SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A bill proposed by the leader of the state Senate would require life sentences without parole for some of Oregon’s worst sex offenders.
The measure targets “predatory” offenders - those deemed highly likely to injure others or abuse children again, the Salem Statesman Journal (https://stjr.nl/1foJIqk ) reported Monday.
The bill applies to three crimes - first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual penetration. It sets specific criteria for which defendants would face life terms, including a risk assessment developed in Canada.
The law would apply even to some first-time offenders. Oregon law currently allows a life sentence for some repeat sex offenders, but it isn’t mandatory and does not apply to first-time offenders. A jury or judge would have to find that a defendant:
- Was at least 18 at the time of the crime.
- Scored “high risk” in an assessment.
- Exhibits a tendency to injure others or target children under 12;
- Presents a serious danger to the public.
Senate President Peter Courtney, the bill’s sponsor, said he doesn’t know if his bill will get a hearing in the five-week legislative session that began Monday. But he said it’s an important conversation to have.
“There are sex offenders, and then there are predatory sex offenders … I’m not convinced you can cure what’s going on inside them. I think they’re very, very dangerous,” he said.
The risk assessment tool in the bill uses statistics to predict those most likely to commit the worst crimes again. Researchers mathematically evaluated various criteria to determine how strongly they affect a sex offender’s likelihood of committing another sex crime.
For example, sex offenders who had at least one male victim were statistically more likely to sexually abuse another child, so a male victim will yield a higher score than solely female victims.
Many sex offenders have a low probability of committing their crimes again, said Craig Prins, executive director of the state’s Criminal Justice Commission. “Sex offender” is a broad category, he said, and not every offender is the same.
“This is a very specific kind of offender, and they’re trying to have a very informed approach to that sentencing,” Prins said.
The bill is SB 1517.
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Information from: Statesman Journal, https://www.statesmanjournal.com
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