Accessibility menu
State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Press/News Releases
NEW LAW PROPOSED TO KEEP SEX OFFENDERS AWAY FROM CHILDREN
ST. PAUL – Most people are shocked to learn that that if a sex offender wants to hang out around an elementary school or park, there’s really nothing to prevent it – at least not under current Minnesota law. That’s about to change, if State Representative Joe Atkins has his way. Atkins, of Inver Grove Heights, will introduce legislation next session to prevent loitering near schools and public places where children congregate, with particularly severe penalties for any predatory offender who violates that law.
A sex offender soliciting young girls near an Inver Grove Heights elementary school prompted Atkins’ work on the proposal. "Most parents probably think that a law like this already exists, that sex offenders are already prohibited from loitering around school property, that their children are generally safe," said Atkins. “But like most parents, I was stunned to find out that such a law does not exist. So I set out to fix that."
Atkins said this is the first of several proposals he intends to offer next legislative session aimed at preventing sex offenses. “No matter how severe we make the punishment after the crime has occurred, it doesn’t undo the terrible harm inflicted upon the victim,” Atkins stated. “The most important thing we can do is to prevent the offense from occurring in the first place, by giving law enforcement and school administrators the tools they need to do that.”
Atkins said the bill needed to be carefully crafted in order to work and be constitutional. “We don’t want to chase away anybody who has a legitimate reason for being at or near our schools,” he said. "The proposal would make it a misdemeanor for a person who loiters around a school or public place where children congregate to remain there after being requested to leave by a school or law enforcement official, or to reenter the area within 72 hours. For a previously convicted sex offender, the penalty would be a gross misdemeanor, with greater penalties."
Atkins examined laws from across the country, many of which were found to be too restrictive and were thrown out by the courts or found to be unworkable by law enforcement. He finally came across the "Alquist Bill," a bipartisan law that passed the California Assembly unanimously earlier this year with wide support from law enforcement and school officials. The framework for Atkins' bill came from the Alquist bill.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, there are 18,047 predatory offenders currently living, working, or attending school in Minnesota.
The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene February 12, 2008.
News Items
- Rep. Atkins, Sen. Lourey Introduce Health Insurance Exchange Legislation - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:44PM)
- Rep. Atkins – Statement on Deal to End NHL Lockout - (Posted: Jan 7 2013 2:05PM)
- Rep. Atkins to Hold Minnesota House Hearing on Economic Impact of Hockey Lockout - (Posted: Jan 2 2013 3:20PM)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.