Internet sex offenders
face restrictions

Convicted sexual offenders who used the Internet to facilitate the crime should have their Internet use restricted, according to state Rep. John Perzel.
Perzel (R-172nd dist.) joined Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood and other lawmakers on Friday at Drexel Hill Middle School in Delaware County to announce legislation.
Joseph Galli, superintendent of the Upper Darby School District, also endorsed the proposal.
“The Internet has brought the entire world into our homes,” Perzel said. “It is a wonderful tool for our kids to use for their education and entertainment. Unfortunately, there are people who would use this tool as a means to prey on our children.”
The event was held at the Delaware County school because the prime sponsor of House Bill 2590, Republican Rep. Mario Civera, represents the area. More than 50 members have co-sponsored the bill, which has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.
Studies show that one in seven youths have been sexually solicited online, mostly through chat rooms or instant messages.
The Polly Klaas Foundation — named in memory of a 12-year-old girl kidnapped from her California home during a slumber party in 1993 and later raped and strangled — reports that one in eight youths ages 8 through 18 have communicated online with an adult pretending to be younger.
“These statistics make it clear that something must be done to protect our children when they are online,” Perzel said.
The bill updates the state’s sexual offender registration law by restricting offenders from using the Internet for any purpose other than job-related or educational requirements or efforts to seek employment.
Further, it allows law enforcement and probation and parole officers to search the content of any devices owned by an offender that are capable of Internet access.
“It is tragic that we live in a society where this is a concern, but the fact remains that more and more children become victim to Internet predators every day,” Civera said.
The attorney general’s child predator unit, developed by Corbett in 2005, consists of specially trained agents who identify and capture online predators. The unit has captured 146 Internet predators.
The office’s Operation Safe Surf program educates parents, children and schools about the dangers of the Internet. More than 1,300 schools, community groups and parent organizations have registered for the program since March 2006.
Now, Corbett wants to restrict online access to known offenders.
“Sexual offenders who have already used computers to prey on our children should not have the opportunity to seek out more victims,” he said. ••