I Missed a Couple

The other day, I tried to blog about the various debates across the country concerning sex offender laws.  Although I attempted to be comprehensive for that day and the day before, it looks like I missed a couple of stories.  Crime & Consequences has the details on two stories I missed:

Registered sex offenders in Georgia will not be able to photograph or video tape minors without the parents' permission under a bill passed in the state senate Monday according to an AP story. The bill passed 54-0 and goes to the House. If approved, "violators would be guilty of aggravated assault."

No buffer zones for sex offenders in Kansas. A news report by KMBC-TV (Kansas City) says state senate extended a moratorium "that keeps cities and municipalities from creating buffer zones for molesters." The Kansas Sex Offender Policy Board on buffer zones also showed that zones can make the offender feel isolated and want to re-offend.

They also had another sex offender story the following day:

Sex offenses committed by juveniles have increased to the point where states are considering laws which allow them to be included in sex offender registries according to a story reported by Jason Miles.

And then, there are two more sex crime stories today:

Texas seeks harsher punishment for sex offenders who harm children 14 and under. 25 years minimum for first-time offenders, possible death penalty charge for repeat offenders, GPS tracking for life, and doubling the statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years after the victim turns 18 are the four main points in Lt. Governor David Dewherst's "get tough measure" filed Wednesday, as reported here. Questions on the constitutionality of the death penalty for sex-offenders and difficulty in convicting offenders are being raised.

Oklahoma House passed a bill Wednesday that bars registered sex offenders from talking to children via the internet according to an AP story. Offenders must register their online identities and are banned from social networking sites (i.e. myspace). Author of the bill, Rep. Paul Wesselhoff said the legislation would also prohibit physical contact with children "to include contact over the internet" through state law.

While the Texas story is a significant development, the Oklahoma bill is a really big move.  Barring sex offenders from ANY communication with children via the Internet is an incredibly broad prohibition.