Online Sex Offenders May be Penalized - have to register email address

Online Sex Offenders May be Penalized

Posted by Harriet Steinberg on Feb 4, 2007, 16:45


To prevent sex offenders from prowling on cyberspace for young victims, a group of bipartisan lawmakers recently introduced a legislation that would require sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses and make them available to social networking sites. This proposal would also make it a crime for adults to lie about their age in pursuit of sex with a minor.

The new proposal, called Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act, is a follow-up on the legislation that requires sex offenders released from prison to register their home addresses with authorities.

“Just as we protect kids in physical neighborhoods, we have to protect them in online communities,” said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is one of the sponsors. Senator John McCaine (R-Ariz.) is also a sponsor of this proposal along with two other lawmakers.

This new act was named in memory of Adam Walsh, the son of “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh. It is also in memory of other victims whose families are suffering from the crimes of these predators.

Backers of this new proposal feel that it will receive a great deal of support, although some show concern over an individual’s privacy.

http://www.canyon-news.com/artman/publish/article_5262.php

The internet is far too tempting for most sex offenders to even be allowed to use. Frankly, one of the conditions of probation should be a complete ban on internet use. Allowing sex offenders on probation to use the internet is like allowing alcoholics to spend rehab at a bar.

When I worked at a program for sex offender teens, their aftercare program (and often, terms of their probation) forbid ANY internet usage. Requiring use of a marked address that would allow authorities investigating a potential crime to identify likely culprits who have come in contact with the victim is good policy.

Recidivism among sex offenders is so high and the costs to the victims so high that it is necessary to take such measures. The other option is just to never let them out.

I don't have a hard core opinion about crime, but sex crimes are different. They are insidious, pathological diseases which deeply hurt truly innocent people.

why not do something about the root cause?

Oh, yeah I forgot. This is America. Crime pays, so we have to just keep on diddling with the symptoms so the big boys can keep on making money.

No...you kick the offender off the internet for a number of years. An email address can be changed at will.