The Dobbs Wire: New price – LIFETIME ankle bracelet or a felony
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:
OMG! This is NOT possible! How could they even think such a thing! Certainly the RSOs will prevail. I would panic also!
This is an absurd additional punishment and one that is clearly profit motivated! I am disappointed that more punishments are being added each year! We are not going in the right direction.
If the facts were actually applied then life-time punishment is way overkill in most cases and certainly there should be a way to review individual cases instead THE SAME OLD ONE SIZE FITS ALL PUNISHMENT BS.
Come on now…no one in their right mind would think that a baby rapist should have the punishment that someone who had a victimless crime such as computer porn they did not produce. Not the same by a long shot!
Next, they have created a special category of US citizen. One that is NOT on any sort of probation or parole and is “free” except that they are monitored for life. Not allowed to live, work, or have the freedom of travel. How is this not a life time punishment if it interferes with the pursuit of happiness and other basic human rights…and remember it is for life!!
I am sorry but the US has become a virtual prison and I am a political prisoner here because I want out and they keep interfering with interpol green notices. The new need to give 21 days notice and that’s just for international travel.
Thinking about just traveling around the USA? Better travel with a lawyer because each state and often even city have different laws for how LONG a sex offender can visit without the need to register with the police (remember not on probation and this is NOT punishment.)
This is NOT freedom. This is NOT fair. This is NOT the American my father and grandfather fought in the war for. This is just NOT right!
“The US had become a virtual prison”? It has been for quite a while! This is why foreigners are visiting here and getting the hell out of here, they aren’t coming here to live like before. This country is going to hell because of stupidity like this. When you have contracts between prisons and states to keep them filled to a certain percentage of capacity, you don’t live in a FREE country. This is Nazi Germany Fascism at its finest. Americans are too content with their sports and entertainment as well as hating their fellow neighbors to actually get outraged about this 2017 modern day Slavery.
Can I assume that these ankle bracelets are waterproof as many RSO’s are involved with the sports of swimming, scuba diving, surf fishing, etc? Maybe we could just require all citizens to wear a bracelet. That way we could track all those who have committed felonies and those who will commit felonies in the future. That way we could all feel safe and some of our politicians…who would definitely need a bracelet…could go around patting themselves on the back for providing such a service to society.
The RSO is no longer a citizen. We want to call ourselves Registered Citizens but we are not. We are outcasts thrown out of society. We are government made 2nd Hand Citizens in a world perpetrated by Vigilantism against us. Its compliance or death, take your pick. Low tiered, Predators.. it doesn’t matter anymore. The words “Sex Offender” has become more important than getting rid of ISIS. The next step is deportation, castration or special prisons for all of us. This is why we have the highest suicide rates. This is our future. Nobody cares, nobody listens to a RSO. Ankle bracelets are not necessary, we are already being tracked down. If anyone is even imagining committing a Sexual Crime against a child, read this! JEV – True Confessions
This all about money! The SEX OFFENDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX has found a new cash cow with this life time GPS ankle bracelet. I recommend that all S.O’s IN THIS STATE LEAVE-GO TO ANOTHER STATE!
P.S This will make The SEX OFFENDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX CRY
I spent 29 years in service to my country and I will not let a bunch of petty bureaucrats drive me out of my home. I live a decent and productive life that very few of these bureaucrats could match up to.
I am so sorry that you are being treated this way being a veteran. Of course the same can be said for all of us who suffer at these additional punishments that are added year after year!
You are very correct to take stance of defiance on this unjust issue. I am sure that most of those who passed this bill (ad the others that keep on coming) did NOT serve their country to protect the freedoms that most take for granted!
My father and grandfather also fought for this country and these “laws” are also a slap in the face to their sacrifice!
This action by the ruling class of Missouri is abusive and certainly the very definition of cruel and unusual LIFETIME PUNISHMENT! FIGHT!
The big question is…..Is there someone up there going to taking this to court??
Yes
I think at this point, I would rather take my chances and live in Venezuela than be a sex offender in this country right now. Hell, it’s probably nicer in Syria right now then it is in Florida and Missouri for us……
Now is not the time to let the uneducated bureaucrats score a win. We must come together as a unified front. One thing we can do is to live an exemplary life style in our communities. I know for some that this is extremely difficult to do under very trying conditions but we must do it to bring about a revision to the false attitudes that have been cultivated over many years. I ask God everyday for strength to live a life that is found faultless by society. I still find fault in myself but God has given us a way to find forgiveness. RSO’s must show the community that they are not what they have been professed to be. I find it offensive every time I hear on the news that a sex offense has been committed. By today’s standards that one offense is reflected by many in society to represent all RSO’s. We must find ways to present ourselves in a different light to society. It is not going to be an easy battle but one well worth winning for our own self-worth, and the well-being of our families. We must be willing to help each other.
This can’t continue..Lifetime parole-probation, lifetime shackles, lifetime reporting and contact with police, lifetime restrictions of all sorts, castration, civil commitment, travel bans, no right to bear arms to protect ourselves and our families, it’s got to end..help me end it..
Does this apply to those recently arrested, currently incarcerated and soon to be released in Florida? Does Florida have the three levels or Tiers for SO? This question would apply to a Liver one or Their I type offender/offense. Thanks P
Florida does not mandate life ankle monitoring.
YET
Senator Lauren Book is sure to have that at the top of her “To Do” list right – after she and her daddy Ron decide on which ankle monitor manufacturer to do “business” with…Stay Tuned!
If the Books introduce a bill that would mandate lifetime GPS monitoring, it will be up to us to slow the bill down and stop it in its tracks. We need to stay on top of pending legislation.
Thanks Jacob. How about any sort of Ankle Monitoring ( requirements) for Level/Tier I Sex Offenders? He is getting out soon and cannot seem to ID where to go to find out the correct answer to this Question?
Unless his judgement order calls specifically for ankle monitoring upon release (in which case it wouldn’t matter what state he’s being released to), I can’t think of a reason why he’d be subject to it.
Note that Florida does not have a “Tier 1” classification specifically. Just “offender” and “predator” (the latter being Florida’s closest equivalent to Tier 3)