The governor wants the state to get tougher on sex offenders, and punish people who use interactive technology -- like a webcam or phone camera -- to lure minors to show intimate body parts and engage in a sexual acts.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell today is proposing reforms dealing with the state’s sex offender registry, as well as laws against child-sex predators and criminals who engage in human trafficking.
“Those sick individuals who would traffic in the sexual exploitation of children and others will lose more than their freedom when they are convicted and put behind bars,” Rell said. “Just as we deal with drug traffickers, new laws will give the state the authority to seize any an all property they have amassed from their sinister enterprises.”
Connecticut law requires sex offenders to register based on a conviction for an offense and not an assessment of the risk.
The 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act created three classifications for sexual offenders: Tier I, Tier II and Tier III, and they are based on convictions. The third tier is the most severe and would include offenses such as aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping.
Rell also wants to give prosecutors tools to seize the property of individuals convicted of child exploitation and human trafficking, much as the assets of drug dealers are currently subject to forfeiture.
On Wednesday, Rell will present her budget recommendations and legislative proposals to the Legislature when it opens its session.
