Protecting America's Children from Sexual Predators

Protecting America’s Children from Sexual Predators
By Stacie D. Rumenap
While the recent
Because the law was inadequate to protect children
guilty verdict
like Jessica from the danger of sexual predators, Stop
in the trial of
Child Predators launched federal and state campaigns
John Couey, the
to educate the public and lawmakers about needed
convicted sex
policy changes to enhance public safety. We brought
offender who
together an unprecedented coalition of legislators, law
abducted, raped,
enforcement organizations, community groups, victims’
and murdered
rights advocates, and concerned parents to lead public
nine-year-old
awareness campaigns to help prevent sexual crimes
Jessica Lunsford
against children and to keep child protection at the
will deliver some
forefront of the public agenda.
justice for Jessica
and her family,
At the federal level, Stop Child Predators worked with
the fact that
Congress, who recognized the gravity of the problem
Couey was free to
facing families, and passed The Adam Walsh Child
commit his crimes
Protection and Safety Act—named after Adam Walsh
in the first place highlights the need for states to impose
who was abducted from a Hollywood, Florida shopping
tougher mandatory minimum penalties for those who
mall just over 25 years ago. This sweeping new law
commit sexual crimes against children.
mandates 25-year minimum sentences for sex offenders
convicted of sex crimes against children, allows for
Couey, a registered sex offender, abducted Jessica from
electronic monitoring of paroled child predators, and
her Homosassa, Florida home on the night of February
links states’ sex offender registries to one another to
23, 2005 and repeatedly sexually assaulted her before
create a unified national database of all registered sex
stuffing her in garbage bags and burying her alive in a
offenders.
shallow grave behind his home.
Stop Child Predators also recognized that in order to
Sadly, the sexual victimization of children is
be effective in the states, it was necessary to gain the
overwhelming in magnitude yet largely unrecognized
support of legislators from across the country. We
and underreported. The National Center for Missing
did that by partnering with the American Legislative
and Exploited Children reported that one in five girls
Exchange Council and passing model legislation, the
and one in ten boys are sexually exploited before they
Sexual Offenses Against Children Act (available at www.
reach adulthood, and less than 35 percent of those
alec.org), based on the Florida version of “Jessica’s Law.”
sexual assaults are reported to authorities. Worse, the
average child sexual predator victimizes anywhere from
This partnership with ALEC has helped us secure
seven to over 200 victims in his or her lifetime.
increased penalties for those who commit sexual
offenses against children, including mandatory
Many of these sex offenders are released into society
sentencing minimums and electronic monitoring.
soon after they are convicted. According to the most
Further, Jessica’s Law strengthens the reporting
recent available data from the Justice Department’s
requirements for adjudicated sexual offenders. To date,
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the average sentence
our model legislation has become law in 31 states across
imposed on child molesters is seven years and the
the country, making children safer and helping to keep
average offender is released after serving only three.
dangerous criminals behind bars.
This early release comes despite the fact that the same
BJS study shows that sex offenders are four times more
Stacie D. Rumenap is the Executive Director of Stop Child
likely than other criminals to be arrested again for a
Predators
sex crime. Indeed, we are repeatedly faced with news
reports where child offenders have been set free only to
harm innocent children again.
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