Category Archive for : ‘ABOUT SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS’

As towns and villages across Long Island grapple with residency restrictions for sex offenders, a statewide Assembly task force came to Merrick yesterday seeking solutions from police, prosecutors and child advocates on the issue.  Stricter sentences for convicted sex offenders and better supervision of them after they leave jail could be part of the legislative agenda in coming years.  Among the concerns are the regulations and restrictions imposed by local municipalities on Long Island on where sex offenders can live once they leave prison.  Municipalities have to be careful, said

Andre Durham, a 20 year old Woodside man, was arrested on child-endangerment and assault charges.  He allegedly kissed an bit a 3 year old girl’s neck while she was sleeping in November.  When her mother asked about the marks on her neck, the girl pointed to Durham – a family acquaintance.  He was arrested and could face up to a year in jail if convicted.

(Queens, New York)

The Valley Stream Board of Trustees has passed a local law imposing residency restrictions on convicted sex offenders living in the village.  The measure was approved unanimously Monday.  The law bars offenders from living within 1,000 feet of any public or private nursery, elementary, middle or high school, licensed day care center or playground.

(New York)

MySpace.com will provide data on registered sex offenders it has identified and removed from the popular social networking Web site to several states.  MySpace has deleted 7,000 pervy profiles.  MySpace has agreed to turn over the information after pressure from several state attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.  Laura Ahearn, of the child advocacy group Parents for Megan’s law, in Stony Brook, also hopes the action encourages other social networking Web site to use similar technologies and work together with law enforcement agencies to start providing safeguards

New Jersey is closer to barring released sex offenders from using the Web.  An Assembly committee yesterday approved the proposal.  The ban was approved by the Senate in March and can now be weighed by the full Assembly.  Under the plan, convicted sex offenders would have to submit to examinations of their computers and install monitoring equipment of them.  Those caught using the Internet would face 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

(Trenton, New Jersey)

Attorneys general from eight states asked MySpace, the social-networking Web site owned by News Corp to give the names of thousands of convicted sex offenders who they said have profile pages set up on its site.  MySpace’s own investigation discovered thousands of convicted sex offenders with profiles on the site.  Attorneys general from New Hampshire, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Idaho joined in seeking names from the Los Angeles based Web site.  Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Mixing sex offenders with children on MySpace is a recipe