The new price is a lifetime ankle bracelet or get hit with a felony:  For those who thought they had “paid the price” for their wrongdoing – Missouri just tore up the deal.  Now some with sex offense records are learning they must wear and pay for (current price $30/month) GPS ‘ankle bracelets’ for *life* — under threat of felony prosecution and prison time.  Will the state get away with exacting a higher price – retrospectively?  A legal challenge is already underway, stay tuned.  Jesse Bogan has a report for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  –Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire 

 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch | May 16, 2017

Hundreds of Missouri sex offenders now required to wear GPS monitoring devices for life

 

By Jesse Bogan

 

Excerpts:  A sex offender from St. Charles County thought he had moved on with his life after successfully completing five years probation for sending web cam photographs of his genitals to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

 

Now he’s among hundreds of people in Missouri who are learning they must attach GPS monitoring systems to their ankles for life, even though such a requirement wasn’t part of their sentencing agreement.  The retroactive requirements are part of a revised state criminal code that went into effect Jan. 1.  “Lifetime. For the rest of your life. I can’t even comprehend it,” said the man, who didn’t want to be identified to avoid bringing more unwanted attention to himself.

 

The St. Charles man is among several sex offenders who are suing and challenging the state. In the lawsuit, in which he is named only as D.G., the 40-year-old argues that the law didn’t exist when he pleaded guilty. He claims he’s no longer “legally subject” to the jurisdiction of state prison authorities. He argues that he shouldn’t be required to pay monthly supervision fees for decades, nor have travel restricted for life and have to live in Missouri.

 

A March 29 “Dear Sir/Madam” letter from chief state supervisor Julie Kempker lays out the law, including threat of a class D felony if conditions are violated.  “We understand that this change may be unexpected,” Kempker said in the letter. “Rather than being detracted by the lifetime supervision requirements, you are encouraged to remain focused on your daily supervision responsibilities and to do those things that improve your life and positively impact your family and the community in which you live.”

 

Many sex offenders panicked and started calling lawyers. Some are confused, for instance, those no longer on supervision who moved away from Missouri.  MORE:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/requirement-to-wear-ankle-monitors-for-life-catches-hundreds-of/article_2f21d6bb-1dc2-5395-9513-016fc05ae333.html

 

 

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