Sex Offenders stir Songer as Juveniles time on registry reduced in Washington
Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer. Photo Credit: Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office
By Ken Park
Goldendale, Ore., Jan. 12, 2024 — An amended law in Washington State reducing registration of sex offenders who committed their crimes as juveniles has Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer concerned.
He said there were currently 10 sex offenders in the county who are slated to come off the registry.
In a statement published on Klickitat County Sheriff’s Facebook page on Jan. 10, Songer claimed that this change will make it difficult for law enforcement to keep track of sex offenders.
“When offenders are not required to register, the Sheriff’s office will have no idea where these offenders are living or working within the county,” Songer said.
The debate over sex offender registration and its ability to punish an offender far beyond a prison term has loomed since its inception in both Washington and Oregon some 33 years ago. Agree with it or not, sex offenders are barred from many jobs, and housing. Juvenile sex offenders can be targeted for violence or crime after they’ve completed their sentence as their information is accessible via the Internet.
Nationally, there are sex offender websites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and some territories, According to the US Department of Justice.
Washington State lawmakers who voted in favor of the Bill contend that the old law was doing more harm than good when it came to offenders who committed their crimes as juveniles.
Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island)
“It (HB 1394) aims to try and break the cycle of sex abuse,” said Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island) in a stateofreform.com story in May 2023. “We are increasing the use of therapy to ensure more of the youth sex offenders get therapy and less sex registration. Sex registration leads to kids being homeless, being sex-trafficked themselves, and it’s not healthy for anybody. They were just being punished and had no therapy. This keeps families whole and breaks the cycle of sex abuse. A significant number of sex abusers were abused themselves.”
Researchers say sex offender registration and notification laws can be counterproductive for public safety by keeping registrants on the streets, according to a June Story in InvestigateWest.
What HB 1394 Does
The law, which passed the Washington State Legislature in April 2023, reduces the number of sex offenses committed by juveniles that require registration and reduces the amount of time minors convicted of Level 3 and Level 2 sex offenses must register.
A level 3 or high-risk offender's requirement to register as a sex offender is reduced from being listed indefinitely to three years after release from a confinement/treatment facility. A level 2 or moderate-risk offender’s requirement decreased from 10 to 2 years.
Sex offenders in Washington State must register with the county and sheriff’s office where they live and work, allowing law enforcement to keep track of them.
Treated as Adults
Before the new law, minors convicted of sex offenses were treated as adults and required to register as sex offenders for the same amount of time in Washington.
Level 3 adult offenders are on the sex offender list indefinitely, level 2 adult offenders for 15 years, and level 1 or low-risk adult offenders for 10 years.
Ideas behind New Law
HB 1394 was sponsored by Representatives Tana Senn ( D-Mercer Island), Rodger Goodman (D-Kirkland) Tarra Simmons (D-Bremerton), Debra Lekanoff (D-Whatcom) and Beth Doglio (D- Olympia).
“The legislature declares that the response to sex offenses committed by youth should be developmentally appropriate and driven by research,” reads the language from HB 1394.
Legislators heard from researchers at Johns Hopkins University and multiple other academic institutions that found that treatment for minors convicted of sexual offenses would be better for public safety than registration and notification policies in place.
Legislators specifically made notes that when juvenile sexual offenders are required to register as such they often have increased struggles with their mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
Additionally, it increased their chances of being targets of sexual abuse by adults.
Legislators also noted that adults convicted of sex offenses as minors can petition to be removed from the sex offender list, but most never do because of time and financial constraints.
“The legal process is overly cumbersome, expensive, and challenging to the point that many never request removal and remain on the registry their entire lives,” reads legislative documents.
Songer Disagrees
Sheriff Songer, a self-defined constitutional sheriff, disagrees with the majority of Washington lawmakers.
Votes on Final Passage of HB 1394 : House: 60 to 38; Senate: 28 to 21
“In my 54 years of law enforcement, I have encountered numerous violent juvenile sex offenders. It is my opinion that the release of these juvenile offenders (from registering) is a viable and real safety concern for the community,” Songer said. “Once an offender is no longer required to register with law enforcement due to HB1394, the children and adults will be at risk of being victimized by these offenders.”
There are currently 85 sex offenders living and working in Klickitat County, Songer said. 10 of the 85 would qualify for reduced time under HB 1394 and of those 10, five are level 2 sex offenders, four are level 1 and one is level 3, he said.
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