Community | September 09, 2010 | 25 comments

Chelsea's Law Becomes Official on Thursday

source: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/08/gov-schwarzenegger-to-sign-chelseas-law-on-wednesday/?h...

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EthicalVegan

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/08/gov-schwarzenegger-to-sign-chels...

September 8th, 2010
10:00 PM ET

Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign 'Chelsea's Law' on Thursday

The parents of a California teen who was raped and murdered by a sex offender this year will join Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday as he signs into law a bill that increases penalties for certain sex offenses.

Named after 17-year-old Chelsea King, "Chelsea's Law" increases penalties for forcible sex acts against minors and mandates lifetime parole for certain sex offenders.

Schwarzenegger will be joined by the teen's parents, Brent and Kelly King, and the bill's sponsor, Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, as he signs it into law at Balboa Park in San Diego, California at 9:45 a.m. PT. The event will be webcast live at www.gov.ca.gov.

"Chelsea's Law" has an urgency clause attached to it that means it will take effect as soon as it is signed.

Read more about "Chelsea's Law" on CNN.com

The bill creates a penalty of life without the possibility of parole for forcible sex crimes against minors that include aggravating factors, such as the victim's age or whether the victim was bound or drugged.

"Chelsea's Law" also sets criteria for assessing the risk of recidivism and, based on that risk, placing certain paroled sex offenders under greater supervision.

Registered sex offender John Gardner III has admitted to killing King and 14-year-old Amber Dubois. He was sentenced in April to three consecutive terms of life without parole for the murders and an attack on a jogger in a plea deal that spared him the death penalty.

Dubois' father is behind three assembly bills concerning law enforcement response to missing children. They are also awaiting Schwarzenegger's signature.
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25 comments // Chelsea's Law Becomes Official on Thursday

  • toyotabedzrock
  • RojoGatto
  • dariusvons
  • chuygarsia2
    • -2
      chuygarsia2  
    • dariusvons:

      Yeah, that's always good, prosecuting persons for their mental differences. I think we see that in drug addicts. it's not gonna work. Fear does not stop persons with ANY type of paraphilias from pursuing that paraphilia.

    • 2 years ago
  • toyotabedzrock
    • +1
      toyotabedzrock  
    • dariusvons:

      Chemical castration was used on the father of modern computing and encryption, Alan Turing, who also made helped enormously during WWII by cracking Nazi encryption.

      He later committed suicide.

    • 2 years ago
  • dariusvons
    • 0
      dariusvons  
    • chuygarsia2:

      who said anything about fear?

      I'm not of the school of thought that says people don't harm others out of fear of retrobution or concequences, rather most "normal" people simply do not harm others (intentionally). so then crime is a problem of deviance and NOT one of deterance.

      terrorism is defined as the use of fear or terror to influence the behavior of others, therefore thinking that manditory minimums some how deter crime (through the fear of the manditory sentence) and enforcing such laws is in FACT a form of terrorism in itself, because that idea relies on the fear of punnishment.

      hence the problem of deviance. those who murder, rape, steal... generally do so regardless of the laws and punishments assosiated with the crime. in the case of rape and general sexual deviance castration has been shown to deter future offenses, but not as a deturance to "would be" rapists, rather it prevents the ability of further rapes by known rapists, in addition sex offenders who do get casterated (removal of testies) rarely repeat their offense due suposedly to a lack of testosterone.

    • 2 years ago
  • dariusvons
  • Sarah_Honea
    • -1
      Sarah_Honea  

    • I am Going outside GROUPTHINK here and seeing this law as not a good Idea. Like mandatory minimums, the law will inevitably be used on other kinds of offenders of the law...Like Tasers used on elderly and Pregnant Women. What happened to the Judge making the sole descision on sentencing and parole parameters for a Perp. Wait they practically dont have it anymore Just a Rubber Stamp called a 'gavel'

      I think there heart is in the right place in making sure these sick sick individuals never re offend. But I bet you its going to make it worse. Like the Three Strikes Law, and Mandatory Minimums, and busting People for Cannabis..this ones is going to be a dud, and leave a lot of broken lives behind in its wake.

    • 2 years ago
  • budmayne
    • -1
      budmayne  

    • An eye for an eye... after the age of 21 wouldn't make the whole world blind.
      Does anyone realize how much it costs to keep someone locked up for life?
      The budmayne euthanasia program...

    • 2 years ago
  • CalPal
  • budmayne
  • ThresholdBroken
  • EthicalVegan
    • -1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image

    • http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/09/09/gov-schwarzenegger-signs-chelseas-law/

      Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs ‘Chelsea’s Law’

      September 9, 2010 11:20 AM

      Chelsea_King

      SAN DIEGO (AP) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that will lock up some convicted sex offenders for life.

      Chelsea’s Law” is named for 17-year-old Chelsea King, who was murdered in San Diego in February. A convicted child molester was sentenced to life in prison without parole less than three months later for killing King and 14-year-old Amber Dubois.

      Schwarzenegger signed the bill Thursday at San Diego’s Balboa Park alongside Chelsea’s parents, Brent and Kelly King, and the sponsor, Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher of San Diego.

    • 2 years ago
  • EthicalVegan
    • -1
      EthicalVegan  
    • Image
    • EthicalVegan:

      http://www.nbclosangeles.com/blogs/prop-zero/Governor-to-Sign-Chelseas-Law-10253...

      Governor Signs Chelsea's Law

      Governor Signs Chelsea's Law

      Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined former Poway residents Brent and Kelly King in San Diego Thursday to sign legislation named for murdered teenager Chelsea King.

      AB 1844 was named for 17-year-old Chelsea King, the Poway High cross-country runner and band musician who was raped and strangled in late February by 31-year-old John Albert Gardner III, a paroled sex offender. Gardner pleaded guilty to King's murder and the February 2009 murder of 14-year-old Amber DuBois of Escondido.

      The bill passed by California lawmakers in August increases sentences for sex crimes when the victim is under 14 years old and more than seven years younger than the attacker.

      Felony sex crimes in which the victim is under 14 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for life without the possibility of parole if the offender is 18 years of age or older. When the offender is under 18, the sentence will be 25 years to life.

      Under current law, a registered sex offender will be charged with a misdemeanor if he/she enters any school building or school grounds without written permission. Chelsea’s Law would include parks where children regularly gather as an area off-limits to registered sex offenders.

      The bill also requires lifetime parole for habitual sex offenders, persons convicted of kidnapping a child under 14 years of
      age with the intent to commit a specified sexual offense, and persons convicted of other specified sex crimes, including, among others, aggravated sexual assault of a child.

      The bill's author, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (R-75th District) teamed up with "Chelsea's Light" -- a nonprofit foundation created by King's parents, Brent and Kelly -- to sponsor a petition drive seeking at least 20,000 signatures in support of Chelsea's Law. His office was overwhelmed with an outpouring of support from people all across the state.

      Concerns about its potential costs, along with criticism that it emphasizes punishment over treatment and rehabilitation, have been raised by groups such as the California Coaltion Against Sexual Assault, American Civil Liberties Union and California Public Defenders Association.

      BY PropZero Staff

    • 2 years ago
  • MyronKeith
  • Dmerza1989
    • +1
      Dmerza1989  

    • I think we should just yell "CHILD SEX OFFENDER COMING THROUGH" on their first day, and let the prisoners take it from there.
      Also, Glad to see the law passed and all states should follow along and enact "Chelsea's Law" .

    • 2 years ago
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  

    • Obviously the law comes far too late for far too many women. But if this law keeps these bastards out of society longer, I am glad to see that it has been signed into law. I just hope that California's overcrowded prisons can keep them locked up.

    • 2 years ago
  • fun_size
    • -1
      fun_size  

    • Im glad to see this passed. Rape is one of the most heinous of all crimes... though the physical scars may heal the mental scars rarely do.

    • 2 years ago
  • Sparky2U
    • +1
      Sparky2U  

    • They better keep John Gardner III in solitary for the rest of his life. I am disappointed he was given a Plea Deal ! He should be executed.

    • 2 years ago
  • street_smart
  • MizPiz
  • littlwarrior
  • JanforGore
  • cclark_productions
  • CalgarC

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