NEW YORK STATE SENATE OFFICE OF SENATOR MICHAEL GIANARIS For Immediate Release March 2, 2012 Contact: Anna

Adams-Sarthou 718-728-0960 sarthou@nysenate.gov

SENATOR GIANARIS CRACKS DOWN ON REPEAT SEX OFFENDERS Queens, NY Continuing his efforts to combat sexual abuse, legislation that enhances safety from repeat sex offenders, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Michael Gianaris, has passed that chamber. This legislation closes a loophole in the current law so that individuals who commit persistent sexual abuse crimes are held fully responsible for their actions. Bill S.6129, co-authored by Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, would exclude time spent in prison from the ten-year period in which the actions of a sex offender would be deemed persistent sexual abuse. Repeat sex offenders must be punished to the fullest extent of the law, Senator Gianaris said. By specifically directing the exclusion of any time during which a person was incarcerated from the ten year look back period, this bill would more effectively hold the offender accountable under the law." The crime of persistent sexual abuse is intended to impose harsher penalties on criminals who commit certain sex crimes on multiple occasions during a ten-year period. Under current law, that ten-year period may include time during which the offender is incarcerated and unable to commit any crime. By discounting periods of incarceration, this bill would allow law enforcement to more fully comprehend the criminality of any sex offender. "This bill is intended to prevent sex offenders who repeatedly target women and children from finding leniency in legal loopholes, Assemblymember Simotas said. The legislation's passage in the Senate is an important first step towards ensuring that individuals who commit persistent sexual abuse face the full consequences of their crimes." This legislation has not yet gone to the Assembly floor for a vote. If passed in that chamber, it will be sent to the Governor for signing.

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