Louisiana Sex Offenders Must Post Their Crimes on Facebook [POLL]
Beginning August 1, Sex Offenders in Louisiana Must Post Their Criminal Status on All Social Networking Sites They Use
Facebook already bans sex offenders from using the social networking site, but lawmakers in Louisiana are going one step further in trying to make sure convicted sex offenders and child predators can't use social media to do harm: the state will begin requiring sex offenders to post their criminal status on Facebook.
Read: 'Star Wars' Ewok Actor Arrested For Exposing Himself
Louisiana State Representative Jeff Thompson proposed the measure, which is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1. He says it's an added measure for authorities to go after sex offenders who might try to use Facebook despite the company's ban.
"Child predators aren't necessarily good rule-followers in the first place," Thompson told Reuters. "We don't want to leave it to Facebook police to go out and check on these individuals."
Currently, Louisiana state law requires people convicted of crimes like rape, pornography and incest involving juveniles to register with local police and schools, but the new bill -- which Thompson says is the first of its kind in the country -- expands that into Facebook and other social media, where offenders must post their status.
Read: Sarah Ferguson's Name Linked to Sex Offender in Scandal
If a convicted sex offender sets up a new social media page and does not post his or her criminal status on the page? The punishment includes a felony charge, $1,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail without parole for the first offense, and a jail sentence of up to 20 years for a second conviction.
Thompson reportedly introduced the new law after an incident in which a young boy was murdered after a man, pretending to be a young woman, lured the boy via the Internet.
The new law comes after a Louisiana judge earlier this year nixed another proposed law that would have banned sex offenders from using Facebook and social media altogether, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit that alleged the law infringed on First Amendment rights.
Tell us:
Do you think convicted sex offenders should be allowed to use social networking sites?
Results
- <#setting number_format="0">0%
- <#setting number_format="0">0%


