A review of inmate records to identify how many should be classified by a tougher sex offender label resulted in finding almost 1,000 additional convicts. The review, conducted by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, prompted Governor Taft to sign a law to strengthen Ohio's sex offender laws. Specifically, the laws mandating community notification will be expanded to include sexually oriented offenders, repeat sexual offenders and sexual predators.
Under current law, local police only have to notify neighbors about repeat offenders and those labeled sex predators by judges, meaning they have been deemed at risk of committing additional sex crimes.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, will extend the notification requirement to all convicted sex offenders.
It's good that some attention is being directed toward the area of sexual criminals, but I'm personally troubled by the fact that all the sexual predators and offenders are generally expected to continue committing sexual crimes once released from prison. In particular, those criminals that are repeat sexual offenders are evidence that the penalties may be too lenient. It would seem prudent to increase the penalties for sexual crimes across the board. Then the sexual criminals wouldn't have the opportunity to commit additional crimes. They'd be in prison.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins wrote the story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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