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A NEW AGENDA FOR OUR CHILDREN'S SAFETYBy Mark Green, Wisconsin State Representative
We've all heard the sad stories. They're on television, in the paper, and - for the most unfortunate of us - wntten on the faces of our family members or friends. Tragically, every community in America has its own Polly Klaas, and too many have more than one. Here in Northeast Wisconsin, we have Cora Jones. Cora was a wonderful I2-year-old girl who went out for a bike ride on a country road and never came back. Her murderer was an individual named David Spanbauer, who, prior to taking Cora's life, had been in and out of prison for numerous sex offenses. If you're thinking that David Spanbauer sounds a lot like Polly's killer, Richard Allen Davis, you're right. Not only does every community have a Polly or a Cora, but unfortunately, it may have a Davis or a Spanbauer as well. What can be done to protect our children? First, there are countless precautionary habits we can adopt and teach to our children which promote safety. The Klaas Foundation for Children has compiled an excellent Child Identification Package full of tips and ideas on how to keep our kids out of harm's way (see the accompanying article on talking to your kids about safety). Neighborhood Watch organizations are also great. They promote community involvement and get everyone in the habit of watching out for their neighbors' best interests. Of course, these actions alone cannot guarantee the prevention of the next Polly or the next Cora. There is only one sure way to do that - we must change our laws to keep monsters like Richard Alien Davis and David Spanbauer off the street and away from our children. The Klaas Agenda Initiatives With that in mind, I recently worked with Marc Klaas to formulate a Klaas Agenda for Wisconsin. This agenda consists of four initiatives which are applicable to any state. Two Strikes for Child Molesters: Any criminal convicted twice for violent sexual offenses against a child will be sentenced to prison for life without the possibility of parole
Lifetime Monitoring of Sexual Offenders: This measure gives judges the option to sentence most sex offenders to some kind of state monitoring for the rest of their lives. We want to send a clear message to these criminals - we are watching and you had better not slip up. Death Penalty for Child Murders: if you intentionally take the life of a child, you deserve to die. It is as simple as that. Each of these proposals have at their core one simple objective: keeping criminals away from our children. Both Richard Alien Davis and David Spanbauer had previously committed crimes which should have had them serving time instead of out committing murders. In other words, Polly and Cora's deaths could have been prevented. Green Bay Effort Rallies Support
With the help of local businessman Jim Prast, Marc Klaas was able to come to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and help us announce this agenda. We dedicated our work to the memory of his daughter and the thousands of other victims like Polly and Cora. The response has been overwhelming. I have received a great deal of support from colleagues in the legislature and numerous citizens who want to help me pass this agenda into law. Our legal system has evolved to the point where it values the rights of the criminal over the rights of the victim. It was not supposed to be this way, and we need to change it back. The Klaas Agenda is a good start. In the constant struggle of good versus evil in our society today, it seems that evil is too often the victor. Marc Klaas taught me that. He also taught me that the good guys are fed up, and it's time we fought back. We can do that by forming Neighborhood Watch groups, working with the Klaas Foundation for Children to fingerprint and photo-ID the kids in your community, and teaching our own kids to stay away from strangers. However, we mustn't forget that the most effective way to keep our kids safe is to keep criminals off the street, and our laws need to reflect that goal.
What You Can Do While in Green Bay, a reporter asked Marc Klaas a question I myself wondered, "Why you?" I will never forget Marc's response or the stern look on his face when he said, "They picked on the wrong guy this time." We all should have that fire in our belly - your daughter or son could be the next Polly. I encourage you to contact your local legislator and find I out what the laws are in your state. Then, ask them to introduce the points of this agenda which are not already in the law. If they have questions, have them contact me by phone at 608/261-9474 or by writing to the Office of State Representative Mark Green, P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI, 53708-8952. I will gladly send them a copy of these proposals. Let's Change the Constitution: A Victim's Rights Amendment, Winter 1997, Vol. 3, No. 1 Sex Offender Public Notification: California's Bold Step, Winter 1997, Vol. 3, No. 1 |
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Children's Privacy
Protection: This legislation will prohibit the sale
of personal information about children without parental
consent. It also empowers parents to request from list
brokers the source of their information and the entities
which request data on their child. Amazingly, nearly
anyone can now call a list broker and obtain personal
information about our children - where they live, their
names, gender, etc. This is unacceptable. 
In preparation for Marc Klaas'
visit to Green Bay, I had my office search the Internet
for old press clippings on the Polly Klaas story. I have
to admit that I had trouble reading through the articles.
I was disturbed by the saga of Polly's abduction and
murder, I was angered by Richard Alien Davis' callous
actions and hateful attitude toward Marc. However, with
all due respect, those facts, as horrible as they are,
were not my biggest concern. I have three children. I now
know that any one of them could be the next Polly or the
next Cora. That scares me, and as a legislator I intend
to make it my mission to keep the next Davis or the next
Spanbauer away from my children and yours. 