ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), there are an
estimated 603,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. today. However, of
that number, at least 100,000 sex offenders are noncompliant and no one
knows where they are. A new Special Analysis Unit has been created by NCMEC
to search databases, analyze information, and help identify and locate
these fugitives, to enable the U.S. Marshal's Service to arrest them and
bring them to justice. To date, the Marshals have located more than 850 of
the fugitive sex offenders.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070228/DCW120 )
However, inconsistency in the way many states track sex offenders or
treat noncompliance has enabled serious sex offenders to manipulate the
system and relocate to more lenient states. Examples of the inadequacy of
state laws include:
-- There are 25 states where noncompliance with one or more registration
duties may be treated as only a misdemeanor: Alaska, California,
Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.(1)
-- In four states, when a sex offender moves from one state to another
state, the responsibility to notify the new state is placed solely on
the offender himself: Delaware, District of Columbia, Kansas, and Utah.
-- In eight states, the law is ambiguous as to whether the state or the
sex offender must notify a new state when the offender moves:
California, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South
Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.
-- In only seven states, when a sex offender fails to register, it is
mandatory for parole to be revoked and the sex offender to be returned
to prison: California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota,
and West Virginia.
In July of 2006, Congress passed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and
Safety Act, which included four important provisions: mandated the creation
of a national sex offender registry database and website; made the failure
to register and be compliant a federal felony; mandated that states make
changes in their laws to create greater consistency and uniformity on a
national level; and tasked the U.S. Marshals with tracking down fugitive
sex offenders.
However, states have three years to become fully compliant with the new
law. "States need to fully implement the new law immediately so we know
where these sex offenders are, and tougher penalties will make it less
desirable for them to be noncompliant," said Ernie Allen, President and CEO
of NCMEC. "We cannot allow known sex offenders to continue to take
advantage of the inconsistency in reporting and tracking in many states.
States have the ability to prevent more predators from slipping through the
cracks and harming more children. They need to act today."
"We know that two-thirds of sex offenders who are in state prisons have
admitted that their victims were children," said Allen. "And we know that
sex offenders who harm children are most likely to be repeat offenders."
An estimated 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized
in some way before they reach age 18, and only 1 in 3 will report it.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a
reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than
441,900 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law
enforcement with more than 127,700 missing child cases, resulting in the
recovery of more than 110,200 children. For more information about NCMEC,
call its toll-free, 24- hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web
site at http://www.missingkids.com.
CONTACT: NCMEC Communications Department, +1-703-837-6111
(1) For purposes of our research, the District of Columbia is counted
as a state.
SOURCE National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
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