It’s a story line that keeps repeating itself: a high-level sex offender is caught committing a sexual assault, and a look back at his past shows that he has a lengthy record of sexual violence.
In the most recent incident, the alleged attacker has been in and out of courtrooms since 1996, and was twice deemed by judges to not be a threat to the public.
We need to stop playing “catch-and-release” with sex offenders here in Massachusetts. That responsibility lies with our judicial system to exercise better discretion, and also with the Legislature to enact tougher laws to deal with these violent criminals.
Requiring a hearing and written findings of fact for judges relative to all sex crimes and GPS monitoring requirements would make the process more accountable and transparent to the general public. We also should have prison sentences for first offenses of rape of a child or sexual assault, which is something I have advocated for the past several years.
