New law to thin out groups of sex offenders

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Robert LeCompte Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>New law to thin out groups of sex offenders</h1>
                <h2><p>Since 2012, 41 sex offenders have been released from Washington's Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. According to a study by The News Tribune, 15 of those sex offenders were released to and settled in, Pierce County. Not a single one of them came from Pierce County.  A</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/robert-lecompte-crosscut-com/">Robert LeCompte</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Since 2012, 41 sex offenders have been released from Washington's Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. According to a study by <a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/08/23/3341907_many-sex-offenders-stay-in-pierce.html?rh=1&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">The News Tribune</a>, 15 of those sex offenders were released to and settled in, Pierce County. Not a single one of them came from Pierce County.  A law signed by Governor Inslee yesterday, House Bill 1059, hopes to put an end to this grouping of sex offenders in any one specific area. The bill, reports <a href="http://www.theolympian.com/2015/05/18/3733061_washington-law-aims-to-avoid-clustering.html?rh=1&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">The Olympian</a>, will encourage courts to release sexually violent prisoners to the county in which they were detained. HB 1059 will also require more rigorous evaluations and treatment before they can be allowed to rejoin society. The new law will go into effect this July.</p>
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Since 2012, 41 sex offenders have been released from Washington's Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. According to a study by The News Tribune, 15 of those sex offenders were released to and settled in, Pierce County. Not a single one of them came from Pierce County. A law signed by Governor Inslee yesterday, House Bill 1059, hopes to put an end to this grouping of sex offenders in any one specific area. The bill, reports The Olympian, will encourage courts to release sexually violent prisoners to the county in which they were detained. HB 1059 will also require more rigorous evaluations and treatment before they can be allowed to rejoin society. The new law will go into effect this July.

By Robert LeCompte

Robert LeCompte is an editorial intern at Crosscut. He studies communications and film at The Evergreen State College where he recently transferred from Maryland. When not working, he can usually be f