Link to Dept. of Corrections Web Site
Dec. 6, 2000--
Starting December 7, it will be easier to find out if you're living near a convicted sex offender.
A state law requiring the Department of Corrections to put the sex offender registry on the internet was held up by a lawsuit.
But now everything is back on track. And, disturbingly, there are thousands now on that list.
Crime Specialist Karen Scullin explains.
Starting tomorrow, if you hit the Department of Corrections web site and type in a name or a zip code, you can find out if anyone living by you is on Utah's updated sex offender registry.
In the last few weeks Adult Probation and Parole has been working hard to find all the sex offenders
that need to be on the new, updated sex offender registry available on the internet.
There are now 430 on the list, tomorrow there will be about 4,700.
"IT WILL BRING UP A LIST OF THE OFFENDERS AND THEIR CITY."
Punch in a zip code, .and in Murray for instance, today two show up on the list. Tomorrow there will be 34.
"WE GET THEIR DESCRIPTION, THEIR ADDRESS, THE DATE THAT IT WAS UPDATED, OTHER NAMES AND ALIASES CURRENT VEHICLES."
You'll also see a photo,
the sex offense and what type of
victim the offender targets.
All convicted of a registerable sex offense, and those who were obligated to be on the registry at the time the April 1996 law took effect, will be on the list.
Machelle Rodriguez/Department of Corrections: "SO THAT'S THROUGH CONVICTION, THROUGH SENTENCE AND FOR TEN YEARS FOLLOWING THE TERMINATION OF SENTENCE."
Ten years after sentencing is complete. That concerns some offenders who feel they've paid their dues with sentencing, and don't want their name on a list available to the public.
Jack Ford/Department of Corrections: "THE OFFENDER'S FAMILY..PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, IT'S GOING TO VICTIMIZE HIS KIDS ,THE NEIGHBORS KID'S WON'T PLAY WITH THEM ANYMORE."
But Ford says his staff is just following a law designed for public safety
and that now the public has a right to know.
Jack Ford: "MOST OTHER STATES ARE A LITTLE MORE STRINGENT AND STRICT THAN WE ARE FRANKLY."
There were also concerns from relatives of victims, wondering why someone wasn't on the sex offender registry. Obviously tomorrow, they should get what they want.
