Tracking devices to be used on Sex offenders...

[insein]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155208,00.html

Im suprised no one posted this yet.

Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush Signs Lunsford Act
Monday, May 02, 2005
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With the father of a slain 9-year-old looking on, Gov. Jeb Bush (search) signed legislation Monday that strengthens punishment and monitoring of child sex abusers.

The Jessica Lunsford Act (search) requires those who prey on children under 12 to be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison and, if they get out, to be tracked for life.

The bill was quickly drafted after March, and sped through the legislative process, pushed by outraged lawmakers.

Bush said Florida's sex offender laws are already tough, and "this bill will make our laws even tougher. It think it is right and just."

Bush hugged Mark Lunsford (search) after signing the bill, telling him he was proud of his leadership in pushing for the measure so soon after his daughter's death.

Lunsford, wearing a tie with pictures of his daughter, said he has been working so furiously to channel his anger into the legislation he hasn't yet really grieved.

"I'm still lost, I haven't really dealt with it yet," Lunsford said after Bush signed the bill. He called the tie his "hug" from Jessica. "I'm still minus my kiss, but that's my hug."


Lunsford has been at the Capitol often in the last month urging legislators to crack down on predators.

It passed both the Senate and House unanimously and was sent to Bush on April 22, just over a month after the girl's body was found March 19. She had vanished from her home in Homosassa the previous month.

John E. Couey, a convicted sex offender who was living near Jessica, is charged with her kidnapping her from her bedroom and murdering her. Detectives say he confessed.

The Legislature passed the bill days after another sex offender was charged in the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Sarah Lunde (search) 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.

The bill would require 25-year minimum prison terms for people convicted of certain sex crimes against children and lifetime tracking by global positioning satellite once they're outside of prison.

The bill also requires more monitoring of people convicted of molesting older children.

The new requirement only affects people convicted in the future, but it also has a provision that provides for GPS tracking of sex offenders who violate probation.

Advocates for the satellite monitoring 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 new law also could open the door to the death penalty for more murderers, saying someone's status as sexual predator can be considered as an aggravating when judges and juries weigh capital punishment.

Ok i love the increase of years on the sentence to 25 from the previous 3-6 years. Something thats a no brainer and should have been in place years ago.

However, is this a pandoras box we want to open? GPS tracking with a chip implant is in my mind completly WRONG!! I dont care about these scumbags but its the idea that they use a totally heinous situation to which no one will be opposed to introduce this "Law" and then later on apply the precedent to lesser and lesser crimes progressively in the name of "safety". Soon all criminals minor or capital will have tracking devices implanted in them. From there its only a matter of time before it becomes mandatory to have a tracking device implanted into every citizen for our own "Safety".

I dont like where this is going one bit.

 

[Gem]

While I think "implanting" a gps system is a bit extreme...I dont' think it is at all out of place to say that keeping track of where these sickos are should not be the responsibility of the sicko...but rather the state.

I mean, goodgrief, we put an ankle locator on Martha Stewart...but a man who likes to f*** small children can be taken at his word that he'll register at every new town he moves to?

There is something seriously wrong with the system of dealing with convicted pedophiles...and in light of the recent crimes against young children, something serious must be done about it.

 

[Johnney]

Ok i love the increase of years on the sentence to 25 from the previous 3-6 years. Something thats a no brainer and should have been in place years ago.

However, is this a pandoras box we want to open? GPS tracking with a chip implant is in my mind completly WRONG!! I dont care about these scumbags but its the idea that they use a totally heinous situation to which no one will be opposed to introduce this "Law" and then later on apply the precedent to lesser and lesser crimes progressively in the name of "safety". Soon all criminals minor or capital will have tracking devices implanted in them. From there its only a matter of time before it becomes mandatory to have a tracking device implanted into every citizen for our own "Safety".
I dont like where this is going one bit.

oh no, thats a good idea. we also need to tattoo on thier foreheads that they are child molesters seeings as how some do not want to register where they are living too.
if you dont keep track of them, they will slip under the radar.

hell if it was up to me, id have someone personally follow those filthy bastards around. be a good way to lower the unemployment problem.

 

[GotZoom]

This is a great idea! We don't need to implant a chip. With today's technology, we can create a "bracelet" or necklace or ? (that doesn't look out of the ordinary) that they are required to wear.

When it comes to molesting a child, there is no "I've paid my debt to society."

 

[no1tovote4]

Wouldn't it just be easier to "keep track of them" if they were in holes in the ground 6 ft, perpindicular?

 

[insein]

Once again everyone is missing the point. What do we have parole officers for if they arent keeping track of their parolee's. I agree with johnney on the having a person stay on them 24/7. But to putting a tracking device on someone opens the door that i dont want to see this country go down.

Whose to say that 10 years from now they start requiring car thieves to wear tracking devices so that they can make sure "they arent stealing cars." Then from there they put them on drug offenders so that "they dont go buy more drugs." From there its put them on every citizen so that "they arent doing anything wrong." The mantra that will be and is always used is "Dont be doing anything wrong." This is a really bad idea.

 

[SmarterThanYou]

Once again everyone is missing the point. What do we have parole officers for if they arent keeping track of their parolee's. I agree with johnney on the having a person stay on them 24/7. But to putting a tracking device on someone opens the door that i dont want to see this country go down.

Whose to say that 10 years from now they start requiring car thieves to wear tracking devices so that they can make sure "they arent stealing cars." Then from there they put them on drug offenders so that "they dont go buy more drugs." From there its put them on every citizen so that "they arent doing anything wrong." The mantra that will be and is always used is "Dont be doing anything wrong." This is a really bad idea.

kinda like hearing 'if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.'

 

[Shattered]

Wouldn't it just be easier to "keep track of them" if they were in holes in the ground 6 ft, perpindicular?

 

[Hobbit]

No, you see, what we need to do is so the chip into a huge, scarlet 'M' that has to be attached to every shirt or jacket they wear.

 

[Johnney]

first offense, castration (the real one, not the chemical). second offense, life with no chance of parole

 

[pegwinn]

Amazing. I support enhanced use of technology. But, unlike the governator, I am not afraid of where it is going. And as DK noted, since I have nothing to hide........

I think all parolees need to have a tracker on em. If we are gonna let em out of prison early (average is what 7 months in for every year assigned?) we need to know where they are. For me, I want a GPS in my phone so I can use the E911 services. I don't care if you know where I am. Of course I aint a criminal, and my wife knows my girlfriend. Just Kidding.

Pedophiles should be castrated, then on the second offense hang a sign on em that reads.......

then shoot them. Leave the body for a few days to set an example.

Speaking of which, I heard on Hannity today that a florida 'phile has removed his tracker. These should be subdermal.

 

[insein]

Amazing. I support enhanced use of technology. But, unlike the governator, I am not afraid of where it is going. And as DK noted, since I have nothing to hide........

I think all parolees need to have a tracker on em. If we are gonna let em out of prison early (average is what 7 months in for every year assigned?) we need to know where they are. For me, I want a GPS in my phone so I can use the E911 services. I don't care if you know where I am. Of course I aint a criminal, and my wife knows my girlfriend. Just Kidding.

Pedophiles should be castrated, then on the second offense hang a sign on em that reads.......

then shoot them. Leave the body for a few days to set an example.

Speaking of which, I heard on Hannity today that a florida 'phile has removed his tracker. These should be subdermal.

Again people are equating this to just the pedophiles. You ever see "Enemy of the State" with Gene Hackman and Will Smith? Thats what i fear. Except that we will all have subdermal implants for our "Own protection."

Then if you run a red light, you go 1 mph over the speed limit in you car, you jay walk, you loiter, you spit on the ground, you cuss in public, they'll know and in theory depending on where it all goes, they just mail the fine to you or deduct it directly from you bank account. Have a nice day.

 

[pegwinn]

Again people are equating this to just the pedophiles. You ever see "Enemy of the State" with Gene Hackman and Will Smith? Thats what i fear. Except that we will all have subdermal implants for our "Own protection."

Then if you run a red light, you go 1 mph over the speed limit in you car, you jay walk, you loiter, you spit on the ground, you cuss in public, they'll know and in theory depending on where it all goes, they just mail the fine to you or deduct it directly from you bank account. Have a nice day.

Don't get me wrong here. I understand and respect your fears or, if you prefer, reservations. I never saw the movie but I will put it on my list of things if I ever find free time. I don't think it would come to that unless it was done covertly. Just like anything else, since the overwhelming majority doesn't exist, it will balance out.