This is definitely off-topic, but I feel very strongly about this issue.

Many of us have seen the news stories about Shasta Groene and her brother Dylan, from Idaho. The man who took them is a repeat sex offender who should never have been put back on the streets.

I hope we are all getting sick and tired of children being hurt or killed because we give second, and third, and fourth chances to monsters. There are children every day who are suffering because a sex offender has chosen to inflict a lifetime of fear on them. When the scars fade, the inner wounds remain. We need tougher laws to protect our kids.

Martha Stewart gets an ankle bracelet for months, but repeat sex offenders (not just pedophiles but those who rape and assault grown people as well) are out on their own recognizance.

There are two bills up before the Senate and the House, respectively, S. 792 and H.R.95; below are the links to the summaries of the bills. In short, the bills provide for the creation of a national sex offender registry, closer monitoring of released offenders, and the possibility of civil commitment of offenders up for release who are deemed too dangerous to live in society.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bill.xc?billnum=S.792&congress=109

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bill.xc?billnum=H.R.95&congress=109#summary

At http://www.congress.org , you can get the contact information for your representative and two senators by following these steps.

1) At the top of the homepage, you’ll see a section “Write your elected officials.” In this section you can enter your zip code, then click go.

2) You will be taken to a page with pictures of the president and your senators and representative. Under each, there are links for “email” and “info”. If you click on “info,” it will take you to their information page; under contact information you’ll find their mailing address.

You can always send an email, but the best way to really catch their attention is if we send mountains of letters to them. Please, please make your voice heard on this. Our politicians need to know that we are not going to continue to accept our children being hurt. Please write and tell them to support these two bills in committee. Below is a copy of the letter some are sending; you are welcome to copy and paste it as is or modify it to suit your opinions. Please be sure to send letters to your senators AND representative; you can use the same letter for each as it references each bill.


Dear _____________________;

I am writing to you concerning bills H.R. 95 and S.792, currently before the 109th Congress. I strongly believe that these bills should be supported. The best way to accomplish this would be for you to become a sponsor of one of these bills. At the very least, I request that you support the bills in committee to ensure they get to the floor for a fair vote.

While I feel these bills are a good start in protecting our children, Congress should look more closely at certain aspects. If we give states three years to implement the changes, it will likely be 2009 before our children are safer. This is too long. I also feel that violent criminals should be intensively monitored for longer than the first year after their release; monitoring should be lifelong. Sex offenders have an extremely high recidivism rate; when released it is not a question of if they will reoffend, but when. Intensive monitoring throughout their lives will spare untold numbers of children from suffering.

Along with your other constituents, I am more outraged every day as we hear more and more stories of children who are tortured, raped and killed at the hands of offenders who should have never been released in the first place. Countless children would be alive today if these bills had already become law. If politicians continue to balk at taking action, they are allowing these children to be brutalized and sending the message that their safety is insignificant. At a minimum, we need to have a national sex offender registry and more diligent monitoring of released offenders, as well as a way to ensure that the most violent offenders are never released back into society to prey upon our children. As a voter, I will support only those politicians who take a clear stance on defending the rights of our children above those of the criminals who traumatize them.

(End of form letter)

Thank you all in advance for helping with this…. I have seen the people really come together on lots of things and if we can do it for this too, we can really make a difference.

Thanks,
Emerald

I heard about the girl from Idaho and how her family was murdered. It is truely a sad story. They shouldn't have given that freak all those chances. Sure, it's great that he'll probably get life in prison, but isn't it a bit late?

As a teenage girl, I'm always concerned about my safety. I always try to stick with my friends at the mall or whatever. These people should NOT get second chances after raping/molesting innocent girls. It's just sick, and something is clearly wrong with the people who do it as well as the people who just let it slip after a couple years behind the bars.

Emerald,

Thank you for posting this. Yes, it is horrible how easy it is for a sex offender to continue to commit these attrocities. I will definitely check out these bills and will write my elected officials. But, we need more than new laws. We need to have the laws that are already on the books enforced. We, as adult citizens of this Republic, need more education on the matter, not only of sexual abuse, but of all kinds of abuse and neglect -- This means emotional abuse and physical as well as sexual.

Some definitions of each:

Physical Abuse: includes - but is not limited to - beatings, burning or punching a child.

Emotional Abuse: may involve negatively criticizing, insulting, rejecting or withholding love from a child.

Sexual Abuse: includes rape, touching/fondling or involving a child in pornography.

Neglect: includes failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional or educational needs.


Some signs that a child is being abused or neglected:

Left without supervision at home or in the neighborhood for long periods; Dressed inadequately and often hungry. Frequently absent from school; not receiving medical attention as needed. Bruised or visibly marked by physical violence; withdrawn or overly agressive.


How to help:

Help your community understand prevention happens before abuse.

Ask your employer to sponsor a Prevent Child Abuse Council event. Prevent Child Abuse Councils are local councils in each State, such as PCA Georgia, which is in turn a part of PCA America. Alternatively, if you do not wish to join Prevent Child Abuse America, create your own Child Abuse Prevention Committee.

Parents, ask for help if you need it; encourage other parents to do the same.

Urge *your elected officials to support prevention programs.

Partner with PCA Councils or local child abuse committees as a partner/donor.

Call the Helpline at 1-800-CHILDREN for support and referals.

Know the signs of child abuse, and if you think you see abuse, report it.

Register to vote.

Be an advocate for children.

Be involved in campaigns of candidates who support prevention.

Know your elected officials; encourage child abuse prevention.

Source: Evans County Child Abuse Prevention Committee/Formerly PCA Evans County Brochure.

http://www.preventchildabuse.org/


This is a huge problem worldwide and must be curbed soon. The first step is through prevention education. For anyone interested, a blue ribbon is the symbol for Child Abuse Prevention Awareness and April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.

I would also like to point out that that man was out on bail for another offense when he took the kids and killed the family. Sex offenders should not be allowed out on bail. They are sick people.

You're absolutely right PhillyGirl. Sex offenders should never be let out on bail, in my opinion. I honestly don't think there is any rehabilitating them. I only wish more people were educated on the subject of child abuse and neglect. It would go a long way towards ending those sorts of crimes.

Emerald01 - Thanks for the form letter and bringing this to our attention. I think it's important, and will be sending out letters. In my neighborhood alone we have 5 convicted sex offenders - some live right next to an elementary school. . I can't let me children play outside without being right there with them at all times.

--Bess

I just wanted to add this letter that was sent to congress. Very well written.

Here's the link...http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?letter_id=378481616

Thank you all for your help and support. You're good people.

Cheers!
Emerald

I felt so compelled to respond to this thread. Take a look at my signature if you haven't already and you'll understand. The monsters aren't always outside of the home. I will proudly lend my voice and write letters wherever children are involved. It's difficult to have nothing you can do, if writing letters and making calls is all I can do I'll do it!

I have two kids of my own and watch them closely at playtime. There is a registered sex offender in our complex. My daughter is not allowed out of my site. There is a family in the complex who see fit to allow their three young boys (6,7 and 8) to play well out of the sight of their apartment for several hours and late into the night. These are the same boys who cornered one of the little girls (4 years old) behind a bush and pulled her pants down before her mother came to her rescue. The father of these boys responded "Boys will be boys". It is so scarey! I make a point to know who my neighbors are, I just feel for those who don't care.

I feel there should be much stronger laws against previous offenders. Just more protection and rights for our children in general!