RECOMMENDATIONS
SEX OFFENDER POLICY BOARD
Wyoming sorely needs a board or committee to study sex offender crimes and data and make policy recommendations to state government. This task at one time was handled by the Governor’s Substance Abuse & Violent Crime Advisory Board which was disbanded by Governor Mead years ago.
SEX OFFENDER DATA COLLECTION
Law enforcement led by the Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) need to collaborate to collect data on sex offender crimes and reoffending. This information is critical in helping guide policy makers with the information they need to make informed decisions.
RISK BASED CLASSIFICATION LEVELS
Wyoming used to have judges look at the unique circumstances of each individual and their history to determine their risk to society. This thoughtful approach is needed to improve the current approach which is reckless and over classifies many offenders.
CREATE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OFFENSE
Currently, it is legal for police officers, judges and prosecutors to engage in sexual relationships with individuals they have power or control over. These individuals need to be held to the same standards as other professionals in the criminal justice system.
RISK BASED REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
At this time, all sex offenders have the same restrictions which is non-sensical. High risk offenders and those posing risks to children need additional rules and requirements while low risk offenders should have fewer.
DISCARD SORNA COMPLIANCE
Many states are not compliant with SORNA. Wyoming had a better system in place before the federal government passed SORNA. Wyoming should not allow the federal government to dictate policy. We can do it better. Wyoming should disregard SORNA and craft a better registry.
INCREASE PREVENTION & INTERVENTION EFFORTS
Most sexual assault victims are assaulted by someone they know, not a stranger. There should be increased efforts educating the public and encouraging the reporting of sex assaults.
CREATE FELONY INDECENT EXPOSURE OFFENSE
Wyoming does not have a felony indecent exposure offense to target pedophiles who expose themselves to children for sexual gratification. Pedophiles can exhibit this kind of behavior which needs to be dealt with more harshly to give that offender accoutability and treatment.