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GOP Lawmakers say voices of
victims ignored
in new sex offender bill
Legislation aimed at
protecting communities against predatory child molesters continues to
give short shrift to the protection of victims and communities,
according to state Reps.
Glenn Anderson and Jay Rodne. House Bill 2400
today passed the state House of Representatives 93-2. The 5th District
lawmakers voted in favor of the bill because they say it is a small
improvement over current law. However, they said the measure still
allows too many serious sex offenders to avoid lengthy prison sentences
by agreeing to treatment under the state Special Sex Offender Sentencing
Alternative (SSOSA).
“Allowing sex predators and child rapists to opt for treatment programs
and remain at large in our neighborhoods is a failed policy that puts
communities at risk,” said Anderson, R-Fall City. “We need to stop
gambling with the safety of our children. There is a place for
treatment, but it is not an alternative for keeping dangerous predators
off the street. Whatever the cost, protecting children from these
heinous crimes is paramount.”
Republicans supported a stronger version of the bill, but it was
weakened significantly by a Democrat amendment.
SHB 2400 has mobilized the Tennis Shoe Brigade, a child victims’
advocacy group that fought successfully in 1990 for stronger penalties
for sex offenders. The group was in Olympia Wednesday to declare its
support for the Republican version of the bill and to deliver hundreds
of children’s shoes to the office of the House Speaker. The shoes
represent the vulnerability and innocence of the victims of child
molestation and were delivered in protest of the Democrat leader’s
unwillingness to adopt the stronger mandatory sentences for sex
offenders.
“The stories told by the
victims and their families are heart-wrenching. They are disheartened
and they are angry that the system is failing them and failing to
deliver justice,” said Rodne, R-Snoqualmie. “The treatment option
continues to serve as a loophole for serious sex offenders who want to
avoid lengthy prison sentences. It places the interests of child rapists
ahead of the victims who are sentenced to a lifetime of pain and
suffering. The language we support ensures that we first and foremost
protect the safety of our children and the rights of victims’ families.”
With a week left in the 2004 legislative session, Anderson and Rodne say
they remain hopeful the measure can be improved in the Senate and a more
acceptable version sent on to the governor.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public
Information Officer - (360) 786-7252
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