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August 06, 2005
sex crime committee
CLINTON -- State Rep. Paul Ray is optimistic his recent appointment as chairman of a subcommittee of lawmakers from across the nation will help him decide whether to introduce a bill next year to strengthen sentencing of sexual predators.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," said Ray, R-Clinton, chairman of the Sexual and Predatory Crimes Subcommittee for the American Legislative Executive Council. "If I find something that benefits Utah (by serving on the subcommittee), I will certainly bring it back."
The 35-member subcommittee met for the first time last week during ALEC's annual meeting in Dallas.
ALEC is made up of conservative lawmakers from all 50 states working together to advance model legislation and policies. The organization's task forces have considered, written and approved model bills on a wide range of issues.
Ray was asked by Utah House Speaker Rep. Greg Curtis, R-Salt Lake City, to serve on ALEC's criminal justice task force. That appointment resulted in Ray's being named chairman of ALEC's newly formed Sexual and Predatory Crimes Subcommittee.
The subcommittee was formed largely due to the onslaught of sex crimes perpetrated nationwide against children, Ray said.
During its meeting last week, the subcommittee heard presentations from officials with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Texas Department of Corrections.
Among the items discussed was the possibility of developing draft legislation that calls for life sentences without parole for repeat sexual predators, Ray said. The subcommittee also talked about mandatory sentencing and treatment for first-time offenders.
Ray has asked the state Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to evaluate the effectiveness of Utah's existing sexual predator-sentencing laws.
A report on that evaluation should be completed in about a month. Ray said he has not decided whether he will sponsor a bill during the 2006 legislative session to toughen Utah's sex offender-sentencing laws.
Any changes to sentencing laws that result in more incarcerations could have a significant financial effect on the budget for the Utah Department of Corrections, said UDOC spokesman Jack Ford.
There are about 1,600 inmates in Utah prisons for sex crimes. The state's average sentence is about seven years for conviction on a first-degree sex offense charge, about 51/2 years for a second-degree offense and about 31/2 years for a third-degree offense, Ford said.
Sex offenders who successfully complete an 18-month state treatment program have the lowest recidivism rate among all inmates, Ford said, citing a UDOC study.
Of 400 inmates who completed treatment and were surveyed between January 1991 and May 2004, only two were re-arrested on sex crime-related charges after being paroled, according to the study.
Still, UDOC backs Ray's efforts to review sentencing laws for sex offenders, Ford said. Officials with the Utah Attorney General's Office could not be reached for comment regarding the study.
Ray said he isn't trying to use his position as chairman of the ALEC subcommittee to bring national attention to his stance against sexual predators.
"I'm not making a political stand for the things I am concerned about," he said. "I just want to make sure we protect children and do what is right."
Ray gained attention in May when, as a Clinton City councilman, he proposed the adoption of an ordinance that would keep felony-convicted registered sex offenders out of local parks.
The City Council passed the ordinance, but, under the threat of litigation challenging its constitutionality, rescinded it before it could be enacted.
Sharon Anderson, executive director of Family Connection Center, a child abuse-prevention organization based in Clearfield, said she has worked with Ray on legislative issues and is impressed with his sincerity.
"His heart is in the right place," she said.
"Children are one segment of society who doesn't have a voice. I support anyone that speaks up and is a voice for children."
Posted by Nealus at August 6, 2005 12:22 PM
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