Sex offenders banned from online games in New York.

[Sarah the Submissive]

This is slightly old news, but I haven't seen much of a discussion of it anywhere.
Here's a link to where I first read the story.

So what do you think about this?

Personally I think it's apalling, people can be put on the sex offender registry for being naked in their own house, or urinating in public. Heck New York used to be able to classify you as a sex offender for drug related offenses(unsure of if they still can). Then again I am against the media demonization of sex offenders in general -- because sex offenders are one of the most easily rehabilitated groups of criminals.  

[NosferatuGirl]

Personally, I think that's rather stupid. I think parents need to take responsibility and keep their kids safe themselves rather than letting the government do it. A ten-year-old kid shouldn't be on X-Box Live (no, the government shouldn't regulate that, parents should). I think his parents should be held just as responsible as the guy who molested him. Also, as you mentioned, people can become sex offenders for all sorts of idiotic reasons. I mean, here in Utah at least, if an 18-year-old guy is driving a car with a 15-year-old girl in the passenger seat, and her sock is off, he can become a sex offender. That is unfair and ridiculous, as is this stupid thing from New York. I bet hardly anyone will be upset, though, because it doesn't affect them. Yet. But, you know, when they came for the Jews.....  

[Sarah the Submissive]

NosferatuGirl

Personally, I think that's rather stupid. I think parents need to take responsibility and keep their kids safe themselves rather than letting the government do it. A ten-year-old kid shouldn't be on X-Box Live (no, the government shouldn't regulate that, parents should). I think his parents should be held just as responsible as the guy who molested him. Also, as you mentioned, people can become sex offenders for all sorts of idiotic reasons. I mean, here in Utah at least, if an 18-year-old guy is driving a car with a 15-year-old girl in the passenger seat, and her sock is off, he can become a sex offender. That is unfair and ridiculous, as is this stupid thing from New York. I bet hardly anyone will be upset, though, because it doesn't affect them. Yet. But, you know, when they came for the Jews.....

I think if the law targeted only child molesters I'd be okay with it, because they represent a small fraction of sex offenders and it would probably be easy enough to use an online game to get close to them. But it doesn't so the law is ridiculous. Even if it only targeted them I'd want them to provide some sort of statistical evidence that banning sex offenders would reduce sexual offenses.