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September 13, 2005
Initiative targets child sex crimes
Some offenses would earn mandatory 25-year sentences
Adults who rape or commit other sexual abuse against children younger than 12 would get mandatory 25-year prison terms under a proposed ballot measure backed by the state's main victims' rights group.
The idea is to protect society's most vulnerable people against the most heinous sexual predators, said Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, a co-sponsor of the initiative proposal that was filed with the state Elections Division.
"We're talking about the worst of the worst," Starr said Monday. "Data show there is no treatment that effectively cures these types of offenders."
The proposal is patterned after a law passed this year in Florida imposing a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life for certain sex crimes against children younger than 12.
The Florida law was approved quickly after the death of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.
A convicted sex offender is charged with kidnapping and murder in that case.
Starr said other states have passed similar laws.
The Oregon initiative would impose minimum 25-year prison terms without the chance of parole for people older than 18 who commit rape, sodomy, illegal sexual penetration and kidnapping against young children.
The minimum prison terms for the crimes under current Oregon law is eight years and four months.
The Oregon House passed a bill with those penalties in mid-July, but it died in the Senate when lawmakers ended their 2005 session Aug. 5.
Backers need to collect 75,000 petition signatures by July to put the proposal on the November 2006 ballot.
Steve Doell, the president of Crime Victims United, predicted strong public support.
"I think there will be a grass-roots upswelling for this. The longer we can incapacitate these people, it's going to cut down on the number of victims and the number of crimes," Doell said.
Lawmakers who voted against the bill that passed the House, on a 51-9 vote, say they're not convinced it will do much to reduce such crimes.
"They haven't made a case to me that jacking up penalties is an effective deterrent," said Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland.
Rep. Gary Hansen, D-Portland, who also opposed the measure, said there was a "level of hypocrisy" from lawmakers who inadequately funded the police and district attorneys and "then wanted to grandstand on increasing that one penalty.
"If you want do something about crime, you need to make the whole public-safety system effective," Hansen said.
Posted by Nealus at September 13, 2005 01:34 PM
