Officials in some states say tough laws should be changed - as Georgia did last
year - to focus on predators, not irresponsible teens. They say those teens
need to be punished but labeling them sex offenders on public registries may do
more harm than good.
"Let's capture the truly 10% who are predators," says Allison Taylor, executive
director of the Texas Council on Sex Offender Treatment, an independent
governor-appointed board.
She says juvenile offenders are less likely than adults to commit another sex
crime and more receptive to treatment.
This month, Texas revamped how it classifies sex offenders. Taylor says some
teens will get a lower risk rating and not have to register.
The changes in some states, including Oklahoma, mirror a federal law that
states must implement by 2009. The Adam Walsh Act outlines who must register
but exempts teens convicted of consensual sex if the age difference is no more
than four years and the younger one is at least 13. States can be stricter.
Arizona will end registration for some convicted teens. Oregon will not require
registration if the sex partners are no more than five years apart in age. In
Florida, teens may petition to keep their names off the registry if the age gap
is within four years.
Other states limit whom they will prosecute. Indiana will not prosecute teens
if they are in a "dating relationship" and the age gap is four years or less.
Connecticut will not prosecute if the age gap is three years or less, up from
two years.
As many states pass tougher laws on sex offenders that include long minimum
sentences, lifetime electronic monitoring and even the death penalty, some
lawmakers are reluctant to ease punishment.
"It's a sensitive issue," says Democratic state Sen. Don Betzold of Minnesota.
He says some lawmakers don't want to be seen as soft on crime, but others wants
to avert "unintended consequences" of the sweeping crackdown on sex offenders.
He pushed a bill that would remove the sex-registry requirement for some kids
under 16. It passed the state Senate but died in the House of Representatives.
Similar measures failed to pass this year in Maine and New Hampshire.
Some lawmakers say there should be some consequences for teens. "There should
be some recognition that this is wrongful behavior," says Connecticut state
Rep. Arthur O'Neill, a Republican. "We have a problem with older boys taking
advantage of younger girls."
USA Today
