Pawlenty wants tougher penalties on sex offenders
Pawlenty wants to get tougher on sex offenders from tommy scheck on Vimeo.
Governor Tim Pawlenty is proposing tougher penalties for sex offenders that would more than double their time in prison.
Pawlenty announced today that he wants to increase the presumptive sentence for those convicted of first degree sexual conduct from 12 years to 25 years. The Republican governor said the move would result in long-term savings because prison costs are significantly less than civil commitments to the state's sex offender treatment program.
"Sex offenders continue to be a scourge to public safety across this country and in Minnesota. IN many cases they are individuals who we have a very difficult time trying to remediate or change behaviors. They are individuals who in my view need to be taken off the streets and locked up for as long as possible."
Pawlenty also announced a new Internet safety education program aimed at warning children about the dangers of online predators. State officials will distribute program materials to all public schools in the next two weeks.
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