Editorial: Tracking sex offenders necessary

Thursday, Nov. 6, 1997 | 9:52 a.m.

THE headline was a bit unsettling: "County's convicted sex offender count close to 3,000."

The figure includes recent parolees as well as those whose convictions date back 10 to 20 years. Officials concede the number could be less because some offenders may have moved out of the area without notifying the state. Conversely, the number could be larger because offenders may have moved into the state without registering with law enforcement agencies.

Two years ago, the Nevada Legislature required that local law enforcement, as well as the public in certain instances, be notified when a sex offender is paroled from prison into their areas.

This past Legislature approved a new, tougher version of the federal Megan's law, requiring sex offenders living in Nevada to undergo an assessment to determine if they are a risk to the community.

The state Advisory Council on Community Notification of Sex Offenders met this week to discuss how the assessments and notifications can be implemented. Another meeting is scheduled within the next two months.

Parole, prison and mental health professionals would team up to assess the offender and rate his chances of repeating the crime. There would be three classifications: low, moderate and high risk. The range of notification would depend on the classification. In the cases of low-risk individuals, only the law enforcement agency where the offender is living and working would be contacted.

As the risk factor increases, so would the range of people and agencies to be notified, which would include school districts, camps, day care centers and youth organizations, and, in the cases of high risks, people in the neighborhood where the offender lives.

To our knowledge, the cost of such assessments has not been fully calculated. Although the law says all sex offenders living in Nevada should undergo an assessment, the price tag could be a factor in determining who actually will be assessed in the beginning. Should only newly released prisoners be evaluated? Should an offender released from prison several years ago and who has not run afoul of the law since then be evaluated now?

The public should support the strong notification law and assessment program.

They not only may be a deterrent to repeat crimes, they may serve as a warning to sex offenders wanting to relocate to Nevada: Stay out.