Proust was behind the wheel of a school bus on Feb.17 when police say he ran a stop sign and crashed into another vehicle, killing a 27-year-old man. None of the children on the bus were seriously hurt. Prosecutors said Proust ran at least 10 stop signs that day.

Guidelines from the State Department of Education require bus companies to investigate any accidents in which their drivers were involved in five years before their hire date. Because Proust’s fatal wreck was 10 years ago, the incident was not investigated. Lawmakers are asking for changes in the guidelines that would require all accidents to be investigated regardless of how long ago they occurred.

http://www.timesherald.com/articles/2010/03/16/news/doc4b9f1a1080cc9274809043.txt

Hoffman, who also goes by the name of Joel Lynch, was convicted of having sex with an underage girl. He faces at least two other sexual assault charges. Residents who live near the homes that Hoffman listed said they are in disbelief that a convicted sex offender could have a real estate license.

http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-100309-east-side-charges,0,48270.story

The fear is that some sex offenders from other areas will move into the suburbs. Sponsors of the bill say the current law could force sex offenders to be concentrated in cities like Milwaukee, which has no restrictions for sex offenders. Even in rural areas where there are ordinances, often there are not enough police officer to enforce them.

The sponsors hope that new restrictions would return sex offenders to where they came from. The bill has support from Democrats and Republicans and is said to have a good chance of passing.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/87150107.html

Up until now, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of this data was always accepted as optimum-that is, until recent studies showed that much of the registry information found from sex offender registries was grossly miscalculated, misrepresented, and unreliable.

Generalized Sex Offenders
One of the biggest issues with state registration of sex offenders is that all sex offenders are required to register, regardless of their potential danger to children. So, this means those committing child rape, prostitution, engaging in consensual teenage sex, urinating in public, etc are all lumped into one category-meaning the numbers that a person may find in their neighborhood could be more or less safe than they originally imagined-and they would never know which.

Repeat Offenders
Many of the people on state sex offender registries will be repeat offenders-it’s true; but that other amount of offenders who were involved in non-violent crimes-such as public urination, prostitution, or consensual teenage sex-will not; so any number of statistics drawn from the pool of 400,000 registered sex offenders is misrepresented.

People You Know
Most all original and recent sexual registry law regulation on the public awareness of these individuals focuses on protecting children from the strangers; when, in actuality, most all of sexual offenses committed against children involve a family member or someone they know well. So, the error is also in the psychology of who is committing these atrocities. Not considering people that you know as part of stats in your state registry is another problem with the system.

Recent Sexual Registry Laws
There have been a number of laws in place to effectively optimize the registration of sexual offenders for community awareness and protection; but holes still persist in the framework, making the accuracy of sex offender registries most often accurate.

* Online Registries: All states must have sex offender registry information online for the public that includes an offender’s criminal offenses, a photo, their address, age, etc. This said, not every municipality and state has this system in place yet.
* Restrictions on Residency: Many states and cities in the country have enforced restrictions on how close to a public place of gathering for children a registered sex offender can live and work. So, for both violent and non-violent offenders; residency is restricted from areas near schools, daycares, and playgrounds.
* Adam Walsh and Megan’s Law: Megan’s Law was put into effect to ensure that the public could be made aware of sex offenders living in their cities and reduce the possibility of repaet offense through this knowledge. The Adam Walsh Act was passed in 2006 to correct any inconsistencies that states and cities might have had in how they were making this information to the public.

Extensive research conducted by Criminalpages.com contends the information commonly associated with more popular sex offender registries is skewed. “Our research seems to have thrown conventional sex offender statistics on their head”, says Mathew Johnson, Director of Research for Criminalpages.com. “People need to know where sex offenders – sex predators – are living. Unfortunately, the statistics are wrong. One list in particular claims New York has the highest number of offenders per million residents. Our research says otherwise.” The above reasons are holes in the system that are contributing to this misinformation-that is not only wrong, but downright dangerous!

The Real Statistics on Sex Offenders
If you have any interest in the safety of your family and yourself, you need to be able to locate the real and verifiable statistics on sex offenders in your area. The research from Criminalpages.com lists the top 10 states in terms of sex offenders per million residents (from lowest to highest) as:

10. Iowa

Iowa has 2089 sex offenders per million residents. It has been enforcing sex offender laws that then-Governor Tom Vilsack (D) termed “the nation’s toughest against sex offenders.” Among these laws, is a doubling of prison terms for sex crimes committed against.

9. South Carolina

There are 2241 sex offenders per million residents in South Carolina. According to the State Criminal Code, all information regarding all adult sex offenders (17 and older) must be registered for public scrutiny, but only 40% of and can accessed online.

8. Utah

With 2254 sex offenders per million residents, Utah has the dubious distinction of being ranked 8th among the 10 states with the most registered sex offenders. In addition to a name, photograph, and address, the registry provides the make and model of the offender’s car.

7. Texas

The Texas Department of State Health Services claims approximately 250,000 children in Texas are victims of sexual predators every year. The state claims 2270 offenders per million residents, but suffers from a lack of rigorous enforcement. Some estimates claim approximately 40% of sex criminals in the state are not registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

6. Delaware

The First State has 2456 sex offenders per million residents on file. Delaware is one of the few states that require sex offenders to register their new addresses – in person no less – within 3 calendar days. Most states grant offenders 5 to 10 days.

5. Florida

With 2610 sex offenders per million residents on file, it is disconcerting the state of Florida does not place restrictions on where sex offenders can live following their release from prison or probation. Likewise, released sex offenders are not barred from any kind of employment, as long as they do not work directly with children.

4. South Dakota

All 2846 sex offenders per million residents in South Dakota must register with the state for the remainder of their lives. While some states expunge non-violent sex offenses, anyone convicted of a sexual offense in South Dakota must inform the Sex Offender Registry within 5 days of moving – for the rest of their lives.

3. Wisconsin

Though Wisconsin penal codes mandate a minimum sentence of 10 years for convicts who assault children, the state is home to a staggering 3156 sex offenders per million residents. There are only two other states that can claim more sex offenders.

2. Montana

Montana is home to 3746 sex offenders per million residents. In a renewed effort to better inform and protect the public, the Montana Department of Corrections has allowed sex offenders’ residents to be pinpointed online using Google Maps.

1. Arkansas

With 5954 sex offenders per million residents, Arkansas is home to the largest concentration of sexual predators and convicts in the United States. Oddly, the Arkansas Crime Information Center only requires an offender’s name and address be displayed for public scrutiny. With so many offenders, many children’s rights advocates insist the state should be providing more detailed information, including an offender’s current place of employment.

By way of comparison, the state with the least amount of sex offenders was Minnesota, with only 22 offenders per million residents.

About Criminalpages.com:

Criminalpages.com boasts one of the most comprehensive online criminal record databases in the nation. You can tailor searches to find a host of criminal records, statutes, and state-specific information for free. It is a service dedicated to informing and protecting individual rights, property, and employers alike.

Carpenters said they are not as concerned now that they know that the checks only apply for sexual offenses. The city has worked on several projects such as the Quincy High School construction where sex offenders could have been put in the path of children.

http://www.patriotledger.com/news/cops_and_courts/x699612729/Quincy-considering-ban-on-sex-criminals-on-city-job-sites

The media is focusing on the sex offender laws after the arrest of John Albert Gardener III. Gardner, a convicted sex offender, is a suspect in the murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King. She disappeared in San Diego last week while jogging.

While all states have a version of Megan’s Law (which was passed after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl was raped and killed by a child molester who moved across the street) some states have more stringent laws about what is to be listed on the registry. Legislators said the names that are not on the site are low risk offenders.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/02/thousands-of-sex-offenders-unlisted/#more-71801?hpt=Sbin

The ruling affects about 2,000 Indiana sex offenders. The state attorney general said it may take up to a year to get the registry updated.

The move is not expected to have a big impact on public safety. Officials said there may be dozens of people who are not on the registry who have never committed a crime but are a threat.

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/85414102.html

The bill has been approved by a house education committee. It is now scheduled to be discussed by the full House Education Committee.

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=12039693

The Maryland Legislature is considering about 30 bills including one that would require homeless sex offenders more often. Another bill would require convicted sex offenders to list any property they owned and tell where they worked. Those on the registry would also have to list where they store their cars under the proposed legislation.

Opponents said the proposed bills could make it impossible for homeless offenders to comply with the law.

http://wjz.com/wireapnewsmd/Residents.lawmakers.urge.2.1514379.html

A license can be denied if the worker is convicted of a felony sex offense, a felony crime or domestic violence. One of the problems with the ordinance is the cost of the criminal background checks. They can cost up to $30 and if a carnival has many employees, it can be expensive. City officials are looking for a way to reduce the cost of the background checks.

Two other Ohio towns require the background checks—London and Marysville. City leaders are studying their ordinances.

http://blog.cleveland.com/parmasunpost/2010/02/carnival_worker_registration_l.html