Earlier today I posted Keeping Children Safe ~ Jessie's Story, One I'm Close To about the Jessica Lunsford Tragedy. Jessica Lunsford's story does not end with today's conviction of John Couey.
After Jessica was found murdered, her father, Mark Lunsford turned his grief into a mission to get laws changed, not only here in Florida but across the nation. Here in Florida we know it as Jessie's Law, it is also known as
The Jessica Lunsford Act.
•1. Increase the penalty for lewd and lascivious molestation of a child to life in prison or a split sentence of a mandatory
minimum 25-year prison term, followed by lifetime supervision with electronic monitoring.
•2. Increase, from 20 to 30 years, the period of time before a sexual predator is allowed to petition to have the
sexual predator designation removed.
•3. Increase sexual predator/offender registration and reporting requirements.
•4. Sexual predators who murder their victims now qualify for the death penalty in capital cases.
•5. Designate failing to re-register as a sexual offender/predator or harboring or assisting a sexual predator/offender a third
degree felony.
•6. Require those already convicted of sex crimes to have electronic monitoring for the remainder of their probation.
•7. Require all county misdemeanor probation officials to search the sexual offender registry when a new offender is
assigned to them.
Last I knew 15 states have passed Jessie's Law or a law similar. Texas is working hard on passing Jessie's law right now. I know people in New Jersey also trying to get Jessie's Law passed.
Recently President Bush passed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act:
1) Creates a national public sex offender registry. Provides the public with better and more uniform information about sex offenders so that all communities benefit from the same kind of information. States will be required to list all, not merely some, sex offenders on their web site registries.
2) Provides for consistent sex offender requirements in all states. Sex offenders will no longer be able to take advantage of different state requirements to avoid registering. It mandates that sex offenders be registered before they are released from prison or three days after a sentence of probation.
3) Penalizes failure to comply with registration duties as a state and federal felony.
4) Enhances the ability of law enforcement to track sex offenders when they move, cutting down on the number of "missing" sex offenders in the system. It requires sex offenders to verify registration in person to law enforcement rather than by mail.
5) Makes important changes in the way law enforcement handles missing child reports. Reports must be entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center within 2 hours. It also prohibits the removal of a missing child report when the child turns age 18 before being recovered.
6) In response to the growing problem of commercial child pornography and the exploitation of children online, the bill increases the number of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces across the nation.
In it there are several separate sections named for children who we've lost to monsters like Couey. Jessica has a section too, but it will take more then words to get this off the ground. You can find the Summary of the law here Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
