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Posts tagged "Jaycee Lee Dugard"

CA Dept. of Justice Says it Failed in Monitoring Paroled Sex Offender

State lawmakers early this monthy voted to pay Jaycee Lee Dugard and her family a $20-million settlement for the state's failure to rescue Dugard earlier than the 18 years she was held captive by a paroled sex offender. California's Department of Justice prepared a report for lawmakers with legal analysis of the case prior to the vote. The report concluded that the California Department of Corrections and Rebabilitation and parole agents did meet Dugard on a supervised visit with her captor and could have rescued her, but failed to identify her.

Dugard was kidnapped by Phillip Garrido in 1991 while she walked to school. Garrido kept her for 18 years in a shack in the back of his ramshackle compound outside of Oakland. Dugard was raped repeatedly and gave birth to two daughters, now 12 and 15. Dugard, now 30, and her daughters were all denied access to school and medical services. Garrido was eventually arrested after a UC Berkeley police officer became suspicious when he saw Garrido with the two young girls passing out religious fliers on campus and called police.

California to Increase Monitoring of Paroled Sex Offenders

Last week, California parole officials announced there will be increased monitoring of sex offenders on parole. The new policies came in response to criticism over the handling of the parole of John Albert Gardner III, the man suspected of raping and killing Poway teen Chelsea King. Gardner was not sent back to jail despite several parole violations. Parole officials were also criticized for missing clues that could have led them to Jaycee Lee Dugard sooner than the 18 years it took for her to be discovered living in convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido's backyard.

In a time when CA is suffering budget crises and the state correctional systems are strapped for cash, it will be difficult to implement more monitoring programs. San Diego Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has been working with Chelsea King's family to develop legislation aimed at preventing convicted sex offenders from reoffending. Fletcher believes CA has the money for the increased incarceration and monitoring. He believes it is more an issue of having the right priorities and initiative to appropriately funnel the money.

A recent story by The Los Angeles Times, Another girl's death, another law, questions whether these laws, which came out of understandably emotional reactions to tragic situations, require a more practical look at whether the cost of implementing them has led to results.

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