McKevitt Calls For Stricter Sex Offender Penalties

Pushes for Civil Confinement of Dangerous Predators

May 9, 2006

Assemblyman Tom McKevitt (R,C,I – East Meadow) and his Assembly minority colleagues today were joined by Laura Ahearn, the founder and Executive Director of Parents for Megan’s Law at the unveiling of their SAVE-NY Task Force report, a package containing legislation that seeks to rid New York’s neighborhoods of violent sexual offenders.

“I am proud to join the fight as we push for a sound civil confinement policy,” said McKevitt. “Ms. Ahearn is a great ally and will fight tooth-and-nail to make our streets safer.”

Parents for Megan’s Law is a group that fights for stricter policies to confine sexual offenders and create safer neighborhoods for the women and children of New York state. Ahearn supported the report, created by the Assembly Minority SAVE-NY Task Force, which includes legislation that the Assembly minority has supported for years: the civil confinement of violent sex offenders.

The report also calls for provisions in state law that would also prevent sex offenders from plea bargaining from a sexual offense to non-sex crimes. Offenders can now plea down, and because the crimes that they are convicted of are not sexually related, they are not put in the sex offender registry.

“We have less than two months left in this year’s legislative session,” added McKevitt. “I became an Assemblyman so I could enact change and help to protect our citizens. I agree with the suggestions of Parents for Megan’s Law, and we simply cannot afford to let this issue lie dormant for another year. This is the safety and security of families we are talking about. It is absurd to think that more and more violent criminals could be released back onto our streets because of the unwillingness to act by those on the other side of the aisle.”

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