Blagojevich reminds Illinoisans of four bills designed to protect citizens from sex offenders

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CHICAGO — Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich reminds Illinoisans of four new laws that took effect Jan. 1 to protect children and sex abuse victims from sexual offenders in Illinois. These pieces of legislation will increase safety measures by: prohibiting sex offenders from serving as election judges; redefining the 500-foot boundary that offenders must adhere to; increasing penalties for possessing child pornography; and allowing prosecution of a sex crime at any time within 10 years after the crime, when the DNA profile of the sex offender is obtained.

“We must do everything in our power to keep our children and our communities safe from sex offenders,” Blagojevich said. “These laws will keep children and sexual abuse victims safer by implementing commonsense restrictions on sex offenders and assisting law enforcement authorities in their duties.”

House Bill 3399, sponsored by state Rep. Michael K. Smith, D–Pekin, and state Sen. Antonio Munoz, D–Chicago, redefines the parameters of the 500-foot boundary to which sex offenders must adhere and makes it easier to prosecute violators. The 500-foot boundary currently applies to schools, parks, day care centers, public parks, playgrounds, child care institutions, per day child care facilities, facilities for children under age 18, and victims of a sexual offense under 21 years of age. Under the amended law, the measurement for the 500-foot boundary will be taken from the edge of the protected property or the location of the sex offense victim (if they are still under the age of 21 years) to the edge of the child sex offender’s residence or where the offender is loitering.

Recently, authorities in Illinois discovered that several sex offenders have been serving as election judges in Cook County schools. State Rep. Fred Crespo, D–Streamwood, and state Sen. Michael Noland, D–Elgin, sponsored House Bill 2671, which will prohibit sex offenders from serving as election judges and ensure that election authorities check the names of their election judges against Illinois’ sex offender registry.

Senate Bill 1887, sponsored by state Sen. William Haine, D–Alton, and state Rep. Careen Gordon, D–Coal City, allows authorities to begin a prosecution of a sex crime at any time when the DNA profile of the sex offender is obtained and entered into a DNA database within 10 years after the crime. With the improvements to DNA technology and data population of the nationwide Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), this new law will provide the potential for law enforcement officials to solve sex crimes and prosecute offenders who have escaped prosecution. It also lengthens the statute of limitation within which a victim of a sexual crime must report the offense. Victims now have 3 years from the date the crime was committed to report it to the police.

House Bill 3477 creates tougher penalties and sentencing for a person convicted of possessing 100 or more images of child pornography. Sponsored by state Rep. Fred Crespo, D–Streamwood, and state Sen. John J. Milner, R–St. Charles, this will also extend the prohibition of posting identifying information on an adult obscenity or child pornography Web site without the consent of the person and prohibits the use of encryption to commit or assist in committing a criminal Internet offense.