Statement from Governor Martin O'Malley on the Passage of Public Safety Legislation in House of Delegates

Statement

Statement from Governor Martin O'Malley on the Passage of Public Safety Legislation in House of Delegates

Governor Martin O'Malley issued this statement today following the unanimous passage of legislation mandating lifetime supervision sentences for sex offenders.

"I want to thank the members of the Maryland House of Delegates for unanimously passing important legislation to protect our children from dangerous sexual predators.

"Katie and I would do anything to protect our four children and I know that's a sentiment all Marylanders share about their own families. There is a lot we do better than we used to as a state with regard to public safety, and there is still a lot of work to be done."

The O'Malley-Brown Administration has been proud to stand with Maryland families to champion a number of public safety legislative initiatives, and has made equally important changes administratively. The Division of Parole and Probation has focused its attention on known violent and sexual offenders. All sex offenders are assigned to specially trained agents, required to be under the strictest probationary terms, and placed on GPS monitoring at intake. Violent offenders are placed in the Violence Prevention Initiative and, along with sex offenders, are strictly monitored for violations. Parole and Probation has been using GPS to monitor sex offenders under supervision since February of last year, and as of this month, 231 sex offenders and 1,300 total offenders have been placed on GPS monitoring.

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