08/16/2011
BIRMINGHAM (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.
- Sure, and so can all the other billions of web sites. Are we banning people from those as well?
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.
"If they're using false or different names or identifiers or things of that nature, then yes it can be very dangerous."
- The claims of false use of identifiers have not been proven, it is nothing more than a false premise to justify this law.
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.
- You are assuming all sex offenders will re-offend, see statement below, which is false. Sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates of all other criminal, and yet those with higher recidivism do not have an online registry for them!
"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.
- Well Mr. Reach, you are wrong. See the link above, which disproves your statement. You are just saying the same thing everyone else does, repeating sound-bites you've heard over the years, without proof. Do you care to show me the proof of your statement? I did above, if you care to read a little.
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.
