We sent this to the nearly the one dozen legislators who represent us in Washington County. Only Republican Karin Housley from the Forest Lake and Stillwater area responded with interest. (More on that later). Please send this to your legislators if you agree MN child sex offender laws and sentencing guidelines need to change.
Washington County Watchdog is a free facebook page that primarily posts stories about each convicted child predator in Washington County. It's citizen volunteer run, we make no money, we're not lobbyists, just regular people. It is fb.com/wcwatchdog we have 14,000 readers and 1.5 million views on our page wcwatchdog.blogspot.com. Our top 10 stories (on left sidebar of page) are of local child rapists walking away with weak sentences. This is because MN laws are so broken. Please review our 8 bill ideas and let us know if you can write a bill to address the following issues. We think it'd be amazing for your re-election to do something on this.
Table of contents:This is based of our experience from our ongoing articles with dozens of sex offender cases documented for public awareness from public data:
Watchdog Review of Each of the Fifty States Sex Offender Laws Finds Minnesota Ranked the Most Unsafe
A.) review of Washington County Watchdog successes since 2015 with legislators on sex offender bills
B.) 26 states require Life Registration of all 3 levels of sex offenders. 47 states post most if not all levels of sex offender data
C.) Sex offender bill ideas. They break down into the following 3 categories
-Taking child prostitution out of adult prostitution law to make it it's own law to escape weak sentencing guidelines
-Make the sex offender registry public with exact addresses of sex offenders as it is in 47 other states
-Add specific sex crimes against a minor have to register as a predatory offender (ideally every crime)
-Fix weak Sentencing Guidelines
A.)
Since 2015 we have worked with Democrats and Republicans on this bipartisan effort with the following successes:
1.) Make the punishment for soliciting a child for prostitution (real or at a sting) the same for any age child. (previous law had less severe punishments, up to half, for children of older age). Current punishment is still only a slap on the wrist, $50 fine, and couple years on the sex offender registry (per weak sentencing guidelines).
2.) Make those who are convicted of soliciting a child for prostitution (real or at a sting) 609.352.2a(1) have to register on the predatory sex offender registration by adding it to 243.166 .
3.) Adding "or agreeing to hire minor to engage in prostitution" to MN 609.324 so that not only those who actually hire a real minor are punished... but also those who attempt to hire one in a police sting or otherwise.
4.) DOUBLING the punishment for Child trafficking from 10years/$20,000 to a max of 20year/$40,000. Sentencing guidelines make this powerless.
5.) Make "agreeing to hire minor to engage in prostitution MN 609.3241a" have to register as a sex offender if convicted. Added it to 243.166
B.)
26 States have Life Registration for every level of sex offender. All but 3 States post that data (including exact address) publicly that is MN, DC, and Main.
C.)
In brief our remaining bill ideas are:
1.) Fix the terribly weak sentencing guidelines for child sex trafficking by separating them from adult prostitution law MN 609.324.
2.) Make sex offender lists that currently only law enforcement can view into public data anyone can find (most other states do this)13.82 Comprehensive Law Enforcement data Subd. 22.Data on registered criminal offenders.and 243.166 Registration of Predatory offenders
3.)Make "engage sexual communication with a minor 609.352.2a(2)" have to register as a sex offender if convicted. (add it to this law: 243.166)
4.) Make "Distribute via Electronic Communication Material that Relates/Describes Sexual Conduct to a Child, Minnesota Statute: 609.352.2a(3)," have to register as a sex offender if convicted. (add it to this law: 243.166)
5.) Make "Interferes with the privacy" of a minor 609.746.1(e)(2) have to register as a sex offender if convicted by adding it to 243.166. Was a bill in 2017: HF184/ SF636
6.) Make stalking or pursuing a minor with sexual or aggressive intent 609.749, subdivision 3, paragraph (b) have to register as a sex offender if convicted by adding it to 243.166.
7.) Make engaging in or promoting prostitution of any age child have to register as a sex offender. Currently only those convicted with victims 13 and under are required to register.
8.) Double the sentence for first time convicted child predators and Quadruple the punishment if it’s their second offense. By updating 609.3453 Criminal Sexual Predatory Conduct.
Contact your legislators. Find out who represents you and copy and share this article with them.
