Thursday, June 21, 2012

Sex Predators can't hide on Facebook in LA

The state of LA just passed a law that makes it a requirement for all sex offenders and child predators to identify themselves as such on their social media pages.

The law is intended to inform the public just like when a sexual predator moves into a neighborhood and has to identify themselves at that point. Personally I like the law. Of course I also believe that they should have to live with large billboards in their yards showing their face and screaming to the world that they are sexual predators, and well I don't think they should ever be allowed to see the light of day after they are caught but until someone makes that law at least we're moving in the right direction.

From Fox News:

A new Louisiana law requires convicted sex offenders and child predators to reveal their status on social media websites.
Having failed to ban such offenders from websites like Facebook and Google+, state lawmakers instead decided sex offenders should be required to notify the online community of their presence the same way they must notify a neighborhood when they move in, WWL radio reported.
"In today's society, people come into our homes via the Internet, whether it's Facebook or Pinterest or Instagram," GOP Rep. Jeff Thompson said. "We should have the same information available."
If offenders fail to abide by the law, they face up to 10 years in prison.
"This provides prosecutors with another tool to make sure that those people which intend harm to our children are going to face the consequences," Thompson said.


Handbook question #1: Any chance Facebook adds a "Sexual Predator" option on your information page?

Handbook question #2: How long until the ACLU challenges this in court claiming a violation of personal rights of felons?

3 comments:

  1. Considering that 96% of sex crimes are committed by people who aren't on the registry (Dr. Jeffrey Sandler, 2008) and that internet-facilitated sex crimes comprise about 7% of sex crimes against minors (APA, 2011) - unfortunately, this new law panders only to those who are uninformed. It actually empowers those who haven't been caught since everyone is so caught up in what those who've been convicted are doing. Ironic, since sex crimes have the lowest re-offense rates of every crime except murder (US Dept of Justice, 2004).

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  2. Marshall and Barbaree (1990) found in their review of studies that the recidivism rate for specific types of offenders varied:

    Incest offenders ranged between 4 and 10 percent.
    Rapists ranged between 7 and 35 percent.
    Child molesters with female victims ranged between 10 and 29 percent.
    Child molesters with male victims ranged between 13 and 40 percent.
    Exhibitionists ranged between 41 and 71 percent.

    However it is believed the more stringent tracking of sexual offenders is what has brought the numbers down.

    Just like a non-sexual offender is less likely to be connected to a crime while on parole and thus monitored.

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  3. Government should take a serious action against online predators.

    ReplyDelete