Lawmakers mull ways to get tough on sex offenders

Lawmakers talked Wednesday about getting tough on sex offenders and the cost of such a move.

The Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee heard about proposed changes to Utah's Sex Offender Registry to bring the state in line with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection Safety Act, which was signed by the president last July.

Also, one lawmaker has also proposed to toughen Utah's penalties for those who try to entice minors online.

Scott Carver, executive director for the Utah Department of Corrections, said the Adam Walsh Act will have "significant impacts" to Utah and other states, as it changes Utah handles its estimated 6,908 registered sex offenders.

Currently, about 1,800 sex offenders are in prison with another 1,400 on probation or parole, Carver said. A remaining 3,758 are required to register but are unsupervised.

Department of Corrections officials said the new federal law requires registered sex offenders be classified three ways based on the seriousness of the offense. Utah does not have designations and requires offenders to register annually for 10 years. More serious offenders must register for life.

Under the Walsh Act:

• Low-level offenders are those convicted of sexual abuse of a minor or lewdness involving a child. They will be required to register annually for 15 years.

• Medium-level offenders, those convicted of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, forcible sexual abuse or enticing a minor over the Internet, will be required to register twice a year over a 25-year period.

• High-level offenders, convicted of aggravated sexual assault, rape of a child, or repeat offenders, will be required to register quarterly for life.

Another significant change will be that juveniles older than 14 and convicted of a violent sexual act with a child will be required to be registered as high-level sex offenders but may petition 25 years after their sentence is completed to be removed from the registry if they have a clean record. Utah law only registers juveniles who have been charged as an adult or who have committed a sexual crime while in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Out-of-state sex offenders, who must register with the state within 10 days of arrival, will also see changes. The Walsh Act requires out-of-state offenders to register within three days report any change of residence, vehicle or educational affiliation must be reported within three days.