Kolb, Assembly Minority Call For Civil Confinement – Again

Petition Drive Nets Over 15,000 Signatures

September 22, 2005

Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) and his Assembly minority colleagues gathered in Albany today to announce that, since May 2005, more than 15,000 signatures have been collected from New Yorkers on their petition drive to pass civil confinement legislation.

“In what is just a short amount of time, my colleagues and I have been able to collect 15,000 signatures. This number is just preliminary, but is truly the will of New York residents. I am hopeful this public mandate will force the Assembly majority into taking action on civil confinement legislation,” Kolb commented.

Civil confinement would allow courts to order the worst sex offenders held in secure mental health facilities beyond their prison release dates if, upon extensive evaluation and a unanimous jury verdict, it is determined they could strike again. Under current law, sexually violent predators are released into communities once their sentences are finished despite the strong possibility they will claim more victims.

Also included on the Assembly minority petitions are proposals to strengthen New York’s Megan’s Law by tracking known sex offenders’ whereabouts, prohibiting them from living near schools and school grounds, providing more information about sexual predators to communities and requiring lifetime registration of offenders on the state Sex Offender Registry.

Kolb concluded, “Protecting our children and women is a top priority for the Assembly minority conference. I, personally, will do everything in my power to ensure passage of this important legislation. Too many children and families have been destroyed to continue turning a blind eye to this recurring problem.”

For more information on the petition drive, the Assembly minority plan to protect women and children, or how to help pass civil confinement legislation, contact Assemblyman Kolb’s district office at (315) 781-2030 or via e-mail at kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us.

What's New