Public registries for animal abusers and domestic abusers could cost $1 million each to start and another $3 million in prison space, the Virginia State Crime Commission was told Tuesday.
Bills introduced earlier this year by state Del. Daniel W. Marshall III, R-Danville, would create the two registries, which would be similar to the state's sex-offender registry maintained online by the Virginia State Police.
The legislation was sent to the commission for study this year. Members received staff reports Tuesday and heard critical comments from speakers. Some members questioned the purpose of the proposals, and none directed further staff action.
The proposals are expected to come up for votes at the commission's December meeting. Endorsement by the crime commission carries great weight in the General Assembly but is not required for passage of a criminal justice-related bill.
Virginia's sex-offender registry was created in 1994 and now includes more than 18,000 offenders. Among other things, offenders are required to register and the public can readily search for them by name and by home and work addresses.
Under the proposed legislation, offenders convicted of felony cruelty to animals or animal fighting charges or for domestic assault or for violating a protective order would have to register and re-register for 15 years or face a felony for failing to do so.
The Department of Planning and Budget and the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission estimated that each registry would cost almost $1 million to design and implement and $126,000 a year to support.
The proposals would also require a total of more than $3 million a year for additional prison and jail beds. The crime commission staff found that no other state currently has such statewide registries.
Mary D. Devoy, executive director of Reform Sex Offender Laws of Virginia, told the commission, "The question is: Where does it stop?"
For example, she said, why not establish registries for people convicted of drunken driving or drug use, crimes offenders are more likely to repeat than those of sex offenders.
Kent Armistead of Richmond urged the commission to be careful creating any new registries. He said that, two years ago, as a favor to help someone out, he let a man stay at his home who turned out to be a registered sex offender from Florida.
Unknown to Armistead, his house was posted as the offender's address when he registered with Virginia authorities and a neighbor found out and alerted the other residents of his neighborhood.
The man quickly left and his address was taken off the registry, but Armistead urged caution. "If you want to spend some money, give it to the SPCA," he said.
Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Fairfax, the commission's vice chairwoman, asked what purpose an animal-abuser registry would serve — to stigmatize, or to help keep abusers from purchasing pets?
Kristen J. Howard, executive director of the commission, said that Marshall introduced the registry bills on behalf of constituents — one of whom did not know a man she married had a history of domestic abuse.
State Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle, the commission chairman, noted that if you know in which court to look, such convictions can be located by the public on the Internet.
"We've set up this strange system where we make it available but hard" to find, he said. "At some point, the Internet's going to take this over," Bell said.
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