The Heat Is On: State's Sex Offender Laws

Gov. Jim Douglas has asked the Corrections Department to look at whether any changes need to be made to the state’s nationally recognized sex offender treatment program. He said he also plans to renew the push for two bills related to sex offenders that failed in the Legislaturepreviously.

 

The calls come in response to last week’s arrest of Brooke’s uncle, Michael Jacques, 42, of Randolph, a convicted sex offender. Jacques had gone through the sex offender treatment program after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping in 1993.

“I think it’s incumbent upon us, given this tragedy, to step back and see what we can learn from this,” Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said Monday.

 

While the focus will be on the sex offender treatment, Hofmann said the review of the case will also look at how the department handled the termination of Jacques’ probation. At Jacques’ request, a judge terminated his probation in 2006, citing the probation officer’s comments that Jacques had been a “probation success story.” Hofmann said it appears the officer was indicating that Jacques had complied with the conditions of his probation, but that the department officially opposed termination of his probation because of the severity of the crime.

Douglas said he will also make a new push for a civil confinement law that would allow the state to keep untreated sex offenders locked up beyond their sentences and for changes to the state’s sex offender registry to make more information accessible to the public.