Sex Offenders banned from Internet in NJ
New Jersey enacted legislation on Thursday banning some convicted sex offenders from using the Internet. In signing the restrictions into law, Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey, who is filling in while Gov. Jon S. Corzine is vacationing, noted that sexual predators were as likely to lurk at a computer keyboard as in a park or playground. No federal law restricts sex offenders’ use of the Internet, and Florida and Nevada are the only other states to impose such restrictions. The bill applies to anyone who used a computer to help commit the original sex crime. It also may be applied to paroled sex offenders under lifetime supervision, but it exempts work done as part of a job or search for employment. In addition, the state can force sex offenders to install hardware or software monitoring systems on computer equipment, submit to unannounced searches of any computer equipment, and get written permission before using a computer or the Internet.
“No matter how much you trust your kids, no matter how much you think you know what they’re doing, there are some sick people out there that will stop at nothing to prey on them,” said Acting Governor Richard Codey (Governor Jon Corzine is on vacation). “This legislation will give us some of the toughest tools in the nation to crack down on the growing threat of Internet predators. Hopefully this law will help a lot of parents sleep easier at night.” But while sex offenders’ Internet usage will now be supervised closer than Michael Vick at a dog show, the public can use the Internet to find plenty of information about the offenders. Like many states, New Jersey has slapped its sex offender database online. Concerned parents can look up the names, addresses, date of birth, photos, identifying marks, and crime details for any registered sex offender in the state. Finally a meaningful bill which could actually do some good…
Source: NY Times, Ars Technica
Comments(36)
Nooo my internets!
they probably want to go back to prison to use the computers their.first
huh .. i didnt even know that about my state (florida)
http://www.familywatchdog.us
check the peds in ur area
Hey Does anyone know when some new horror movies are going to be posted like the horrorfest movies or The Orphanage (Orfanato, El)
FTW against sex offenders NJ!!!!!!!!!!!! this makes complete sense. i can’y believe this hasn’t happened sooner. I only hope that it can be enforced. Thanks for the news. It’s a good thing Mr. X isn’t from Jersey. (j/k sir)
“Offenderds” WTF?… Then I hoped you meant “offenders”. Right?
Am I right?
This is dumb. While its intent may be good, we all know how the road to hell is paved. It won’t be logistically possible. If these guys really want to offend again, they will. If they want to find some way to circumvent the computer software, they will. Furthermore, what’s to prevent a sex offender from using a public computer (which will probably have less monitoring systems than on his on) instead of his office comp to log onto facebook or myspace under an alias? I’m fairly sure despite being on parole he won’t be under constant surveillance. Even moreso, unless this is national law (which I don’t think will happen), all this really accomplishes is a mass exodus of NJ pedos to other states w/ less stringent laws. So this is effectively spreading them out where it’ll be even more difficult to keep track of them. This law is about as logical as having an all-in-one container for confiscated liquids at the aiport – it only gives the illusion of security.
nope, internet is still working.
I’m still connected……I think my case is the loophole though, no laws saying you cannot make sexy time with garden tools. wooohooo
In the same way tough DUI laws have eliminated drunk driving, so too will removing internet access eliminate pedofiles.
Thank goodness someone in the state of New Jersey has a brain.
Always remember, treat the symptom, not the disease.
it has good intentions, hopefully they can enforce it. if they are going to rely on software to monitor them then any one with any tech skills can get around it. they can switch out the hard drive for one with no spyware. and if they are relying on IP adress there are proxys and, hey anyone ever heard of wireless? I just hope they actually do physical checks on their equipment and not just rely on technology to watch them.
oh yeah, almost forgot, cell phones w/ internet.
Hey kids, look what I’ve got..
I believe it’s reasonable as long as the hardware/software is provided as part of their parole and that it will work cross platform ***dows/Mac/Linux. Oh wait… it only works with ***dows? Well fsck that then.
oh no, does this mean no more posts from Mr. X? hahahahaha @ X
What nobody here seems to realize is that not all sex offenders are child molesters. Have any of you taken a piss in public before? Had you been caught, you could have been put on the sex offender registry. There was a case a few years ago where a girl almost got run over by a guy because she darted across the street. He called her over, grabbed her shoulder, and told her that it was dangerous and never to do it again. He was put on the sex offender registry because he put his hand on her shoulder.
I think that sex offender registries should be abolished, or at least reorganized. There are too many people who are put on the registry “just in case”. If you think someone is a danger to society and needs to be watched, keep them in prison. Otherwise, let them go.
Although I am glad to see there is more laws to prevent sex offenders from reaffending, i’m wondering, if they can’t do it on the internet, will they turn to schools and parks etc. more?
And no. 23 is correct, they really need to reorganized, not abolished though. Maybe have levels of sex offenders. From low risk, like the guy who took a pee, to extreme the sex offenders who rapes….something like that. Just my 2 cents as a mother of 3…who’s always worried.
I can understand but I think this leads the door open for lots of other things as well. I mean if someone has went to jail for their crime and have paid their price to society they should be done with everything else.
Parents need to focus on watching their kids on the internet and be responsible for what kids see and do on the net more than blocking access.
I got a feeling this could go to the supreme court.
jason.xod any site for checking the feds in my area lol new zealand.
all this, yet Britney Spears walks free… go figure!
Easy, they just have to move out of New Jersey
Title: Sex Offenders banned from Internet —–> in NJ <—–
Ban them then beat them to death!!
FREE THE WEB
STOP INTERNET CENSORSHIP
Its baby steps. The bill won’t STOP offending, but it MAY help to reduce it. Much the same was as tough DUI laws have reduced the number of DUI offences. Its trying to be more of a preventative measure. And sure, yes the person could swap out hardware, or get around the software, but isn’t that what the random checks would be for? If someone SUDDENLY doesn’t have any traffic, surely that would be a sign for whoever is monitoring it??? And Tony – yes, NZ does have a list published by the sensible sentensing trust. google “sex offender registry” in new zealand you’ll get a site that will take you to the link
I agree that this is a nice step in the right direction, but I also agree with the person that mentioned not all offenders are pedophiles.
Another problem that will be brought up sooner than later, I expect, will be the offenders that have not used their computer in violation of the monitoring, yet still get hit with a parole violation. Has anyone reading this ever let someone use their computer, only to find out they had went to some of the sites you don’t even go to?
I know that prison is filled with lots of “they framed me” stories, but this just makes it that much easier to believe that maybe someone is out to get them. What’s to stop a person from entering an offender’s home and accessing a bunch of “adult” sites (or MySpace or Facebook, or whatever) and then the paroled offender get nailed with a parole violation. I know someone who is on “the list” and is very careful where they go and makes sure to follow the law to a “T” so as not to get knocked on a technicality. I also know of quite a few people who have gotten off with no time and no registration after admitting to horrible things, for whatever reason. I think you have to look at each case, not lump all offenders in the same group.
But if that’s the way this country wants to treat these offenders (all the same), then actually treat them all the same. I have picked up my local paper over the last 5 years and see time after time and see parents let off with a slap on the wrist for horrible abuses on their flesh and blood kids, but every case that has come up involving the same situations, but with a step-parent, they local DA wants to bury them under the jail. The really messed up part is my state has on the books a MANDATORY 25 years for incest, which the local DA obviously ignores when choosing these cases to prosecute.
Sorry for the long rant, but I thought it was actually relevant to this post.
in the age of wireless internet access in which a simple laptop can get to the internet without a single line access how can this be enforced? Honestly, people should think things through before passing laws.
USA, which was the shrine for personal freedom, is being modified into a regime of restrictions very quickly in an alarming way. Laws like this have realy no use or implications… eventually these pseudo laws are used by the govt. forces to punish a lot of realy harmless people. Remember, the idea of justice is not that every criminal should be punished (that’s red neck justice or mediaval idiology), rather it should be a system where not a single honest person is victimized or censored. It is failry easy to label a person as sex offender, terrorist supporter etc and then destroy their life. And don’t think it has never happened before! Yes Sir, here in USA we have lots of huan rights violation cases. Cases where the US Govt misused its power by torturing its own citizens in a shocking way!
Haaving amourous feeling towards minors & expressing it can never be tagged as a crime as there is plenty of proof in nature that this is a natural thing like Hetero/Bi/Homosexual orientation. A person having such feeling is as good a citizen as the president himself or the first lady if not better as long as he does not harm any other person (adult or minor)! Having platonic relationship with a partner who is just below the ageof consent, is NOT a crime. But if you admit having it, you’re a sex offender.
I hope that the sensible ppl of NJ will raise their voice against this draconian move.
ya know, the bobbits had the right idea the first time.
17. tyler…
yours is the first post that is intelligent and makes sense that i have ever seen on Rlslog. congratulations.
Now NJ sex offenders prolly want to go back to the streets and playgrounds again.
@17 “I think that sex offender registries should be abolished, or at least reorganized.”
Either the system should be revamped OR overhauled. I don’t it’s wise to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Those guys don’t even deserve to think about the Internet.
This won’t stop any paedos who want to re-offend from finding some way of doing so, it just punishes further those who do wish to obey the laws. And let’s not forget that it’s not child molesters that are being hit here, it’s everyone on the registry.
So this will have little to no preventative effect, and just sounds good to the public at large.
And I’m surprised this is legal, I would have thought this would come under double jeopardy, punishing for the same crime over and over again. AFTER sentencing even. Surely this is both illegal and pointless.
And potentially dangerous, the LAST thing we need is to marginalise sex offenders to the extent that they give up on trying to reintegrate into society.
it won’t stop anything.
people are stupid.
i wish intelligent aliens would take over.
I agree sex offenders should be listed…..
but this is going a little far. Next they’ll take away your drivers license cause you drove to the meeting place where the act occured, and take away your credit card, cause you used that to pay for the gas for the car…and they’ll take away your phone cause you used that to make the call to arrange the meeting. C’mon.
This will do nothing to try and put these people back into society and upstanding citizens. This is crazy. If anything the offenders would have to have a special router where all information of websites they’ve visited is stored. That may be a bit farfetched. Maybe just blacklist certain websites for the offender, don’t take their life away.
I should’ve read the whole thing before posting