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Richard Piatt ReportingUtah lawmakers are under pressure to crack down on sexual predators. But they're finding Florida's 'Jessica's Law'--stricter penalties for sex offenders-- is only part of the solution in Utah.
Right now, more than one-fourth of Utah's prison population are convicted sex offenders. And there is a strong desire to crack down even more in Utah.
Florida did---with Jessica's law, named for a victim of a sex crime.
But, is throwing sex offenders in jail the only way justice is served? In the case of felonies it might be, since re-offenses are common with that crime.
But most serious sex offenses are not just tied to the internet: The offender is someone the victim knows. And many of those cases go unreported.
In Florida: All felony sex offense cases carry mandatory, stiff sentences. Utah's law doesn't work that way, leaving a challenge for those who want to send a strong message.
Rep. Paul Ray/ (R) Clearfield: "The system we have here in Utah we can effectively throw the book at somebody, while still looking at each individual case individually."
Tom Patterson/ Department of Corrections: "What I am advocating is that we get treatment for offenders. That we keep offenders locked away according to their risk, and that we preserve the victims."
Utah lawmakers are trying to get sex offenders to register properly, and are considering laws on where offenders on parole can live.
The bottom line is, finding better ways to convict and punish sex offenders to reduce the number of victims.
