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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Michael
J. Herzing |
State Rep. James E.
Casorio, Jr. |
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Casorio supports state registry of those dealing in meth
HARRISBURG, Sept. 18 – State Rep. James E. Casorio Jr., D-Westmoreland, said he will co-sponsor legislation that would create a statewide registry of people convicted of manufacturing, delivering or selling methamphetamine in Pennsylvania.
Casorio said the list of offenders would be maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police, and would be available to the public. It would be similar to the list of registered sex offenders currently maintained by the state police.
“The production, sale and use of methamphetamine is quickly becoming the most serious, and most dangerous, drug problem in Pennsylvania,” Casorio said. “Not only does this drug destroy the lives of the people who abuse it – and the lives of their families and others around them, but its production is also incredibly dangerous to the lives and health of people who live near offenders.
“While the General Assembly has already taken several steps to increase penalties for meth users and producers, and boost efforts to get this drug off our streets, we need to do more,” he said. “One of the most crucial things we need to do is let the people of our communities know when meth dealers and producers are in their neighborhoods. That’s the aim of this legislation.”
Casorio said beyond allowing residents of communities to know when a meth producer or dealer is living in their neighborhood, it also will raise the public’s awareness in general of the dangers of the drug and the extent to which it has permeated Pennsylvania communities.
“Many people still do not understand how huge a problem this is,” he said. “Any step we can take that drives that message home and makes people realize the tremendous danger that meth and those who deal in it are presenting to their children and their neighborhoods is a step we should take as soon as possible.”
Under the bill, Casorio said, the registry would list convicted methamphetamine offenders’ name, date of birth, their offense, conviction data, the county where their crime was committed, and any other data deemed appropriate by the state police. Offenders would remain on the registry for seven years after their conviction.
Casorio said several other states, including Tennessee, Illinois, Montana and Minnesota, already have enacted legislation setting up registries of convicted meth offenders.
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Casorio has sponsored and voted for several measures already that are designed to stem the production and use of methamphetamine in Pennsylvania. In June, Casorio introduced legislation to create a state task force on drug-endangered children. The task force would prepare a report for the General Assembly including recommendations for responding with assistance and services for children impacted by methamphetamine production and use. The report would be provided to local agencies, and would act as a blueprint for training and education programs provided by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
“We need to take a two-pronged approach to the scourge of methamphetamine. The first approach is law-enforcement – giving the necessary tools to our local police departments and state law enforcement agencies so they can stop the meth producers and users. But the second approach is just as important, and that is making Pennsylvania residents aware of this scourge and how to keep their children and their families safe from it.
“In the coming months, I will be actively working to enact legislation that enhances Pennsylvania’s efforts in both.”
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