42 sex offenders near campus
Convicted sexual offender says he understands the reason why offenders
are required to register after serving their jail terms
By MICHAEL CULVER
The government has created another place for convicted sexual offenders
to congregate after serving their jail terms — the Internet.
On Aug. 24, 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 488,
which directed the California Department of Justice to post specific information
regarding serious and high-risk sex offenders on a Web site for public
viewing.
As a result of the bill, sponsored by Nicole Parra (D-Hanford), the California
Megan’s Law Web site was launched Dec. 15, 2004.
Now, with the click of a mouse, more than 63,000 sexual offenders can
be seen on the new Megan’s Law Web site.
“I haven’t seen the Web site but I understand the reasoning
behind it,” said Edward, a convicted sexual offender who preferred
to keep his last name private to protect his family.
Edward, who was convicted in 1995 of performing lewd or lascivious acts
with a child under 14, is one of 1,105 registered sexual offenders in
Fresno that can be found by searching the new Web site.
The law’s purpose is to give community members a way to monitor
their neighborhoods and schools by allowing people to identify registered
offenders.
But criminology professor John Dussich said the Web site is not well targeted.
“Ironically, the attention is on the offender, not the victims,”
Dussich said. “The intent of the law is to protect potential victims.
There needs to be more information on how parents can use the Web site.”
The Megan Law Web site posts pictures, addresses, physical descriptions,
known aliases and convictions of the offenders. Searches can be done using
names, addresses, cities, schools or ZIP Codes.
According to the Web site, abusers seldom use force, but instead gain
access to their victims through deception and enticement.
“Typical child molesters don’t rape or murder,” Dussich
said. “Most are molesting children in a non-violent way.”
Shannon O’Neill, a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism, said
the Web site should only be a temporary punishment.
“I believe everybody deserves a second chance,” O’Neill
said. “Once they have fulfilled their legal obligations, they should
be taken off the Web site.”
According to the Fresno Police Department Web site, with few exceptions
the registration requirement is for life, and failure to register can
be a felony, which may count against offenders under California’s
Three Strikes Law.
In a majority opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court, Chief Justice William
H. Rehnquist said, “Sex offenders are a serious threat in this nation.”
And when convicted sex offenders re-enter society, they are much more
likely than any other type of offender to be re-arrested for a new rape
or sex assault.
This has made the requirement for sexual offenders more strict.
“It used to be that after 10 years you could get off the list,”
Edward said. “But now it’s a lifetime requirement.”
Because of the lifetime registration requirement, with a simple Web search,
you can find out what Edward looks like, where he lives and more facts
about his life.
A web search using the 93710 ZIP Code, a zone adjacent to Fresno State,
returned 42 registered sexual offenders, one of whom is in violation of
his registration requirements.
Fresno State, however, has only three offenders living within a half mile
of the campus. The offenders near Fresno State are classified as “serious.”
Fresno City College has more than 20 “serious” offenders within
a half mile of the college, and Fresno Pacific University has 14 sexual
offenders within a half mile of the college. Two of the registered offenders
around Fresno Pacific University have been classified as “high risk”
while the remaining 12 have been classified as “serious.”
Samantha Freitas, a sophomore majoring in public relations, said she would
be more careful about her movement.
“If I noticed someone who made me feel uneasy, and I found them
on the Web site, it would make me be more careful and cautious of what
I do and where I go,” Freitas said.
Megan’s Law went into effect because of the 1994 murder of Megan
Kanka. Kanka was 7 years old when a neighbor, who had two previous convictions
for child molestation; raped and murdered Megan and stuffed her tiny body
into a toy chest, prompting national outrage that changed sexual offender
registration laws.
Jesse Timmendequas, Megan’s killer, lured the girl to his home with
the promise of a free puppy.
Samantha Macias, a sixth grader at Kratt Elementary, said she would not
fall victim without a fight.
“That would never happen to me,” Macias said. “I would
kick him in the [groin].”
But according to the Department of Justice Web site, peer pressure may
sometimes cause victims not to resist attacks.
Edward said his conviction was difficult to deal with at first, but nobody
knew. And when he told people, it was “no big deal.”
“We’re just people, just like everybody else,” Edward
said. “I’ve had awhile to deal with what I did, and I turned
a negative into a positive.”
Edward said he has spoken to Fresno State and Fresno City College students,
and their reactions varied.
“A few students get hostile, and I understand why, but most show
very little (emotion),” Edward said.
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