Florida signs law to track sex offenders via GPS for life

There are other states that have minimum sentences, and other states that require some sort of tracking of sex offenders after their release, but Florida's new law makes them the first to require mandatory lifetime tracking via GPS for those convicted of sex crimes against children 11 and younger. Governor Jeb Bush signed the law, which also mandates a 25 years to life sentence, in response to the killing of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. The Jessica Lunsford Act was drafted and pushed through quickly after lawmakers discovered that the man who had murdered Jessica was a registered sex offender. It passed both Senate and House unanimously.

[jono @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Am i the only one who feels that the moment you name a bill after a persons name or an event, you completely remove any dose of the gravity of what you are doing? Legislatures are supposed to be above the topical whimsy of the public at any one moment.

Silly thing to do

[Caz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Not quite, Jono. Law is human, crime is (in)human. In the case when such victims are involved, it's all fairness to give the law memory of who laws are supposed to protect.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I guess You Don�t Have KIDS!!
If you did you would not think this is SILLY or whimsical!
I live in FL have a 2 year Old and another Child on the way.
FOR the First TIME I actually LOVE MY GOVERMENT. If I had it my way we do even more to prevent these SICK people from Hurting innocent children.

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

These types of laws are so wrong. When the person is released from prison they are supposed to have "paid their debt" to society. Tracking them and publishing their locations only further alienates them from the community and prevents them from living normal lives.

If we truly believe sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated and are still a threat to society, then we shouldn't release them at all.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

No. 4 I agree 100% with you that THEY SHOULD NEVER be RELEASED!! (I understand that�s not what you meant). It�s not even an option in our society we work harder to protect criminals then we do Innocent Children!!
It seems that these people are like alcoholics in the sense that once the have taste of hurting children they can never get over it. Avoiding alcohol is the only way an alcoholic can stay off the booze. Well how do you keep a sexual predator away from children once they are released? YOU CAN�T!!! I feel they can not be rehabilitated and history over and over shows that they just get out and do the same thing again, in many cases it escalates to MURDER!!
If we can not lock them away for ever and we surely can not execute them, then at least lets let everyone know that they are a danger and lets keep a close eye on them so that don't destroy another Childs life!

[lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Does nobody realise that a GPS signal is easily lost in an urban environment. Sometimes it doesn't even work inside your house. In addition the man who recently killed a little girl only had to walk across the street to get her. Certainly it wouldn't be suspicious for him to be walking around his neighborhood. I have no moral problem with tracking such criminals, but overestimating technology is only going to make people stand around looking stupid when it fails to live up the their unreasonable expectations. The only help I could see would be after a crime was committed, and they wanted to question someone as a suspect then the police could find them. Of course had the person done the crime they probably wouldn't abide by the law and leave the GPS attached to themselves.

[Nate @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I think that any laws that are "pushed through quickly" after some heinous crime are nearly always going to be over the top and poorly thought out. And I agree with Jono, naming a bill after someone is a dumb, dumb idea. I also agree with Peter, alienating people like this is a great way to insure they never feel part of society, and thus won't ever feel bound by its laws and mores.

How would you feel if we put tracking devices on all criminals for life? After all, they're all likely to be repeat offenders right? Any of you out there arrested for protesting in your youth? Ever get a little over zealous at a bar and get arrested for drunken disorderly? Oh, sorry, we're going to publish your name, crimes, and address to everyone, and we're going to track your every movement.

Where does it stop, people? Tracking devices in cars of anyone who has ever had a speeding ticket? It's wrong, it's a hysterical, knee-jerk reaction, and I hope it eventually gets overturned.

Oh yeah, and this comes from someone with an absolutely spotless criminal record (ok... one speeding ticket 4 years ago).

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

HOW dare you compare Speeding Tickets to a Person that RAPES and THEN KILLS a 9 year old CHILD!!! You have serious Issues if you think they are one in the same!!

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

This in my opinion is the very least they should do. I would much rather see mandatory death sentences for first time offenders with a parents right to commute the sentence.

[a11` @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

��They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

even if i had kids and lived near a registered sex offender, i would not be in favor of this bill. to make up for your unobservant parenting skills with an unprecedented government encrochment on civil liberties is shortsighted and foolish. this was a decision based on fear, not on thought or even compassion. many more children die every day from malnutrition, poverty, vehicle accidents and complications due to environmental toxins, yet not enough is done about these issues.

stop shifting parenting onto the government.

re:3, the government you love is shortsighted, foolish and according to ben franklin, you deserve neither liberty or safety..

[Charlie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

First, bills are often named after people. This is nothing new. Isn't it better that it is named in honor of someone rather than the name of some senator?

Second, the registration of sex offenders is part and parcel of their sentence, like probation.

Third, blaming poor parenting for sex offenders? Do you know nothing about this case (and many others)? How does a parent "protect" their children from being stolen out of their beds, raped and murdered?

That being said, I don't support this law because it is just too expensive to track so many people for their entire lifetime.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

No.10 You are using Ben's comments out of context, I can assure you that our founding father would have had a similar stance on crime and punishment for peoples that RAPE and Murder CHILDEREN!!
You must be worried about having to wear a bracelet, I can say that I am not worried about giving up any of my Liberty as I have no reason to fear this new law!
I am not a government drone!
I have issue with things like my government telling me I can not copy a DVD that I purchased to make a Back up copy for my Own Use. I also believe government had no business getting involved in Terri Shavio�s right to die. If you reread my Message I said "FOR the First TIME I love my Government"
I do the best job I can parenting and so do millions of other in this country, but a little help to swing the pendulum from Criminal Right to Victim rights is a welcome change!!

No 11
It�s cheaper to Track them for their Lifetime vs Lifetime in Prison which I would definitely prefer but is never going to happen anyways.

No 9 you have the right IDEA!!
Bullets are cheap, especially if you buy them in bulk.

[pootie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

No gapless playback? Paperweight.

[granny down east @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Gotta chime in on this one.
I would like to see the legal system do what the community used to do fifty/a hundred years ago...that is, take care of the problem permanently.
Raping and murdering a child ought to be a capital crime in every jurisdiction.
#6, you are correct about the degradation/loss of GPS signal; I work with GPS every day and have noticed this.

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

bmw - That's exactly what I meant. If we really believe they cannot be rehabilitated then keep them locked up. But releasing a person and putting this burden on them and on society to monitor them is cruel and unusual. Just knowing where they are doesn't prevent them from committing further crimes. A system like this guarantees they will never re-integrate into society.

I hate child molesters just as much as the next guy, but you can't have it both ways. Either they are ready to re-enter society and are not a threat to others and you release them or they are not ready or are still a threat and you keep them locked up.

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I think I speak for everyone on that one: bmw, STFU. Thank you.

(oh if you wonder why, it's because those emotional & all caps 'oh my GOD save the CHILDREN' comments are plain annoying. Obviously you are not here to be part in any contructive debate. The thing you are missing is that those GPS bracelet don't work, and will do nothing to prevent crime. Nothing at all. And yes, I have 2 children.)

[Frangible @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Regardless of the severity of the crime, the truth is, GPS doesn't deliver. It doesn't work under tree cover. It doesn't work in houses unless you sit in the windowsill. It doesn't work in heavy urban enviornments.

This is a legislative fantasy that is ignorant of the technology it requires.

[Randy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

A few things on this..

Anyone who says "I do not have kids, but even if I did" should really shut their traps. They have no "real" idea what it is like to have children.

As for this law... well why I am always scared of the government getting into monitoring its citizens, I don't really see any other option with child molesters. Out of all crimes, it has one of the highest rates of reoccurrence among those who have served their time out of any crime.

Our Government was founded to protect its citizens, and the current laws were not protecting our most vulnerable and innocent citizens. Children should not have to fear for the sexual safety and their very lives. I personally believe that sexually molesting a child is a worse crime than capital murder of an adult, and should get life in prison. However, that is not the case. Yet.

Will it work? Only time will tell. With 4-5 kids raped and killed in the last few months we needed to do something, and hopefully the GPS bracelets will give the sickos just enough pause to stop them from doing what they are doing. Here in California we have http://meganslaw.ca.gov which is a repository of sexual offenders.. and it is interesting to note how many have dropped off the radar because they have not checked in..

BMW.. there is a rule that says bringing Nazi's into conversations instantly ends that conversation. However, there is a similar rule when anyone brings the founding fathers into a conversation on their side. None of us can speak for them, let us speak for ourselves.

-Randy

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I live in Fl and have to say that I don't think anyone who has posted to this understands the problem that this law attempts to address. The problem (at least one of them) is that in Florida the registered sexual offender/predator is required to voluntarily notify law enforcement when they change residence. Apparently this doesn't happen very often because law enforcement recently admitted that they had "lost" thousands of sexual offenders. i..e they had moved to a new residence and not notified anyone. It's been reported in the news that another common occurance is that sexual offenders have more than one residence and they bounce among them. The effect of this is that they can move around the state and legally circumvent the requirement to notify anyone when they change residence.

[Cullen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

bmw, i hope your children do not grow up and commit these crimes. i would hate to see you rallying for their death.
registration is one thing, tracking is another. MANY sex offenders will not do anything again. yeah, some will. but will a tracking collar stop them? no. it may even botch prosecution the next time around, as a bad signal may place them farther away from the victim or something. we need to be paying for therapy and more treatment for criminals, not for little things to make us feel better at the end of the day.

he was not comparing speeding tickets to rape. if your hick ass had read it before slapping out a response, it may have had some effect. he was saying that what will stop them, now that there is a precedent, from putting similar devices in say, a speeders car. or maybe your boss could require you to wear one if you are late to work x days. yes, i realize that is not an example of law, but what i am getting at is this shit should NOT be accepted - doing so will let it come into parts of our life that have nothing to do with law, but with general punishment.
do you download mp3s? movies? anytihng like that, bmw? how about the govt sticking a 'tracking device' so they can see what youre doing all the time...or maye you sold drugs at one point. so why not tap your phone? this is NOT equating rape to these crimes. if youve read this and still think that, ive either done a bad job of explaining or youve done a bad job of reading.
(in the future, please refrain from capitalizing every other word, bmw. it makes it damn hard to read)

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

No 17 What? are you a child molester, and hate all this debate regarding your fate? More then likely you would have to borrow a big one as yours is either no existent or so small that it would not do the job!! DO you prey on small children because it makes you feel powerful? You sound like you would be a great Candidate for the Bullet Solution!

No. 15 I am entitled to my opinion as you are, and I would also like to hear your thoughts on this subject if god for bid something every happened to one of your children. What you don�t want to SAVE the CHILDERN!!?!?!

If GPS won't work then we go with NO. 13 Idea !

[SRD @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

All of you saying it wont work cause gps doesnt work under trees etc. are wrong to a point i have a gps reciever for my laptop that works 15 feet away from the windows in the house. and the ones in your cell phone work as long as y ou have a cell phone signal they can get a lock so if it runs off the cell phone network. it would work pretty well. and as for tracking a molester wont help. the prob is they lose track of to many of them if a crime is commited its easier to know who did it if you know where a person has been if he was near the childs house of the time or where the child was it could help narrow down a suspect. To me this law isnt giving up freedoms cause it doesnt affect society as a whole just the offenders who i view give up their rights the moment they are ever convited of hurting a child. our laws arent strong enough for these sort of crimes.

[BolderX @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

bmw wrote "Bullets are cheap, especially if you buy them in bulk."

This is a very sad comment coming from a parent, please think before you speak. You might want to have a little chat with the parents of the kids at Columbine who were shot by cheap bullets while "safe and secure" inside a government building. Hope you aren't ever planning on sending your kids to your loving governments schools. Go see Bowling for Columbine!

The government is throwing technology at a problem. As pointed out by those who work with GPS, this does not solve the problem. Solutions to this issue will take a little more effort then that.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Randy, agreed I was just responding to No. 10 coments regarding Ben F. and violtion of ones liberty.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

BolderX what I am refering to is captial punishment for Rape/Murders of childern!

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

BolderX what I am refering to is captial punishment for Rape/Murders of childern!

[Frangible @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

BMW, you're a retard and should be banned. I'm a child molester for merely pointing out the scientific facts behind the limitations of GPS? Try buying a GPS sometime, and cure your ignorance. If that's possible. Given the lack of intelligence you've demonstrated in your incessant mental diarreha here, I have my doubts.

I sincerely hope your children are better capable of understanding science and technology.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Frangible, I think you are the one that lacks simple intellect such as reading! If you actually read my post I said �if GPS does not work then move to capital punishment for All Rapist/Murders of Children�! I have never commented on the effectiveness of GPS, nor would I as I am not expert. Give us your Solution O' enlighten one on how to protect innocent children from being killed by these people?
The only one I asked if they were a Child Molester was the one that threaten to silence my voice with violence or small insignificant items! �Retard� �.. Nice word, such an intelligent word you are brilliant! NOT!

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Haha at first bmw kind of did my head in, but after reading his new comments he actually cracks me up. He's so stereotypical of a troll made-in-usa (with comments like 'bullet are cheap') that I can actually imagine him as a little troll, with a funny cowboy hat on his head.

Bmw if you think Frangible is a child molester because he's commenting on the coverage of GPS, you should take one of our your numerous firearms and shoot yourself in the mouth with it. *Plonk!*

[nar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Did some of you forget the victims? The guy raped and killed a 9 year old girl. Even if they let them live, they do permanent and long lasting damage to people who have been abused. Why should we give them second chances, why should we even intergrate them into society??? I would never want or allow one to live in my neighborhood.

What they should do besides tracking them for life. Is chemical castrations should be mandatory for a long time after parole. If they are still a risk, then just physical castration should be in order. If they are caught in this act again, then the death penality should automatically applied.


Then again we can just place these individuals into the general prison population with a nice sign on them. See how long they will last with all the dads locked up in there.

[Dealing with trolls @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Folks, bmw is a troll, please don't feed it. See http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm ("The only way to deal with trolls is to limit your reaction to reminding others not to respond to trolls.") Prove to yourself you have a strong character: just skip over bmw's comments, don't even read them.

[san @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I think the GPS is intended to back up the offender's registration. (If this is where he reports he lives and works, is it really where he seems to be most of the time.) I doubt they are trying to implement this as an "always-on" tracking system. The problem with those two cases in Florida is the offenders in question weren't where they were when they registered and they had failed to update their registration information. Regular matching of actual location to reported location could at least give the parole authorities a heads-up about who to investigate for parole violations. But GPS is by no means the perfect, exclusive solution to the problem.

I don't like the idea that we as a society plan to GPS track anyone. On the other hand, there are a certain number of individuals with harmful behavioral inclinations toward children, people who don't seem very successful at controlling themselves merely because this behavior is cruel and illegal. What do we do about that? I don't want my kids snatched off the street. I know, I know. There's a great chance of my kids being hit twice by a meteorite they being abucted by a sex offender. But what about that one time? That chance in whatever astronomical number? If a rigorous parolee tracking system might, even stand a tiny chance, of preventing that, I'd certainly want it considered.

But, no, just because some goon is wearing a GPS, that doesn't give me a lovely secure feeling. I still watch my kids and protect them.

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Speaking as a longtime child molester myself, I'm all in favor of this law.
I feel too much emphasis has been placed in the past on community responsibility, rehabilitation efforts within prisons, and sensible parole hearings.
I'm tired of prisons keeping rapists in jail as long as they are considered a threat. I'm tired of parents teaching their children to avoid strangers.
It will be so much easier once the GPS law is put into action. Once people feel mollified by the promise of a technological solution, they can stop paying so much attention to how we child molesters really work.
If only people felt safer letting us out of jail early, we could get back on the streets. Sure, the GPS might not work all the time, and it's ultimately going to rely on some underpaid, unmotivated civil servant to pay attention, but for me, that's a plus!
So c'mon, everyone, let's get these laws all over the United States.
Your false sense of security can make a better world for all of us who like to molest children!

[LC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

BolderX wins the strawman award in this thread. What the hell does a couple of psycho kids shooting up a school have to do with putting a bullet in a child molester/murderers head?

[Jason Carreiro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

*yawns*

Call me once they require GPS tracking of all convicted felons. I mean, if you believe that someone who murders a child deserves to have their civil liberties stripped from them in such a manner, how can you possibly not support the same punishment for someone who murders an adult? Who assaults someone with a deadly weapon? Who has been convicted of rape? etc.

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic above -- I don't believe that anyone deserves to have their civil liberties destroyed like this. If someone is a continuing threat to society, they should be in jail, not on the street. Let me put it this way: explain to me how this GPS tracking will protect your children? Will the monitoring bracelet also stun the subject when he or she attempts to commit another crime?)

For those of you who are in favor of this "technology", tell me, what happens if someone is wrongfully convicted of the crime in question? For the rest of his life, the state will be providing citizens his criminal record, description, and current location. How will this person get a job? Guilty or innocent, how can they ever hope to become a normal member of society again?

All these "registries" do is to tell those people on them, in a very public way, that the rest of society considers them to be worthless. Once you've done that, what disincentive is there for those listed on them to continue to commit criminal acts? You've taken anyway any chance they had at a normal life; why shouldn't they simply continue to commit their crimes?

Finally, I'm forced to ask, how can GPS tracking not constitute an unreasonable search? IANAL, so perhaps someone can enlighten me?

[Arpan Chinta @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

@ Jason

Once a person rapes and murders a child, he does not have claims on any rights. A person who violates the rights of others, should not have the privelege of rights. Same for other murders, rapists etc.

You are talking about one person possibly being wrongly charged. Well what about if that means that ten children are saved from being killed, perhaps it's a risk worth taking.

About them simply continuing their crimes because they can't get back into society, the very fact that they have gone as far as to rape and kill a child, means that they have gone a very, very long way away from normal society, and most likely they will never get back into normal society anyway. And that is the reason for the GPS tracking - if a child is killed, you can check the GPS signal and see if a person who was convicted was at the same location at that time. This will discourage them from doing that. Hence, it might save a few children.

About GPS tracking being an unreasonable search, we are talking about a convicted child rapist, so it's quite reasonable.

Sure, every technology has its weaknesses. And no one's saying that you'll be able to track them at every second. This will only make it a little bit more difficult to escape being tracked. And in general, it will be able to track their general movement, if implemented properly.

The point is, if you think GPS is so bad, does anybody else have a better idea? If so please tell us about it, if not stop complaining.

[Z @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

They talk about mandating this tracking system for people who commit crimes against children 11 and under.

What about 17 and under? Crimes against children 12 to 17 years of age aren't worthy of this mandate?

At the very least, it's good something is being done. This, along with other mandates to protect kids and punish sex offenders should be in immediate effect all across the country, not just in Florida.

[Frangible @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Actually, yes, I can think of a better idea. Use a specialized cell phone embedded instead. They are smaller than GPS units, and triangulating using cell towers is just as accurate. Further, they work far better in more environments than GPS, especially urban environments, which is where the majority of child molesters are.

However, that still has the problem of being a large external unit that would require a battery charge every week or so.

By far, the best solution is to implant a passive RFID chip in a way that it would kill the user to remove it, that way it would require no power, then just implement a nationwide tracking system for them. However, such a system would be very costly to implement. The cell phone structure, on the other hand, is already in place and has far greater coverage where it matters than GPS.

[bmw @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Frangible - my comments in Post 22 were meant in response to NO 18. Posted May 3, 2005, 10:44 AM ET by Fortyseven The postings moved by the time I posted my response, those comments were not intended for you and I apologize for the misunderstanding. Interesting read on the other possible technology that could better address the issue.

[STACIE PORTER @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

i think all those sick bastards should be hung.
they should never be let out. they can never be normal.

[hhz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I hold in my hand a report for a sexual offender who raped both his daughters and has subsequently been investigated for several other rapes.

Admitting his guilt for raping his daughter this guy who we'll call Jill's Brother served a whopping 8 months in prison for the crime of indecent liberties with a minor. For those of you who don't know, up until recently most of these crimes earned a mere slap on the wrist - no lynchings.

What makes this case interesting is that this guy doesn't have to report his crime and since he subsequently works at a marina on the west side of Olympia, Washington - he is allowed to visit with all the kids who spend a day, week, or two at the marina.

From my perspective, lowjacking is simply idiotic and I have to agree with those who feel that if those who rape (children or otherwise), murder (children or otherwise), or torture (children or otherwsie) should simply be removed from society and allowed to live a very sheltered but not inhumane life.

For those of you who want to bitch about the cost, I personally think it's kinda cheap to house sex offenders in a secure site as opposed to having to worry a child is at risk of being harmed by known offenders playing cat and mouse.

[hhz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I hold in my hand a report for a sexual offender who raped both his daughters and has subsequently been investigated for several other rapes.

Admitting his guilt for raping his daughter this guy who we'll call Jill's Brother served a whopping 8 months in prison for the crime of indecent liberties with a minor. For those of you who don't know, up until recently most of these crimes earned a mere slap on the wrist - no lynchings.

What makes this case interesting is that this guy doesn't have to report his crime and since he subsequently works at a marina on the west side of Olympia, Washington - he is allowed to visit with all the kids who spend a day, week, or two at the marina.

From my perspective, lowjacking is simply idiotic and I have to agree with those who feel that if those who rape (children or otherwise), murder (children or otherwise), or torture (children or otherwsie) should simply be removed from society and allowed to live a very sheltered but not inhumane life.

For those of you who want to bitch about the cost, I personally think it's kinda cheap to house sex offenders in a secure site as opposed to having to worry a child is at risk of being harmed by known offenders playing cat and mouse.

[sine~language @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I just like how bmw is all for killing people with his 'cheap bullets', but at the same time is also down for capital punishment. with that mindframe, you should be killed for having those 'murderous' thoughts. unfortunately, the american stereotype is set in its place by people like bmw, who just want to kill people to make their little cotton-wrapped world that little bit softer, and keep their white picket fence standing upright..

[MaxSMoke @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

People loose all rational thought when kids are involved. This is just more of an example of this. A trigger happy cop shoots a kid with a toy guy, they outlaw the toy gun. A kid blows off his fingers with a firecracker, they outlaw firecrackers.

Never mind the fact that kids are in more danger at School then they are at home, from peer violence, sex, drug abuse, and ect. Anytime parents can make themselves feel better by attacking easy targets that threaten their kids, the less they have to worry about the REAL issues their kids have to face.

Child molestation is bad, no question, but so is getting hit by a car. More kids die from being run over every year then were ever even remotely threatened by some Perv with a knife in the last 100 years. Are we banning cars? No.

But screw it, why not just take this insanity to it's ultimate conclusion. Let's Draw and Quarter ANYBODY who remotely even looks at a kid cross-eyed! We can rip off their arms and legs with wild-horses, cut out their still beating heart, and shove it down their throats. That'll show them! Right??!!

But for the love of god, don't even think about actually taking some interest in the true physical or mental well being of your child. After all, you've got SUV's, Gym Memberships, and Clubbing to do. Just satisfy your woefully lacking parenting with insanely violent "justice" on those you can easily blame for threatening your child. And not all of those OTHER nasty things in the world that really threaten your kids.

And yes, I DO have kids. I love them dearly, but I *STILL* think you are all INSANE!

[d @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

What kills me about all this is that (most)of you people do not have any idea of how DUMB GPS tracking is, how expensive it is, and how it really won't make a lick of preventitive difference. The reason I know this is because I am on the GPS communtiy control program. First of all, the GPS loses its singal in hundreds of places...Walmart, Kmart, Publix, Target, DMV, a public BUS. Anywhere where there is an abundance of metal or concrete. So, IF someone on GPS wants to, they can literelly cause thier signal to disappear just by getting on a bus. Second, has anyone thought that if someone who is this sick as to rape and kill children really had that "urge" the bracelet could easily be removed and the authorities would never be able to tell unless there was a physical spot check on the persons ankle...that could give anyone on this system several hours if not days to do whatever. Think about it...if you were told you had to wear this bracelt that I am wearing for the rest of your LIFE rather than the state maximum of 2 years for community control, that you could never go swimming again, for that matter never even take a BATH (it is water-resistant, not water-proof) sure, you might wear it for a couple of years, but what happens to you when you get sick of it? When the parinoia takes over that you are constantly being watched? Remember people, these are obviously NOT rational people! It actually might cause the person to snap mentally and go on a rampage...what caused Columbine? Who knows. Maybe too much pressure. Another thing...most of you don't distinguish the difference between a sex offender and sexual preditor...you lump them together. For example, let's say an 18 year old is at a movie, meets a girl who looks well over her 15 years (yes, we see these girls everyday), she comes on to him, lies about her age, and they have sex...guess what! If the police find out he is now a sex offender! The charge is Lewd and Lascivious acts on a minor under the age of 16 FL Statue 800.04. And guess what else this wonderful law states..victim's lack of chastity, advances, misrepresentaion of age, or consent is NOT a defense to this crime. In other words, no matter what the circumstances, other than the minor raping the adult, the adult is automatically guilty. The reason I know all of this is because the exact thing happened to me. I was lied to by someone who was at an 18+ event, sought after for sex by the "victim" agreed to it and found out 2 weeks later (while still involved) that the "victim" was 15. Because of this I spent 6 years in prision, have 2 years of community control, and 15 years of probation with the wonderful distinction of being listed a sex offender. Now, someone whom knowingly hurts, molests, and/or murders a child should not have to wear a bracelet...that person should have no place in society. You guys need to realize, politicans will promise you quick action which leads to quick re-election because it is EASY to "get hard on criminals" and cause a society to panic, but often quick action leads to more problems than the original. We have had 2 horrible cases of abuse to childern recently and everyone is in a panic about it...but people the only reason everyone is IN a panic is because the word SEX is thrown all over it...how many poor children die every DAY from gang violence, drug deals gone bad, or home invasions...heck even parental abuse. Why are we not been put into a panic about that??!! I'll tell you why...there are too many drug dealers, gang members, and abusive parents to deal with than there are people who commit sex crimes. The ending is the same, a young innocent life is destroyed...the only difference is that the purpotrator is either one of too many to do anything about, or one of a smaller, more easily accessable group.

[Joey Geraci @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I'm sorry, but many of you seem to have forgotten many of the fundamental liberties that make our country so great. A vital part of those liberties is the fundamental fact that when a person has paid for their crimes, THEY HAVE PAID FOR THEIR CRIMES, and can be no longer punished for that crime. Now I am sorry that the criminal that you speak of only served 8 months for his crime, but the fact is that things like this happen. The fact is, that because everyone in our system of justice is entitled to a defense under the law, that means that some people will be released who have committed heinous crimes, and others will serve sentences poorly fitting the crime, like "Jill's Brother". But the fact is that laws like this are patently unconstitutional, speaking nothing of the ridiculous and absurd options that some of you are proposing. I am confident that this law will be judged as unconstitutional as it plainly is by the courts.

[LC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

That depends on what the sentence is. If the law passes, the tracking system would be a part of the sentence. Just because the criminal is not behind bars anymore, does not mean he has paid his debt to society. That is up to a sentencing judge and parole board. Under this new law the sentence could be so and so years behind bars and a life sentence of tracking when released from prison.

There is no cure for pedophelia and the justice system has a responsibility to protect the public. A man who has committed a felony has forfeited some of his constitutional rights either forever or for a certain length of time, which is why some felons cannot vote for example. This has been upheld in court. I don't see anything unconstitutional about this law as it pertains to convicted sex offenders. I would like it to be expanded to all repeat felony violent offenders.

[jds @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

I met a woman in a bar we had sex she was 17 1/2 I didnt know, she looked 25 and was sitting in a bar. should I be shot in the head BMW? What if I were your 27 year old son?

[Mike Sackett @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

Is using GPS devices depriving sex offenders of their rights? Does it deprive them of the right to work or get married or have their own families? Does it deprive them of hobbies or vacations or other forms of entertainment? Does it record what they are doing or what they read or watch?

The answer to all of those is no. What it would do is alert police when a sex offender, especially a child molester was spending more than a natural ammount of time in areas where children congregate as well as being able to tell if a sex offender was in the same area at the same time that a child vanished. It would also be useful for ruling out sex offenders who were no where near the scene of a sex crime at the time it happened.

Sex offenders can not be cured. There is ample evidence in multi year studies that show that recidvism rate for sex offenders is insignificantly reduced for those who receive years of treatment when compared to those who receive no treatment at all. Treated or not they have the same chance to re-offend.

Cases where sex offenders, even registered ones, disappear for months at a time only to discover they went elsewhere within the state or across state lines to commit other sex offenses coupled with situations where the worst class of sex offenders have been seen in parks, near schools and in public libraries, intently watching children and teens yet no one there realized they were sex offenders because it's impossible for anyone to memorize what all the sex offenders in their area look like, is sufficient reason to track where they are at all times.

We have a responsibilty to the children to protect them from those who would harm them and we can not do it by not passing laws to protect the children merely because of the perception of infringing on the rights of sex predators. Sex offenders, especially child molesters gave up thoise rights the first time they offended. True they may have served time in jail, but the victims, if they live, must live with the experience everyday of their lives till they die and I don't believe that it is unconstitutional to require sex offenders to be tracked for the rest of their lives as part of their punishment, especially if it helps reduce the chance of repeat offenses

[Lo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:20AM]

It is so ironic that the community would feel safe after passing so a knee jerking law. If people would just look at the facts. Most sex offense/abuse occue with in the home..by parents. In fact more children are harmed and killed by their own parent or guardians than sex offenders! So we have passed a law (within 6 weeks) to monitor sex offenders at what cost? Has any one asked how this is to be done? What if a sex offender is driving by a park on his way to work? You track him down. The public is so taken by the antics of our government, why do you think Florida could get a law passed so fast? There have been more laws waiting to be passed and still are. I find this a sorry solution to a rising problems in our country. We need to educated both the public and the inmates. Our society has become one of revenge and hatred instead of one of help and unity. The first place to stop this kind of behavior is with education. The problems are learned behavior and usually start within the home in the first place. Most sex offenders were victims themselves!! Stop the cycle! Teach,educated, help...do not punish. Our society sets up people for failure. The society promotes sex all over the place. We expose the youth to sex in every walk/aspect of society. Mothers dress up there daughters to look grown up but when someone makes a play they are SHOCKED.Come on take some responsibilty. In many cultures (not ours) when a child (male/female) reach puberty they are responsible for their own actions. I do not have the answer but I do know I do not feel safer for the children of this state just because this law has beem passed. In fact I feel more scared because it gives the public a FALSE sence of security.