Stiffer penalties should be enforced for convicted sex offenders who fail to stay within the law.

Michigan law enforcement agencies say they do not know how to find 1,313 rapists, child molesters, pornographers and other sex offenders who have moved without reporting their new addresses.

The missing sex offenders no longer live at the addresses listed on the state's 31,045-name Sex Offender Registry. Their failure to file a change of address within 10 days is a felony that carries up to four years in prison.

Among the more than 30,000 offenders are another 2,100 sex offenders who failed to confirm their addresses with a local police agency in the past year. Failure to confirm whereabouts is a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to 93 days in jail.

The number of sex offenders unaccounted for in Michigan is scary and needs to be addressed. Although four years in prison seems like strict punishment to the average citizen, it's obviously not having the intended effect on these offenders. Police need to stiffen penalties and make clear this behavior will not be tolerated.

It is OK for convicted sex offenders to live their lives and get past their actions, but part of that new life includes following the rules. It is critical for them to realize they have to suffer the consequences for their wrongdoings.

The public has a right to know who their neighbors are. The failure to track sex offenders puts the public at risk. Victims' rights laws need to be addressed.

Knowing so many sex offenders have just "disappeared" is troubling.

The state is now taking a head-count of sex offenders. Under the law, all 31,045 sex offenders on the registry have to report to local police in a specific amount of time.

If they fail to report, tougher laws should be enforced. They are required by law to report their whereabouts - it is not a choice.

If they don't take responsibility for their crime and follow the rules required for their freedom, there needs to be harsher punishments.