Bonacic: Senate, Assembly & Governor Agree On Civil Confinement Measure

John J. Bonacic

February 26, 2007

State Senator John J. Bonacic (R/I/C - Mount Hope) announced today that the Senate, Assembly, and Governor have agreed to enact legislation to keep repeat sex offenders out of our communities and away from our children.

Senator Bonacic stated, "The safety of our children and families is paramount. We need to protect ourselves, and the offenders need to obtain the treatment they need."

Provisions of the agreement include:

Enacting through state law, a process to civilly confine sex offenders after their sentence
is complete;

Subjecting persons currently on parole to a civil confinement proceeding if terms of
parole are violated;

Increasing the minimum periods of post release supervision, and providing longer
maximum periods of post release supervision of up to 20 years for sex offenses;

Elevating certain sex offenses that are currently designated as "nonviolent" to violent
felonies;

Requiring treatment for sex offenders while incarcerated, and well as during confinement.

"Statistics prove that recidivism rates for persons who commit sexually violent offenses are extraordinarily high. I support this measure as it will protect our children and families from sex offenders who are most likely to repeat acts of sexual violence," concluded Senator Bonacic.