Sex Offender, Child Luring Laws to Take Effect Jan. 1
A bill sponsored in 2012 by State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) will prohibit sex offenders from participating in holiday events involving children as of Jan. 1.
An Illinois law that takes effect Jan. 1 will officially prohibit convicted sex offenders from participating in holiday events—from dressing up as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny to handing out candy on Halloween.
Offenders who break this law (SB 3579/PA 97-0699) could be subject to fines or revocation of their parole or probation, and could face additional jail time, according to a press release from Senator Kirk Dillard's office.
“I do not believe child sex offenders should be given the opportunity to dress up and participate in a holiday event that caters directly to young children,” Dillard said in a statement.
He said he sponsored the law in response to real incidents that occurred in Illinois where child sex offenders used holiday events as a way to inappropriately interact with children.
Dillard also sponsored House Bill 5265/PA 97-0998, allowing for felony prosecution of people who attempt to lure older children into their car while the child is traveling to or from school, according to the release.
“Obviously, there are 16- and 17-year-olds who are juniors and seniors in high school. They are still children, and they should not be excluded from this type of protection,” said Dillard.
The Senator said the new law was introduced in response to a case in DuPage County, where a 17-year-old was on her way to school, and was approached by a sex offender who tried to lure her into his van. Though the van was stopped by police, law enforcement officials could only charge the individual with disorderly conduct because the state’s current child luring law only applies to minors who are younger than 16 years of age.
“After Jan. 1, any individual caught preying on children walking to school will be punished appropriately,” Dillard said.
Dillard also sent a list of legislation that will be effective Jan. 1. Related laws include:
- Sex Offender Evaluations (SB 3638/PA 97‐ 1098): Establishes three new professional licenses for sex offender evaluators. Also requires that juveniles who seek to be taken off the sex offender registry receive a risk assessment.
- Sex Predators (HB 5280/PA 97‐1073): Provides that any person who is convicted of luring a minor is considered a sexual predator. Currently, persons must be convicted twice before being declared a sexual predator.
- Sex Trafficking (HB 5278/PA 97‐897): Allows prosecution for sexual trafficking and sexual servitude for a minimum of one year after the victim turns 18, but not less than three years after the offense occurred. This is designed to make it more likely that underage victims of sexual trafficking will report the crime after they turn 18.
Written by Glen Ellyn Patch editor Mary Ann Lopez
Shelly Stow
11:01 am on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
So one person on the registry uses the situation to interact inappropriately with a 17 year old, and that requires an ordinance that will make it illegal for every registered man, woman, and child to participate in holiday events? How ludicrous and unconstitutional. Many of those registered individuals are parents. Will a father then be in violation if he is seen taking his young child trick or treating, or, Heaven forbid, buying his little girl a doll at Christmas time? It is indicated in the article that this ordinance will apply to all on the registry, and then in another place it indicates only those still under supervision. If it is indeed the former, I hope that Illinois is prepared to defend some lawsuits.
Grandma Gimper
2:30 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
How about introducing a law that restricts law enforccement from "luring" men/women into sting operations? Remove all child porn sites from the internet versus legally monitoring to entrap and incarcerate at the tax payers expense! Protect those children by removing their pictures. Prevention versus Prosecution and lifetime of restrictions all paid for by US, the taxpayer. Many on the registry have turned their lives around and have families (including their own children) which do not deserve to have Holiday restrictions placed on "their" families.
Bizarro
3:25 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
How can it be that a 17 or 16 year old is deemed to be incapable of saying 'no thank you' to someone luring them into their vehicle but can be prosecuted as an adult with adult consequences at a much younger age for actions that they are expected to fully oversee the consequences for? Bizarre.
Jay Whitmire
7:39 pm on Wednesday, December 26, 2012
I still don't understand why laws are created from knee-jerk reactions. Both of these events deserve investigation. However, unless either of these events are major problems, much larger than any other problems, then why are we spending resources on it?
I'll tell you why, those that beat the drum for child protection know they can make useless laws like this and give lip service to child "protection". The reality is, very, very few children will be protected from these laws. Now, let's talk about the 95% of children you are abused by their family, friends, and trusted adults. Do they not deserve protection? Why can't they have protection? Oh, because it's not news worthy when yet another child is neglected by their parents. It's not news when another child goes hungry. It's not news when a child is killed by someone known to them and that someone is NOT on the sex offender registry.
In short, there is no political capital to be made from the vast majority of abuse cases. Only the very rare stranger abuse cases make the news. Those cases are the focus of all new laws and all resources. Those laws actually do not help the intended children at all (study after study shows the lack of efficacy of all sex offender-specific laws in protecting children). Yet, every politician who wants to fake concern for something latches onto these rare cases to beat their chests and make some noise.
I say shame on them AND shame on everyone for allowing it to happen!
ltm
2:11 am on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Soon flatulence will be a crime. We can start a heading for social crimes with a minimum of 5 years in a federal prison and build on that. I should be a politician. My political platform would be "Serving my community will be a gas and my laws will protect your children and yourselves from evil doers). We will round up all the social criminals and gas them all at one time to save the expense of prison and challenges to my new laws. I will go to no end to protect you no matter how many rights I will over rule.