Petition
Tammi replied to this post saying:
There are so many cases like this, it just eats at my soul.During one of the televised interviews yesterday Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, made the point that the laws in Florida governing the release back into the community of those like John Couey have to be changed.I'm having the hardest time realizing our homes are no longer the safe havens they were. I can deal with our neighborhoods, our citys/towns hell, even our schools. But Our Homes! My mind has a very difficult time grasping that.
Our babies are our future. Just how do we keep them safe anymore?
He then introduced Joseph Dawson who before reading the wording of a petition, explained that it's important that people realize that the proposed change specificly targets those that Florida law defines as sexual predators.
(Note: Florida's legal definition of sexual offender is here. If someone out there from the legal community blogs the difference(s) between the two, please let me know by replying with the link.)
Jessica's Petition
We following undersign legal voting residents of Florida along with their Authors, Joseph & Marlene Dawson, (352-621-4653) of Homosassa, FL. Request the Honorable Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislators Amend or adopt the Florida Penal Code as follows:
1) All newly convicted adult sexual predators of children are sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
2) All newly convicted adult sexual predators of children perpetrating truly deviant or heinous acts become eligible for the death penalty.
3) All convicted adult sexual predators of children living in the State of Florida are required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for the protection of the community.
4) All newly convicted adult sexual predators of children who abduct, injure, or kill a child will automatically be given the death sentence.
UPDATE: The link to the petition has been removed from the Jessica Lunsford site. Blogger Chris Short reports "I was in a Jessica Lunsford chatroom and was informed by a moderator there that a new petition is coming."
UPDATE: April 13, 2005
UPDATE: April 19, 2005
UPDATE: May 3, 2005
posted by doyle at 4:34 PM
6 Comments:
They ought to remove the death sentence part. That's too specific and is about another issue, indeed it's an unnecessary implentation detail, and is therefore certainly enough to kill the whole thing.
Also, #s 1 and 3 almost contradict; or rather, #1 makes #3 superfluous. For 50 years anyway.
The U.S. Supreme Court banned the death penalty for any crime other than murder many decades ago. The petition would be unconstitutional if it became law.
As I understand the difference - a sexual predator has repeat convictions.
So, I believe, if the intent is to lock up sexual offenders to keep them away from children, the petition should use the words sexual offenders, not predators.
Hip is right about number 4; even if they could manage to get it passed, I doubt it would be considered Constitutional. But nos. 1 and 3 are both needed; 1. says that anybody convicted from this point on faces a minimum of 50 years without parole, while 3. says anyone who has been previously convicted and is now free has to wear the ankle bracelet.
And No. 3 probably won't pass Constitutional muster either. They've "paid their debt to society." Feh.
I think it was a "home grown" petition, done without the benefit of legal input which is why this version has now been delinked. (Delinked?)
Hip Liz: The way I interpreted it is #1 would apply to those newly convicted while #3 would apply to those who already have been.
Juan: I agree with you about the Supreme Court ruling. I wondered in #4 if they really meant and instead or. If not, I think #1 and #4 conflict. The definition for sexual offender seems to address repeat convictions, so maybe it's extenuating circumstances that makes the difference? Danged if I know.
Jenna: I don't think #1 will fly because of a recent ruling tossing mandatory sentences. I do think, though, that #3 stands a darned good chance. Since Megan's Law requires that predators and offenders maintain a specific address (and report any changes immediately) as a condition of their probation, the additional requirement of a tracking device to make sure they are abiding by those terms makes more sense than taking their word that they are.
~~
And #2 just didn't make any sense to me at all.
Florida has a Web Site for sexual offenders and predators, which has their photos,address,crime and or/ crimes for each person. I know as Parent's of all AMERICA, EVERY STATE,COUNTY SHOULD HAVE THIS TYPE OF WEB SITE AVAILABLE TO ALL NET USERS! ALSO, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE COMPUTERS. THIS SHOULD BE POSTED AT EVERY POST OFFICE IN THEIR COUNTY AND CITY OF EACH STATE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! FOR GOD SAKES, THIS SHOULD BE MANDATORY! TO HELL WITH THE SEX OFFENDER'S RIGHTS! WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD'S RIGHTS OF TAKING THEIR NEXT BREATH! WHERE IS THEIR RIGHTS OF LIVING! FOR GOD SAKES, CONGRESSMEN, LET'S GET THIS TOGETHER, AND MAKE THE LAWS FOR SEX OFFENDERS , TO WHERE WHEN THEY TAKE A LIFE, OR SEXUAL OFFEND A CHILD, MAKE THEM HAVE NO RIGHTS! THEY SHOULD LOSE THEIR RIGHTS AS A HUMAN BEING! IN THE OLD DAYS, WHEN A PERSON WAS FOUND GUILTY, THEY WERE HUNG BY THE NECK UNTIL DEAD! IT'S TIME FOR CONGRESS TO STEP UP AND MAKE LAWS, AND TAKE INTO ACTION, AND FORGET ABOUT ALL THIS MONEY GOING OVER TO HELP OTHER COUNTRIES,WHEN WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM HERE IN THE UNITTED STATES AGAINST OUR CHILDREN! SEX OFFENDERS AND SEXUAL PREDATORS SHOULD BY LAW BE PUT TO DEATH! NO EXCUSE! THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN! AS LONG AS CONGRESS LETS THEM GET AWAY WITH IT! MAKE STRICTER LAWS AND MAKE IT STICK! DONT LET THE BASTARDS KEEP SLIPPING THROUGH THE SYSTEM ON A FRICKING TECHNICALLITY! THIS IS WRONG! MAKE BETTER LAWS IN THE SYSTEM! AFTER ALL, WE ARE TAX PAYERS AND WE ABIDE THE LAW! WHERE IS THE LAW WHEN WE NEED THEM TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!????? JUST TELL ME?? WHERE?????????
Florida has a Web Site for sexual offenders and predators, which has their photos,address,crime and or/ crimes for each person. I know as Parent's of all AMERICA, EVERY STATE,COUNTY SHOULD HAVE THIS TYPE OF WEB SITE AVAILABLE TO ALL NET USERS! ALSO, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE COMPUTERS. THIS SHOULD BE POSTED AT EVERY POST OFFICE IN THEIR COUNTY AND CITY OF EACH STATE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! FOR GOD SAKES, THIS SHOULD BE MANDATORY! TO HELL WITH THE SEX OFFENDER'S RIGHTS! WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD'S RIGHTS OF TAKING THEIR NEXT BREATH! WHERE IS THEIR RIGHTS OF LIVING! FOR GOD SAKES, CONGRESSMEN, LET'S GET THIS TOGETHER, AND MAKE THE LAWS FOR SEX OFFENDERS , TO WHERE WHEN THEY TAKE A LIFE, OR SEXUAL OFFEND A CHILD, MAKE THEM HAVE NO RIGHTS! THEY SHOULD LOSE THEIR RIGHTS AS A HUMAN BEING! IN THE OLD DAYS, WHEN A PERSON WAS FOUND GUILTY, THEY WERE HUNG BY THE NECK UNTIL DEAD! IT'S TIME FOR CONGRESS TO STEP UP AND MAKE LAWS, AND TAKE INTO ACTION, AND FORGET ABOUT ALL THIS MONEY GOING OVER TO HELP OTHER COUNTRIES,WHEN WE HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM HERE IN THE UNITTED STATES AGAINST OUR CHILDREN! SEX OFFENDERS AND SEXUAL PREDATORS SHOULD BY LAW BE PUT TO DEATH! NO EXCUSE! THEY WILL STRIKE AGAIN! AS LONG AS CONGRESS LETS THEM GET AWAY WITH IT! MAKE STRICTER LAWS AND MAKE IT STICK! DONT LET THE BASTARDS KEEP SLIPPING THROUGH THE SYSTEM ON A FRICKING TECHNICALLITY! THIS IS WRONG! MAKE BETTER LAWS IN THE SYSTEM! AFTER ALL, WE ARE TAX PAYERS AND WE ABIDE THE LAW! WHERE IS THE LAW WHEN WE NEED THEM TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!????? JUST TELL ME?? WHERE?????????
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