Sex offenders and new web law

Law Would Expand Sex Offender Web Site
Monday February 12, 2007 12:02pm Reporter: Amanda Manatt Posted By: Amanda Manatt
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Little Rock -

An Arkansas lawmaker works to put all level sex offenders on the state's public Web site.

Right now, only high and moderate risk offenders are put on the list for the public, but a bill expected to be filed this week could change that. Rep. Dawn Creekmore says there are sex offenders out there who abuse the current law and she hopes to stop it.

Thousands of registered sex offenders appear on the Arkansas Crime Information Center's Web site. However, those are only level three and four, or the higher risk offenders. Creekmore says most Arkansans don't realize all convicted sex offenders aren't listed. She says some offenders know that and use it to their advantage.

(Rep. Dawn Creekmore (D) Hensley) "They even say, ‘I'm not a sex offender. Go ahead and look. I'm not on there.’ They're not. "

Creekmore says her legislation would change that.

(Creekmore) "One aspect of this bill will put all level sex offenders, one, two, three and four on the public Web site, if the offender was 18 or older at the time of the crime and their victim was 14 years old or younger."

One grandmother, who doesn't want to be identified, says her young granddaughter was abused by a level two offender.

(Grandmother) "We did go check all of the lists we could find. Everything we could pull up and he was nowhere on the lists."

She believes it could have protected her granddaughter.

(Grandmother) “If we had been able to pull his name up on that list, he'd have never been close to any of us, ever again."

(Creekmore) "I just hope this legislation saves one child. If it saves one child, it's all worth it."

The ACIC supports the legislation, and the bill already has several co-sponsors. Rep. Creekmore expects to file the bill Tuesday or Wednesday.

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This is a good example of how the web can be exploited in more than one way regarding legal issues. Although there are many ways in which the internet is manipulated, this seems like a good idea to expose all sex offenders. Although it may seem that these offenders have no possibility of a second chance, it is important to notify the public in a quick and effective manner. I can see how there will be some protest to this move, but the majority of people will likely support it.- Elizabeth Decker