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Is Illinois's new internet ban for sex offenders constitutional?

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this Chicago Tribune report from last week, Illinois " Gov. Pat Quinn signed new laws Tuesday designed to limit sex offenders' use of technology as a way to find more victims" by making it "a felony for registered sex offenders to use social networking sites."  This CBS News discussion of the new law raises some interesting questions about its potential reach: "If the predator is supposed to be a registered sex offender, they should keep their Internet distance as well as their physical distance," said sponsor Bill Brady, a Republican state senator, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The object is to protect innocent individuals on the Internet from sex offenders."   If that were its effect, this would be a laudable piece of legislation...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 16, 2009 (boomark / email).