07/14/2011
BENTON - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was in Bossier Parish on Wednesday, where he signed a series of bills dealing with sex offenders, human trafficking and abuse of the elderly.
One bill signed by the governor at a ceremony at the courthouse prohibits registered sex offenders from getting on social networking sites like facebook and chat rooms.
Another new law makes the penalties for sexually abusing the elderly and the disabled the same as the penalty for abusing children. Currently, a person convicted of sexual battery or sexual battery of the infirm faces up to 10 years in prison. The minimum sentence for sexual battery of a child under the age of 13 is 25 years.
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| Scarlet Letter |
Louisiana's previous human trafficking laws criminalize the actions of the human trafficker, but do not address the actions of a person who knowingly facilitates the crime. Another new law equalizes the penalty for the person who helps the human trafficker.
