New Jersey Denies Internet from Sex Offenders

eldavojohn writes: "New Jersey just passed legislation making it illegal for sex offenders to use the internet. NJ congresswoman Linda D. Greenstein said, "When Megan's Law was enacted, few could envision a day when a sex offender hiding behind a fake screen name would be a mouse-click away from new and unwitting victims. Sex offenders cannot be given an opportunity to abuse the anonymity the Internet can provide as a means of opening a door to countless new potential victims." While they still can search for jobs, this is a major expansion over the prior legislation which barred them from social networking sites like facebook or myspace."

What. The. Fuck.

[Timothy Brownawell]

Seriously. Have these people served their time or not?

Really, I suppose the legal/justice system here is just all messed up. Too much focus on us-vs-them in order to secure votes, instead of minimizing badness and making sure people have the opportunity to come back to society.

It's a matter of prevention

[davidwr]

While wholesale labeling and banning is un-American, per-person customized restrictions for people who are obviously at high risk of re-offending is not, even if those people have never been convicted of a crime.

In domestic-abuse cases, it's not unusual to get a restraining order or peace bond [wikipedia.org] against one spouse before a conviction or even after charges have been dismissed.

Dangerously mentally ill people and suicidal people are locked up for observation and treatment until they can be safely released. In m

Re:

[Qzukk]

they have no business locking up the dangerously mentally ill, after all, "they have committed no crime [yet]."

Yet somehow "society" determined those people were dangerous, despite the fact that they hadn't committed a crime?

That society is the most dangerous of all.