State mulls expansion of criminal registries Web site listing convicted drug dealers possible

AUGUSTA – While most states, including Maine, have online sex offender registries to alert the public to convicted pedophiles and potential predators living in their communities, some have expanded their lists to include convicted drug dealers.

Maine officials are interested in possibly expanding the registry concept to other criminal offenders here, but there are concerns.

“Drug dealers and sex offenders – I think those people have an impact on our kids and our livelihoods and our families, and that warrants a closer look,” Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, said recently. He is co-chair of the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee, which this summer is reviewing Maine’s sex offender registry law. The content of the registry and the need for one were questioned after a Canadian man apparently used the online service to track down and kill two sex offenders in their homes in April.

“We have to keep in mind the reason for the sex offender registry and any other registry, and that is to protect the public,” Diamond said. “If there is a [methamphetamine manufacturer] in the neighborhood, perhaps we should know that, but we have to be careful and not have 10 different registries out there.”

Evert Fowle, president of the Maine Prosecutors Association and district attorney in Kennebec and Somerset counties, said while the state should consider what some other states have done, he is not sure whether registries will work for every offense.

“Not every serious crime is going to have as a panacea an offender registry,” he said, “but it is something we should look at and look at what other states are doing.”

Tennessee was the first state to create a public Web site registry for convicted methamphetamine makers. It now has more than 400 convicted offenders on the list. Illinois created a similar registry earlier this year, and a half-dozen other states have pending legislation to create meth maker registries.

Methamphetamine is relatively easy to make, although the “labs” used to make the highly addictive drug are very dangerous. The drug is also known as crystal meth, ice, glass and speed. It can cause serious health problems, from strokes to delusions and violent behavior.

The chemical process used to make the drug is dangerous and has led to serious explosions, injury and death in other states. The labs are treated as hazardous waste sites by police and must be cleaned up by technicians wearing protective suits.

Waldo County Sheriff Scott Storey, president of the Maine Sheriff’s Association, said he has had residents suggest to him that registries for other criminals be created by law enforcement.

“I think you could get carried away with who we are gong to have on a public registry,” he said. “But on the flip side of that, I think there is a genuine need for certain crimes, or criminals, for the public to know where they are at.”

He said the dangerous nature of meth manufacturers could warrant a public Web site to warn the public that someone who had been convicted of making meth has moved into their neighborhood. He said some residents have told him they would support a Web site listing convicted drug dealers.

“There is no doubt this is a dangerous drug and a major, serious problem in other states,” said Geoffrey Rushlau, district attorney for Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties. But, he said, he is not certain posting offenders on public Web sites would help combat the spread of meth abuse or other drugs.

“I would be interested in knowing the experience of other states and how this has worked,” he said. “You can set up a registry, but if no one uses it, it’s of little value.”

That is also a concern of Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Cantara. He said sex offender registries work, but he is not sure whether that would be true of registries for drug dealers or makers of illegal drugs.

“I think there is a distinction to be drawn regarding the harm that is potentially caused by those different offenses,” he said. “I would like to see more information as to the efficacy [of registries] in terms of citizen safety and protection before venturing an opinion on one.”

Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, said the current sex offender registry in the state has serious problems, and her organization would oppose creating new registries for any other crimes. She said the concept of continuing to punish a person after they have completed their sentence is wrong.

“Where does it end?” she asked. “First it is drug dealers, is it then drug users? By creating these registries are we really serving the goal of public safety?”

Bellows suggested the state should consider individual assessment of criminals to see whether they are likely to be a risk to the public after they have served their prison sentence. She said the goal of public safety won’t be met by stigmatizing all criminals after they have completed their time in jail.

Diamond, whose committee is reviewing the sex registry law, believes some changes should be made to the sex offender registry and said the panel will explore changes this summer and make recommendations to the next Legislature.

“We need to look at who is on the Web site, how long they are on and whether there should be a process to determine if somebody should be taken off the site,” he said. “We have a lot to do.”

While expansion of the registry concept is likely to come up, Diamond said, it is beyond the scope of his committee’s charge for now.