A group of lawmakers in the state Assembly want to get tough on criminals who use computers to commit sex crimes against children.
Abbotsford Republican Representative Scott Suder is among those calling for a mandatory prison sentence for computer-related sex crimes involving a minor. "We're going to try to do what we did for Jessica's Law , for child molesters," says Suder. "If you're caught doing this and you're convicted, you go away for at least a minimum of five years."
Suder has joined Republicans Mark Honadel of South Milwaukee and Robin Vos of Caledonia in pushing for the measure. Suder says the measure would get tough on criminals. "It doesn't matter whether you're doing it through cyberspace or in person, if you're harming a child in this fashion, you are going to prison without parole," he says.
Suder, who also backed a law requiring lifetime tracking for the most serious sex offenders, says this measure should have more teeth than it does. "I would prefer 20 years, to be honest," he says. "But we decided we'd do five and be in line with other states." He rejects any claims that the law would be too tough. "I know we are going to have groups like the ACLU and nutball groups out there that are going to oppose it, and saying it's too tough on child molesters, but I don't care. We went through that with Jessica's Law and Project KidSafe, and those laws passed with wide bipartisan support."
AUDIO: Matt Lehman reports (:45 MP3)
