Bill to Create Murderer Registry Is In Quinn's Hands

Photo by Flickr user cgmethven.
A bill requiring convicted murderers to publicly register with the state is in Governor Pat Quinn's hands now. “Andrea's Law” would require those convicted of first-degree murder to appear on a registry similar to that of sex offenders or arsonists. The bill passed the House in April with a 97 to 1 vote and the Senate in May with a unanimous vote.

But who does this measure benefit? Would a registry reduce repeat crimes, or is this just a way to give victims' families peace of mind? The Trib writes:

Compared with robbers, burglars and those convicted of drug-related crimes, sex offenders and murderers have some of the lowest re-offense rates in the country, according to U.S. Department of Justice statistics. Only 1.2 percent of people who had served time for homicide were rearrested for another homicide within three years of release, the agency found.

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) cast the sole dissenting vote against the measure. She argued that such a registry could create another stigma for convicted murderers, making it more difficult for them to reintegrate into society. She told the Trib the measure "is giving people a false sense of security."

Convicted felons already have to disclose their offenses to employers. Issac Denson, a convicted murderer, told the Trib, "people will just see me as a murderer, not a citizen."

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By Samantha Abernethy in News on June 30, 2011 9:55 AM

Comments [rss]

BlueFairlane

I would support this if it included a measure to tattoo a big red "M" on their foreheads.

Navin_Johnson

Indeed, it'd be funny to turn on the tv and see our president and a bunch of other important folks with M's on their heads as well.

snoopoz

I feel like this benefits nobody. All it will do is lead to the harassment of people who committed a crime, and paid their due to society.

slickpoetry

Once you've killed a person, you can never really fully "pay your due to society" in my eyes.

twocee

If that's the case, then never let them out of prison.

I know we're at heart a hypocritical society on any number of issues, but the way we deal with crime and punishment is one of the most hypocritical I can think of.

We tell ourselves that we send people to jail with the hope that while in jail they will reform enough to be reintegrated into society. We spout platitudes about how people can "do their time" and then, if they are a "model prisoner," they will be given a chance to be a productive citizen again.

Bullshit.

We create laws that make it nearly impossible for a criminal, including small-time criminals to get jobs. We create mandatory "lists" so that Jane Smith who is afraid of the boogieman can make sure she's not living next to a felon. We deny people basic rights after they get out of jail even though they have done their time and "repaid their debt to society."

If we as a society feel like we have to track these felons for the rest of their natural lives via a public list, if we feel like their record has to be available for all eternity for background checks then why don't we just call a spade a spade, admit that we don't think these people ever can or deserve to be part of "normal" society again, and keep them in jail.

snoopoz

Well, you're right. But I don't think we should put someone in jail, then let him out after 30 years, and then make a law enabling anyone with a computer and a think-of-the-children or NIMBY mentality know where that person lives. Because now that former murderer is going to be subject to a great deal of harassment, and is going to have a significantly reduced chance of becoming a productive member of society, which, I think, is supposed to be the goal of putting people in jail. I'm not saying we should treat murderers like non-murderers, but all a registry is going to do is whip up a frenzy and create an even larger burden on society.