LANSING - Members of the House Judiciary Committee are reviewing a set of bills that could require some sex offenders to take part in a long-term - even lifetime - electronic tracking program.

If the legislation passes, it would require convicted sex offenders to remain on the tracking system for their entire lives or for 25 years, said Rep. Bill Van Regenmorter, chair of the committee.

"I think the concept is good, but we want to look at how it's best implemented," said Van Regenmorter, R-Georgetown Township.

He added that because technology has advanced in recent years, implanted microchips might become an option for monitoring offenders rather than traditional ankle tethers. The decision would most likely be left to each jurisdiction.

The bill is designed to protect children and is based on Jessica's Law, said sponsor Rep. Joel Sheltrown.  The Florida law was passed after a convicted sex offender raped and killed Jessica Lunsford in 2005. The law requires sex offenders to wear electronic tracking devices at all times after their release.

"These are the worst types of crimes, without any motivation," said Sheltrown, D-West Branch.  "Sex offenders that are 60 years of age and have just been released from serving a 25-year prison sentence can still be a threat to children." 

He said that he doesn't think there is a lot of hope of rehabilitation for some offenders.

"With global positioning systems there is a great deal of deterrent that will hopefully slow down offenders." he said.

Sheltrown said those who commit violent sex crimes would be tracked, and that a constituent suggested the legislation.

The electronic tracking program would be merged with other systems already being implemented through county law enforcement agencies, he said.

A House subcommittee will review the effectiveness of the state's Public Sex Offender Registry, Van Regenmorter said, and will help determine what kinds of offenders would be subject to the long-term tracking program.

"We want to make sure we start with the most serious offenders," Van Regenmorter said.

Chris Kierkus, a criminal justice professor at Grand Valley State University, said the tracking system could help in case a former offender breaks the law again, but it wouldn't be a replacement for current law enforcement practices.

 "It's merely letting you know where the person is," he said. "You still need someone to monitor the computer, and a traditional law enforcement officer to go and arrest them."

Kierkus added that large-scale electronic tracking might create the need for extra jail cell space because more offenders could be sent back to prison if they don't comply with the program.

"When you set up any kind of a system like this, it reverberates throughout the entire criminal justice system," he said.

Not all county officials endorse the proposal, including Gordon Baas, supervisor of the Wexford County Probation and Parole Office, who said he hasn't used electronic tracking in the past and doesn't think it's necessary now.

"We don't typically have problems with sex offenders and where they are," he said. "It's more where they live. It's the relationships they build and abuse that is the problem."