Posting #11 – Dissemination of Information

By: RSOL of Virginia
Date: 12/1/2008

Dear Virginia Lawmakers,

We understand that this is an election year and that the economy is at the forefront of most legislators’ agenda for the 2009 General Assembly.
But we also know that there will definitely be new bills and revisions to existing bills that will apply to registered sex offenders in Virginia.
 We also know that this is an unpopular topic and that a large number of people are not open to reconsider any changes except harsher ones.
 There are two particular bills that RSOL of Virginia would really like to see proposed during the 2009 General Assembly.
1) Dissemination of Information:
Currently when new laws and revisions to existing laws that affect registered sex offenders are passed in Virginia the new information is not shared nor posted for the registered to be informed.

During the 2008 General Assembly both DNA retrieval and an increase of John’s minimum time on the Virginia registry from 10 to 15 years were passed but we were never notified of these changes.

The Sex Offender Task Force Trooper that is assigned to John called in October telling him to submit his DNA but never gave a reason; they were not aware a new law had been passed nor were they aware of the new drivers license requirements when I advised them of it.

We have been advised by several RSOL of Virginia supporters that the Virginia Probation Officers assigned to their family members are also not advised of new laws and have been incorrect on many occasions on what their registered offender can and can not do and where and when they can and can not be.

The majority of registered offenders have been re-labeled as violent and must re-register at a Virginia State Police locations every 90 days, the remaining non-violent offenders re-register once a year. The Virginia Sex Offender Task Force Members visit the registered residence twice a year and have the registered persons e-mail addresses.

But there are also registered offenders that either can not afford internet access or are court ordered not to have internet access.
 This bill should include:

• A mailing after a G.A session that includes a list of all laws prior to and resulting from the session (not just statutes, but an explanation of the requirements and restrictions).

This mailing should also include a letter that explains the future additions and revisions and the date in which they begin.

All of this information should also be posted on the Virginia State Police web-site in an easily accessible place in easily understandable terms (plain English).

• Upon both initial registration and re-registration all offenders should be given a handout including the up-to-date information.

• Information about requirements could also include resources for offenders such as places for therapy, support groups, etc.

• A great suggestion that RSOL of Virginia has received is to include a map showing where offenders can and cannot live on the Virginia Police web-site.

It is fairly easy to remain 500' from a school but not always so easy to know that a nearby church has a half day preschool during the week.

If the State Police would also send out a mass e-mail including the new information, they could at the same time ask for a response receipt that would then confirm the if the registered person e-mail information is still current.

An offender must be made aware of these laws in order to ensure they do not inadvertently break the law.

We believe this will better protect all concerned and reduce the burden placed on courts prosecuting nuisance laws

2) Registered Sex Offenders being included as a Hate Crime group:

As our previous two e-mail's dated November 1 and November 16 have stated the similarities in the definition of a hate crime and an example of how the public use the registry to lash out against people just because they are listed.
The definition of a Hate Crime (also known as bias motivated crimes) is a crime that occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation. Hate crime can take many forms. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters.
RSOL of Virginia believes this definition of a hate crime clearly includes registered sex offenders. A registered sex offender is a member of a group that has political repercussions. Registered sex offenders have been made into targets by the government upon being forced to post their photo, list their employment and residential information on the Internet with the added convenience of mapping directly to them. Vigilantes who have no affiliation with the registered person have stalked, harassed, threatened, intimidated, slandered, injured and even killed registered sex offenders simply because they are on listed on the Internet as a sex offender.

In both our November 16 e-mail titled “The Reality of the Registry” and our November 24 e-mail titled “Torches and Pitchforks” we included real experiences. Registered people are being harassed and released by their employers simply because they are linked to the registry. These vigilantes’ took it upon themselves to punish these citizen’s simply because of the posting on the registry (guilt by association).

In 2008 the Virginia General Assembly added homeless persons to the list of Hate Crimes it’s time to add registered sex offenders.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp524.exe?081+sum+HB610

Will any of you be willing to support these two very important bills for the 2009 General Assembly?

We look forward to your responses.
Sincerely,

RSOL of Virginia Organizers