The majority of crimes regarding sex offenders and the Internet are illicit encounters between adults and underage teens according to an article published in Science Daily. . The desire for sexual contact is usually stated early on, and then the relationship is quickly developed with to the young person as romantic and sexual in nature. The most frequent target is an adolescent who is in the process of questioning and developing a personal notion of sexual identity. This pattern runs contrary to the commonly imagined stereotype of pedophiles that carefully “groom” young children, tempt them away from their homes and abduct them. .
United States law in 2012 is still in the process of establishing a balance between the needs of children, the rights of convicted pedophiles and the rights of innocent people. This particular issue concerns individuals who have the same name or who resemble a convicted pedophile in some other manner. In response to this lack of cohesive laws, the judicial system frequently includes a ban on Internet use as part of a pedophiles sentence. Even this however has its limitations in that these sentences expire at some point. At that time the offenders have unlimited Internet access. There are web sites that track the physical location of sex offenders, however the anonymity of the Internet defies attempts to regulate its use by pedophiles. .
In the void created by the national and world governing units to catch up with our technology and establish legislation that respects individual rights local governments are enacting their own laws as in the matter of Georgia Senate Bill 474 regarding registration of sex offenders. Other laws address adult issues of stalking, harassment and pornography.
References
Logue, D. ". (2012, 02 16). The Internet, The Former Offender, And the New Cyber-Gestapo. Retrieved 08 17, 2012, from Once Fallen: http://www.oncefallen.com/InternetLaws.html
Science Daily. (2008, 09 19). Sex Offenders Aim at Teens, Not Young Children, Study Shows. Retrieved 08 17, 2012, from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218185101.htm
Sexlaws.org. (2012). The place to find answers. Retrieved 08 17, 2012, from Sexlaws.org: http://www.sexlaws.org/
