AUGUSTA (AP) – A commission that studied Maine’s sex offender laws says judges should be allowed to impose harsher sentences on those who commit sex crimes against children younger than 12.

The 17-member Commission to Improve Community Safety and Sex Offender Accountability also called for more funding for prevention education, and a sex offender notification system that is uniform across the state.

The commission suggested the creation of a committee to write a model public notification policy that would be followed by all of Maine’s law enforcement agencies. As it is now, notification practices vary by town.

Skowhegan Police Chief Butch Asselin said the notification system is a key part of the report. “I just feel it behooves us as chiefs to play an active role in that,” he said.

Asselin agreed with the commission’s recommendation to change the labels given to sex offenders. The commission recommended that “sexually violent predators” be called “lifetime registrants,” and “sex offenders” be called “10-year registrants.”

The term sexually violent predator “sends fear though the neighborhood,” he said.

The commission recommended allowing judges to sentence those convicted of sex crimes on a person under 12 to more than 20 years in jail and to longer probation periods. The report also recommends providing more treatment for incarcerated sex offenders and counseling before they are released.

Donna Strickler, executive director of the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center in Augusta, said state funding for sexual-assault services has been cut sharply in recent years.

“Clearly that’s an issue for us in terms of proper prevention education,” she said.

AP-ES-02-07-04 1223EST

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