71 Sex Offenders Freed After Colorado Ruling
By Jeff Adler, Special to The Washington Post
Originally published in The Washington Post, July 26, 2001
Colorado released 71 sex offenders this week after a state Supreme Court ruling that overturned their imprisonment on parole violations.
The convicts, who include rapists and child molesters, were given $100 in cash and some clothes before being released yesterday and Tuesday. They must register as sex offenders in the communities where they plan to live within 72 hours of their release.
Last year the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the legislature enacted conflicting laws regarding parole for sex offenders, concluding that lawmakers never really created a system of mandatory parole for those who committed crimes between 1993 and 1998. The court freed parolees from further supervision and ordered the state to release anyone convicted of parole violations.
Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar contested the ruling, but the state high court voted 4 to 3 on Monday not to reconsider the issue.
"I am disappointed by the court's final ruling," Salazar said in a statement. "But the state must now abide by that decision."
As prisons began releasing convicts, officials contacted more than 250 parolees statewide this week with the news that their parole had been discontinued.
Heidi Hayes, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Corrections, said that the state will soon release more than 40 more sex offenders once a judge reviews their cases.
The mass release will bring back some of the emotional turmoil experienced by sexual assault victims, said Anpeytu Raben, executive director of Sexual Assault Survivors Inc., based in Greeley.
Raben added that without further supervision, the state will have difficulty safeguarding communities from repeat offenders.
"It's a real challenge to make sure that those offenders are registering and complying," Raben said. "Chances are we'll see them back in the system in a very short time."
Deputy Attorney General Ken Lane agreed that "registration in and of itself does not solve the issue of public safety." But he argued that it is an effective tool combined with vigilance by Colorado residents, who have access to local sex offender registries.
Under Colorado law, it is a felony for sex offenders not to register in their communities. Repeat sex offenders and those who do not comply with registration laws will see their names and photos posted on the Internet as a public safety measure, Salazar said in a news release.
Kenneth Hoover, a convicted child molester who was among the released convicts, told the Associated Press: "I went to the sheriff's office today and registered. I'm just going to try to hide out in my own little world."
