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Sex offender Web site in limbo
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Posted on Sep 04 2008
The Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender unit is encountering some problems as it tries to set up a Web site listing the names and basic information of sex offenders living in the CNMI.
The Web site will be similar to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Sex Offender Public Web site, which lists the name, location, crime convicted for, and other basic information on sex offenders. Offenders are divided by state.
The CNMI Web site is ready to launch, but because of the very general laws in place in the Commonwealth, issues about the different levels of offenses are causing problems, said Officer Tricia Seman of the Sex Offender Registry.
“The biggest setback is our laws are very general,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m not going beyond what I can do.”
Unlike most states, the CNMI does not have a tiered system based on the sexual act committed. For example, level 1 might constitute a conviction for sexual harassment; level 2 fondling; and level 3, the most severe, might be someone who committed acts against a child, Seman said.
She said she has decided to categorize all offenders at level 3 because it’s safer for the community, but the Public Defender’s Office is taking issue with her decision because not all offenders have committed the same crime.
“Their argument is legit,” but her ultimate concern is the safety of the community, she said. The Public Defender’s Office would not comment.
Seman said she’s trying to work with the Attorney General’s Office so the law can be clarified and, ultimately, the Web site can go online.
