August 17, 2011

Sex offenders banned from Facebook?

8-17-2011 Alabama:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - With nearly 700 million users on Facebook, the social networking giant has made it easier to get in contact with just about anyone.

But when used by the wrong people, it can be downright dangerous.

Newly signed laws in Illinois and Louisiana ban sex offenders from using all social networking sites.

Although it's an effort to protect children, some groups say these restrictions violate sex offenders rights.

“For the government to ban access to virtually all information on the Internet is overreaching, and opens the door to further government intrusion on everyone’s First Amendment rights," says Louisiana's ACLU Executive Director Marjorie Esman.

People like Alvin Carter agree.

"I don't think you can just go around just banning certain people because once you start with them it's just gonna be a matter of time before you move on to another group."

While it's not illegal in Alabama for a sex offender to have a Facebook account, a law signed in July requires them to register email addresses cell phone numbers and any identifiers they would use on the internet.

However not every offender obeys the law.
Neither does every sex offender break the law. The claims of false use of identifiers have not been proven, it is nothing more than a false premise to justify this law.
"If they're using false or different names or identifiers or things of that nature, then yes it can be very dangerous."

Sgt. Jacob Reach works with the Jefferson County Sex Offender Unit. He says it's important to stay on top of these offenders to ensure they don't strike again.

"It is very well proven that these type of offenders have a tendency to reoffend. And the sole purpose of the law is to continue to protect the children and keep kids safe throughout the community," adds Reach.
Lets see, is this a personal belief, or does he show some proof of his statement? It doesn't matter what type of crime all types have recidivists, so society should be looking at evidence before making statements like this officer has made.
If the Sex Offender Unit finds out an offender has an account that hasn't been registered, they'll be hit with a Class C felony, and face court process and prosecution. ..Source.. by CBS42.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This kind of crap is unbelievable !! What in Gods name is going on with this sex offender FRENZY??? Protecting our precious children is my priority as well. Howeverit appears lawmakers are so damn focused on FSO's they have little time for anything else! They keep comming up with all of these new laws and restrictions, while more and more NON-FSO's are being convicted by the BUSLOAD! THINK PEOPLE.... Use the brain God gave you and realize; you could execute every last FSO in the nation, and you will still be faced with the same criminal activity by the MILLIONS of NON-FSO's living in this country today.
Remember THE WAR ON DRUGS???? that started some 30+ years ago. Not much has changed except 2.5 million incarcerated and the public
is STILL using and selling drugs, probablly more so today! I don't care how long you went to college, or how many degrees you possess. There needs to be some MAJOR changes made. The archaic, draconian policies you continue to amass are NOT WORKING. WAKE UP SOMEBODY !!!! MY opinion

Anonymous said...

It seems that people sit around and dream up possible scenarios that maybe, might, could, potentially happen and then drape yet another restrictive ("child safety") law overtop an entire population of FSO's to whom the thought had never occurred to commit such an act!