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| Some teens to be taken off Mich. sex offender list |
| By Booth Newspapers |
| Published: 07/12/2004 |
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Parents of teen-age sons convicted of having sex with underage girls say lawmakers didn't go far enough with new legislation to keep their sons' names off of the Michigan Sex Offender Registry. Lawmakers sent Gov. Jennifer Granholm a package of bills last Tuesday that would allow some juveniles convicted of sex offenses to petition to come off Michigan's public sex offender registry. But older youths already on the public registry would have to stay on for 10 years. And it would be harder to have a sex offense committed by a youth erased by a judge under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. "We're disappointed,'' said Linda Zimmerman of Grand Haven, co-founder of a group called Citizens for Second Chances. "It means we're not finished. We will keep coming back until Michigan deals with this.'' Granholm is expected to sign the legislation. The main bill, HB 4920, passed the Senate 36-0, and the House agreed to the final form of the bill 101-0. One lawmaker who agrees with Zimmerman's group, Rep. Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale, acknowledged that the bill is just one step. "There are more steps that need to be taken,'' he said. The bill allows juveniles -- those convicted of acts committed before age 17 -- to petition a judge to keep their names off the public list at age 18. The names would still be on a list for law enforcement, but offenders would have to update the list only when they move, instead of checking in quarterly. In addition, youths 17 to 21 who are eligible to have their charges dropped under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, would not go on the list. Trainees must comply with judges requirements, such as counseling, and keep a clean record to qualify. Zimmerman's group was upset because the bill doesn't cover youths with expunged records who are already on the list. The legislation instead allows the time period for being listed to drop to 10 years from 25 years or life, depending on the crime. Sen. Bill Hardiman, R-Kentwood, said federal law keeps Michigan from deleting sex offenders from the list before 10 years. But Zimmerman said other states have figured out ways to address the same problem. Zimmerman's group, with a mailing list of 300 families, contends Michigan's sex offender list is so broad that it is meaningless. There are 34,000 names, including those of 2,100 juveniles. She said there are many youths on the list who did nothing more than have sex with their girlfriends. It's a crime to have sex with anyone under 16. |
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