even be letting sex offenders out of prison at all in the first place

 

[fjolnirsson]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If they can't be trusted, don't release them into society. This country has to get tough on crime. We shouldn't be creating a 2nd class of citizen.
And it does always start with the "undesireables". Next, will it be "deadbeat dads" who are tracked? Supposedly, thats why we have to use our SS card as ID.
Mark my words, this will progress.

 

[SJG26]

"They shouldn't even be letting sex offenders out of prison at all in the first place"

They need to-------there is only so much grave space near the prison.

Sorry - the only viable, economic, moral solution (for the no-doubt guilty) is DEATH - immediate, quick and cheap !!

Harm a child - no rehab, no life sentence, no 3-meals and a cot---------------immediate Death Penalty

 

[TallPine]

For a true child molester (not an 18yo having consensual sex with a 17yo) I would opt for an implant of one of those lead tracking devices

 

[Zundfolge]

They ought to just mandate castration. That would be the most effective deterrent against both initial offenses and repeats.

Thats a big myth ... there are many molesters/rapists who are impotent and/or who suffer from erectile dysfunction yet are still capable of molesting.

Castration gives a false sense of security as it only prevents the convict from using his own erect member to do his dirty work.

Fear of death and/or castration is not enough to prevent these sick people from acting out their sickness.

We don't treat rabid stray dogs for rabies, we just put them to sleep.


I like the 25-life part of the new FLA law and usually I have a problem with tracking ex-cons (as I believe once you've served your time you should be free to go) but in this case I'm not going to let that little civil libertarian inside me complain
I am a little concerned that we're just opening the door to pandora's box and someday you'll have a tracking device clamped on for minor crimes, but we'll cross (and burn) that bridge when we come to it.

I agree with the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" crowd on this issue ... I don't believe that there is any method of "rehabilitation" that works well enough on these people to make it worth risking their release.

 

[RealGun]

New FL law requires GPS tracking of sex offenders,what do you guys think?

I think they are the guinea pigs for developing tracking systems for other purposes. The numbers involved will also support development of the industry to support it. Those gadget people and stockholders are surely high-fiving it right about now.

You watch, the sex offenders will be the first to have devices surgically embedded, authorities arguing that those convicted have no right to object. I can't say I disagree, but someone with suspended or withdrawn rights belongs in prison, don't they? A free man should be just that, fully entitled, including a gun.

These are mostly people I would execute, so what can I say. What exactly constitutes a sex offender is something I would want to carefully examine, but convicted child molesters, especially repeaters, need to be out of the gene pool, certainly society, one way or the other.

I wouldn't allow pro-lifers to control this issue, no way. A town's family fathers used to quietly take these guys out in the woods and hang them in the middle of the night. Police arrests probably rescue these guys from vigilantes, many of whom would be outraged parents of young children. Justice by the book should have the same outcome regardless.

Whatever our modern version, justice should still be served. Lack of prison space or some misplaced notion of compassion would be poor excuses for turning them loose. Experts seem to agree that these guys will naturally repeat, not to mention being convicted of only one or a fraction of their past crimes.

I might give an offender a choice between castration and a death penalty. I don't imagine that mandatory castration would fly politically, but elective castration might. There won't be any "nice" way to deal with it. Political correctness will mean the problem won't get solved, but a lot of money and rhetoric will be thrown at it, and someone will claim credit for a real solution.

 

[Alex45ACP]

This tracking thing worries me as well. Sexual predators today, then shoplifters, then... everyone? Tracking devices implanted at birth?

 

[rick_reno]

They ought to just mandate castration. That would be the most effective deterrent against both initial offenses and repeats.

I'd support this if the operation starts at the head. Sexual offenders have no business being free. First offense - kick some non-violent offender out of jail and put one of these monsters in their place forever.

What does this law really do other than reduce police time and effort in catching these monsters after they've commited a crime? We need to come up with a solution that prevents them commiting these crimes in the first place. Maybe have the GPS programmed that so that if they leave their house it gives them a disabling shock - or sets off a small explosion that blows off whatever apendage it's attached to.

 

[Alex45ACP]

If they ended the War on (some) Drugs they'd have plenty of room for these animals... :banghead:

 

[Waitone]

If your society lacks the moral courage to do what its citizens deep down know what has to happen (death) then I suppose lifetime tracking is appropriate. But once again we are faced with the prospect of taxing the victims and their families for the upkeep of a predator. If you want to do down the road of tracking then exempt the victim and their families from ALL taxation so long as the perp lives. At some point we have to get away from the quaint concept of taxing victims to maintain the lives of perps who commit atrocities.

Especially in the case of child molesters, ... killers, and . . . .abusers the death penalty is a very effective deterrent. It is also a deterrent in the case of murderers, but for some reason we don't discuss it.

 

[longhorngunman]

Molesters? Fry them! Repeat drug dealers need to be put to death too. And "deadbeat dads", there should be a way to track them down if they don't pay. Here in Texas though it doesn't matter. The money is automatically deducted from their paycheck. Sorry, you got your nut so now ya gonna pay till their 18.

 

[liberty911]

Good thought in theory, but what is the next step? Every child molseter has to start somewhere. The implants would only provide an ability to locate a repeat offender. What about the first time offender?

It is also only a matter of time until someone starts pushing a bill that all children should have the implants. That way the police, and the parents, would know where the child is. Sounds that the bill may be a little too slippery when it comes to an individuals constitutional rights. It is probably best just to place them in the general population of the prison and let their punishment work out naturally.

 

[Firethorn]

I agree with liberty911. Whenever I hear about a new crime bill/law that's caused by a new tragedy, I ask myself: "Would this have stopped the tragedy?" The answer in this case was no.

Not only will this not stop the first offense, it won't even stop the second offense. Best case is that the offender is caught quicker. Worst case: An 'innocent' offender is blamed while the real one gets away.

Plain old police work worked in this case, as well as others. This program is unneeded, will be ineffective, and expensive.

Don't let them out of prison in the first place.

 

[dloken]

This is much the same as the felons and firearms vote. If you can't trust them they shouldn't be released back into society. If they're honestly reformed they become a normal citizen upon release.

People focus too much on punishment (Which they should receive) and rail against reforming criminals to prepare them to live a good life. If we had a balance of both punishment and reform we might have a chance of stopping repeat offenders with some crimes although with child molestation I think it's as much of a mental illness as it is genuine malice so perhaps they should be sent to a mental hospital after prison.

 

[Blackburn]

They ought to just mandate castration. That would be the most effective deterrent against both initial offenses and repeats.

You know the sick things these guys would be driven to do when they DON'T have a tool?

 

[NHBB]

I am not for tracking devices of any kind really.. frankly it kind of perturbs me that I even have one in my car, but it's like mandatory these days for luxury type vehicles.

molesters should stay incarcerated for life, and given no quarter in protective custody. let them right into gen pop and the problem will solve itself.

 

[dloken]

I'd also like to think that castration falls under cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[spacemanspiff]

They ought to just mandate castration. That would be the most effective deterrent against both initial offenses and repeats

thats like saying that removing guns from the civilian populace would reduce violent crime.

the presence of the male sex organ is not the cause of sexual crimes. it starts in their brain.



as far as the tracking is concerned, i think the taxpayers money could be put to more efficient uses to combat repeat sex offenders. something along the "three S's".

 

[raz-0]

I don't like mandatory sentences, and I don't like tagging and tracking people. I also don't like the idea that you aren't done serving your time when you are done serving your time. This kind of crap breaks a lot of the underlying principles that I sincerely believe in.

A perfect exemple of this kind of crap intersecting with sex offender laws is the fact that in many states, you can get slapped up on a megans law website becuase you got snagged for public urination. Now having spent some time residing in a college town, I'm not thrilled about your drunken frat idiots peeing on the side of your residence, but being lumped in with rapists and pedophiles is a bit much.

Any law that doesn't allow judicial discretion is kind of sketchy too. For every real monster out there, there's a bunch of guys in the middle of a messy divorce getting accused of crap they aren't doing, and some teenage couple who are having consentual sex but someone has a birthday before the someone else and there's an unhappy parent wanting to put their nuts in a ringer despite neither of the kids being any more guilty than the other and nobody is a threat witha screw loose.

If they are a continuing and ongoing threat, don't let them out in the first place. But I'm not even really comfortable with that notion if there is no out. I'm not real keen on sending a couple horny sixteen year olds to jail for 25 years because they got snagged before a magic date and people's parents can't deal with it.

 

[GEM]

Castration removes the testicles. Folks who have been castrated can buy black market testosterone to function. Some times the perpertrator asks for castration as a way to avoid prision and knows the ways to get around it.

Saying you want to castrate folks is more a punishment fantasy rather than a workable solution.