More BS Legislation Feels good DOES NOTHING!!

Law aims to monitor Web use by sex offenders

By Jeff Starck Wausau Daily Herald jstarck@wdhprint.com
To better protect the public, sex offenders might soon have to provide corrections officials details about their e-mail addresses and Internet accounts, such as MySpace.

A state legislator has introduced the Sex Offender E-Disclosure Act that would require people on the state sex offender list to register every e-mail and Internet address they maintain for personal, family or household use. The State Department of Corrections already requires a sex offender's fingerprints, photo, address, place of employment and the name of the school they attend.

"Ultimately, the Internet is like any other place of association," said Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, who authored the Senate version of the bill. "Like schools or residential areas, it's a forum where sex offenders (make) contact with other people. It makes sense, then, that we take the same precautions with the Internet that we take with our schools and neighborhoods."

Mike Williams, field supervisor for the Marathon County Community Corrections division, said corrections agents already monitor the Internet looking for people who are breaking the rules of their probation or parole. Most sex offenders are barred from using the Internet while under direct supervision of parole agents and only can use it after they have completed their sentences.

There are 247 sex offenders listed on the state registry with ZIP codes in Marathon County.

Wausau Police Chief Jeff Hardel said it is important to know where sex offenders are and what they are doing.

"It does appear that the recidivism rate for these individuals is very high," Hardel said. "We have dealt with this population on a fairly regular basis."

Williams speculated that a person who fails to update officials about their Internet sites could be placed back on probation. That already happens a couple times a month when people fail to update their addresses, he said.

{Another law?? Ya that should solve everything. Is there anyone out there that is so ignorant that they believe a law like this could make any difference at all? Anyone that has any computer knowledge whatsoever knows that people can create new email addresse's and delete them within minutes.

How could this law possibly be enforced? The Adam Walsh act already mandates this in a few states on top of being listed on the registry yet sex offence's still happen. Over 90% of new sex offence's will be comitted by people with absolutely no criminal record. People known to the victim. Stranger Danger?? BULLSHIT!!!!!}

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/WDH0101/802170539/1981