In the mid-1990s, Americans were shocked by several high-profile child victim sex offenses. In New Jersey, the abduction, rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka by a paroled sex offender who lived across the street horrified the state and spurred action by elected officials and state agencies. In less than four months (warp speed for legislative processes), a package of…
Tag: lifetime supervision
SJC ends lifetime parole supervision
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled Wednesday that it is unconstitutional for sex offenders who have completed their sentences to be subject to lifetime supervision by the state’s Parole Board, declaring that only judges have the authority to order additional jail time for criminal violations. The 6-1 decision ordered an end to the state Parole Board’s oversight of an estimated…