Canada tightens sex offender registry
Hey, this only friggin' took forever:
Ottawa to tighten up national sex offender registry, DNA database
Last Updated: Monday, June 1, 2009
Sweeping changes to the national sex offender registry and the national DNA database are intended to make them more effective tools for police in tracking and preventing sex crimes, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said Monday.
"The government is delivering another aspect of our commitment to get tough on crime and protect the safety and security of our communities," Van Loan told reporters at a press conference in Ottawa.
"Police and victims groups have requested these changes for some time and our government is delivering on them."
Those advocacy and law enforcement groups had argued the registry, in place since 2004, hasn't been responsible for solving a single sex crime.
Among the proposed changes:
All sex offenders will automatically be added to the registry upon conviction. Currently such offenders are included only after a formal request is made by the Crown and a judge orders it — which happens 58 per cent of the time.
Convicted sex offenders will also automatically be required to provide a DNA sample to be entered into the national database.
Police will have access to the sex offender registry to prevent sex crimes. "If police see an individual behaving suspiciously near a school ground, for example, they will be able to request information from the database," said Van Loan. "They will be able to obtain additional information to assist them in their prevention work." Currently police can use the sex registry to investigate a crime only after it has happened.
Those who are convicted and jailed for sex crimes in another country and are returned to Canada to serve the remainder of their sentence will now be registered with the registry.
Canadians convicted abroad of sex crimes and returning to Canada at the end of sentence must report their conviction to police within seven days of arriving back in the country or face criminal prosecution. "No longer will Canada be a safe haven from which travelling sex offenders can operate safely," said Van Loan.
Sex offenders must report the name of their employer, the type of employment as well as any volunteer organizations they are associated with. They will also be required to provide notice in advance of absences from their residence of seven days or more.
Police will be allowed to notify other Canadian and foreign law enforcement jurisdictions when registered sex offenders are travelling to another area.
Federal and provincial correctional services will be allowed to notify registry officials if a registered sex offender is either released into the community or re-admitted to custody.
posted by John Allore @ 6/01/2009 01:11:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Do you consider Sarah Maria Langis a victim in NH unsolved murders? I've been trying to get as much information on her as I can, but I haven't found much. She was found drowned in a lake (for the life of me I can't remember the name of said lake.) and investigators suspected she was there for at least seven months.
Also, I believe she was found in 2003 or maybe a bit earlier. The details just don't seem to match up right in her case, although she was a runaway and very well may of committed suicide, I find that highly unlikely.
A good friend of mine dated the girl for quite a few years so the case has always struck a cord.
I thought to ask your opinion as you seem much more well versed in these unsolved crimes than I am.
Thank you for all your hard work.
-Belle
OK Belle:
You've pulled me out of "retirement" because I've never heard of this case:
"GOFFSTOWN - A state medical examiner has identified the woman whose body was found in the Piscataquog River in Goffstown Saturday as Sarah Maria Langis, 19, of Merrimack.
Langis was identified through the use of dental records, but the cause of death remains undetermined following an autopsy. Toxicology ..."
Goffstown is so far south of Canada that I can't see at as related to Canadian cases, but this still appears to be unsolved.
I doubt it has to do with the cases in Canada as well.
What has me scratching my head though is the press never seemed to follow up with the toxicology results. There has been a shocking amount of unsolved murders in and around the NH and VT boarder in the past decade, which leaves me baffled that the police (And the media!) didn't look further into this.
I must also commend you on your dedication to solving your sister's murder. I read an article about you and your brother and it blew my mind. I couldn't believe how stubborn and incompetent the police officers were.
I hope to work in criminal justice someday and it saddens me to see how the system can sometimes just 'ignore'the most important clues.
-Belle
Unsloveds in the area: you are right, they don't care. I pressed the matter for years with VT and NH and Quebec police: no interest or initiative (a basic lack of curiousity. Also... almost, ALMOST had Dateline NBC to do a story on it. We worked on it for months. In the end they pulled the plug because they didn't have a suspect (story lacked a focus)... again, a lack of imagination.
Criminal Justice: go for it Belle. Good luck
john A
Such a shame, all those poor girls...
Thank-you for your quick response by the way. The world needs more people like you.
I'll be sure to follow your blog from now on. Keep it up, you're helping so many people, but remember to take time for yourself as well!
Best wishes,
Belle.
The story lacked a focus?
Aw come on!
Maybe the writer lacked a focus. Law enforcement is certainly lacking something crucial up there.
I agree with Belle.
John, the world does need more like you.
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