AG Works on Guidelines for Sex-Offender Notices

Tuesday, May 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

A 1995 law gave the job to the attorney general to write the procedures to be used in assessing whether a sex offender is likely to repeat such crimes and how much of a risk that person will be when released from prison.

If the risk is low, only law enforcement agencies are notified. If the risk is moderate, schools, religious and youth groups must get notice. If the risk is high, notice must go to people in the neighborhood where the sex offender will live.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said guidelines in New Jersey and Washington were declared unconstitutional, and she is having staffers conduct more research "to try to avoid similar challenges in Nevada."

Del Papa also said she contacted the national Association of Attorneys General and other jurisdictions to get some advice on how to proceed.

A seven-member advisory council for community notification has been appointed and its first meeting is June 14.

Raggio had asked Del Papa for a status report on the 1995 law, which was aimed at enhancing penalties for sexual deviants and keeping the public advised if a person who's a known threat is paroled to the area.

A furor erupted in 1994 when a sex offender was released into a small community in Douglas County without notification of neighbors.

The new law also said a person found guilty of certain sexual offenses must have lifetime supervision after release from prison or probation.

Del Papa also said her office has made it a top priority to comply with a federal law that requires the registration of sex offenders and those who commit crimes against children.

The law must be implemented by September 1997 or the state could lose up to 10 percent of federal crime-fighting funds.