08/01/2011
By Chris Cassidy
A lawman and lawmakers hoping to guard children against Facebook-friending sex fiends are pushing a bill that would force the state’s most dangerous predators to register their e-mail addresses, Twitter handles and other online aliases with the Sex Offender Registry Board.
“We’re just trying to protect young kids, give parents another tool and punish people who are preying upon our kids,” said Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey. “It’s that simple.”
- Once again, a person mentions the true intent, to punish, therefore, retroactive punishment is unconstitutional.
Under the bill, Level 3 sex offenders would have to report all their electronic monikers — including Facebook names, blogs and message-board screen names — just as they do their home addresses. The legislation has 12 co-sponsors and could get a hearing after lawmakers return from their August break.
“The concern revolves around the fact that you have sex offenders using these identities to track people to commit a crime against ... and trying to solicit children into very bad situations,” said state Rep. Tackey Chan (D-Quincy). “We’re trying to bring the sex offender registry up to the 21st century.’
Failing to register the screen names would be a criminal offense, which could result in both jail time and fines, Morrissey said.
“It becomes self-policing,” said the district attorney. “People see the address, they’re going to report it. It doesn’t mean they can’t communicate on the Internet. . . . It’s just an attempt to add one more layer of protection to the public and the unsuspecting person.”
Other states have gone even further in trying to rein in Web-surfing sex offenders. Laws in North Carolina, Illinois and Louisiana make it illegal for convicted sex offenders to have social-networking accounts, including Facebook and MySpace [website]. California is considering a similar bill.
Facebook itself banished more than 5,000 sex offenders from its site two years ago.
“This is in many ways a reflection of the world we live in,” said Chan.
