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Should Teenage Sex Offenders Register with Tennessee-Cindy Carter
Should teenage sex offenders have to register with the state, just like adults?
Right now, teens convicted of serious sex crimes can remain anonymous and that worries many parents.
A parent has no way of knowing if their teenager's classmate is also a convicted sex offender.
That lack of information could be more than just dangerous-it could be expensive for Tennessee.
The state could lose thousands of dollars in federal funds if the laws aren't changed.
Christine Dunlap keeps tabs on her kids while they're outside playing.
One reason for Christine's watchfulness: she knows there are a few registered sex offenders living in her Inglewood neighborhood.
Dunlap says, "Should I let my kids go out and play? Should I let my son, Caden here ride his bike. It's a very scary thought and I don't feel very comfortable."
But what about children Caden or other kids in the community are playing with?
Some of them could also be convicted sex offenders.
But Christine has no way of knowing that because, unlike adults, juvenile offenders don't have to register with local law enforcement.
TBI spokesperson Kristin Helm says, "It's a pretty controversial subject as for as all juvenile records are concerned."
Helm says Tennessee's law enforcement agencies are pushing for state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring juveniles ages 14 and older convicted of serious sex crimes to register as sex offenders.
Helm says, "It's rape and some of the serious, serious crime they're convicted of."
Helm says the 2006 federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act requires all states to toughen their sex offender registry standards, and Tennessee has done that.
Helms says this Juvenile registry legislation is the last to pass.
One reason state lawmakers have for having juvenile sex offenders register in our neighborhoods is money.
State law enforcement agencies will loose a whopping 10% of their federal grant money if Tennessee doesn't comply with the new standard."
Not everyone thinks it's a good idea.
Families for Fairness in Knoxville says on their website they don't believe sex offender registries do much good, and could ruin a young person's life.
But Christine Dunlap says she wants to know who her children are playing with.
Dunlap says, "Everyone should know and be aware because we all have to protect our kids."
Tennessee lawmakers will deal with this legislation during their next session.
They have until July 2009 to pass it or funding gets cut.
The State could apply for an extension which, if approved, would push that deadline to 2011.
Should Teenage Sex Offenders Register with Tennessee-Cindy Carter
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