Reform in Arizona looks far less certain after the bill aimed at increasing eligibility for removal from the registry appears to be missing from the house agenda.
House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, sponsored House Bill 2613, which he crafted with assistance from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The bill would expand the list of crimes for which sex offenders could petition to be removed from the registry, while imposing new restrictions on people who seek removal.
This comes after a decades-old sex crime allegation against Arizona Congressman David Stringer.
In pushing for this bill (that I suspect will make absolutely no difference in Arizona’s registry), Bowers claims it would only apply to those assessed as low risks to recidivate. (“He emphasized that the bill would only affect people with low likelihood of committing new sex offenses.”)
An empty claim at best, as it’s been well established but often ignored that registrants, with a few exceptions, are not the ones committing new sex crimes. And for those exceptions, the registry has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the arrest or prosecution of the new crime.
The “low likelihood of committing new sex offenses” applies to at least 95% of the entire registry population. Every argument Bowers makes for his bill is actually an argument to abolish the registry en totem rather than yet more modifications that ultimately produces nothing in terms of the bill’s intent.
When will enough be enough! It was said, ” you can’t walk backwards into the future”. This entire issue of the registry, living requirements, fees charged for registration unregulated, scams, and living in fear is enough. I am now 14 years later, traumatized over everything that law enforcement and the judicial system has imposed on me. When will people just leave us alone.
I have been a Republican all my life but it seems that many of the Republicans in office do all they can to subvert justice and redemption. I no longer donate to Republican Party affiliated organizations, but to only specific Republican officials. Governor…now Senator… Scott was one of the greatest subversives. At least the Democrats will consider reasonable proposals on restoring voter rights and the registry management.