Chelsea’s Law now effective immediately

 By Maya Lifton

 Photo courtesy of Chelsea’s Light

 Sept. 9 marks a victory close to home for Brent and Kelly King, parents of Chelsea King, as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Chelsea’s Law to be effective immediately.

Chelsea’s Law will give sex offenders life in prison, without parole, to offenders who use drugs, weapons, or torture against underage victims while committing a sexual crime. A life sentence can be given to first time and repeat offenders convicted of a violent sexual crime, according to Fox News. 

This law was  named after Chelsea King, who at 17 was raped and murdered on February 25, 2010 by John Gardner III, who at the time was a convicted child molester and a registered sex offender.  Her case woke up the community, and raised awareness to make stricter laws monitoring registered sex offenders. 

For example, a sex offender can receive lifetime parole with a GPS tracking system so that offenders can be monitored for the rest of their lives. Before Chelsea’s Law went into effect, there was monitoring of the parolees, but once their parole period ended, the tracking did too. 

Many speculators believe if more in-depth monitoring was done in the case of Gardner, it possibly could have prevented the death of Chelsea King.

Under Chelsea’s Law, convicted sex offenders on parole are restricted from entering into any parks. Other rules include the evaluation of offenders under California’s mentally disordered offender law when deemed necessary by assessment. 

The first San Diego case to be put on trial under Chelsea’s law took place Sept 15.   A registered sex offender was given 25 years to life in prison, when prior to Chelsea’s law, he would have been given 15 years in prison.