Senate Passes Package of Bills to Toughen Penalties for Sex Crimes

3-21-2013 New York:

Package of bills cracking down on rapists and sex offenders by creating new crimes and increasing penalties

... ... ... The Senate also passed legislation, (S.2510) sponsored by Senator Joe Robach (R-C-I, Rochester), that creates new felony-level “Computer Sex Crimes”, which are offenses in which criminals use computers and the Internet to commit sex crimes against children under the age of 17.

“As more and more children have technology readily available, especially computers, we need to do all we can to make sure they are secure,” said Senator Robach. “Increasing penalties against those who prey on these vulnerable children will deter criminals from committing such crimes.”

The anonymity that comes with using the Internet has made it easier for criminals to find their victims, especially children. These crimes also frequently involve individuals using a false identity in an effort to engage in sexual contact with minors. This bill also gives law enforcement additional tools to investigate these types of crimes.

Senator Skelos also sponsored a bill (S.1391) that increases the penalty for failure to register or report a change of address by a Level Three Sex Offender.

Currently, sex offenders who fail to register or report address changes only face a misdemeanor for the first offense. The penalty does not reach felony-level until a second offense. This bill punishes first-time offenders more harshly, and offenders would face a higher-level felony charge for subsequent offenses. Level Three Sex Offenders are considered to be the most dangerous and the most likely to repeat their crimes. ... ... ... ..Source.. by LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY NEWS RELEASES