"Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that more than 3,500 accounts of New York registered sex offenders have been purged from online video game platforms as part of 'Operation: Game Over,' a groundbreaking initiative with participation from Microsoft, Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Disney Interactive Media Group, Warner Brothers and Sony. The Attorney General’s database sweep is a first-of-its-kind effort to protect children from predators on video game networks in New York State."
It is notable that the only case mentioned in the Attorney General's press release is that of "Richard Kretovic, a 19-year-old man from Monroe County, [who] pled guilty to sexual abuse charges after meeting a 12-year-old boy on the popular online video game system Xbox LIVE." Mr. Kretovic was not a registered sex offender at the time of his crime, and this announced action would not have prevented his crime. Apparently, the Attorney General's office is unable to point to any incident in New York State where a registered sex offender victimized someone using a gaming network, or they would have mentioned it. I make it a point to stay on top of such things, and I have never heard of any such case.
The primary risk is not from offenders we know about but those we don't know about. In New York State, 95% of those arrested for sex crimes have no prior convictions for sex crimes and thus are not listed on any registry. Training workshops were held across New York State last week that were attended by hundreds of law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers, etc. Research presented there indicates that New York's sex offender management policies have not made our communities safer.
“Operation: Game Over” is made possible by New York's eSTOP law which requires registered sex offenders to report their e-mail addresses and other Internet identifiers. They are then excluded from Facebook and other networks. Of course, this also prevents them from posting the true facts about registered sex offenders and "Operation: Game Over" because many news and media outlets require Facebook accounts in order to post comments.
Who is playing the real games here?
10 comments:
So, basically what we have is, people who are complying with a placebo legislation and committing no crime whatsoever are being kicked off a website many didn't particular care or know about until today, all because of an immature teen boy with raging hormones.
Just like they're scooping young adults up who accidentally download child porn from peer to peer sites.
They seem to be picking on a group of individuals who are too young to know any better and have no money to defend themselves or their freedoms.
I think that this is a step in the right direction. Though it will not prevent all crimes committed by sex offenders, it will eliminate some. Sex offenders can easily log onto an internet site and prey on children, but at least with this law it would be harder for them to do so.
I'm commenting because I am a registered sex offender (I'm a level 1 and you will not find my name in the public registry). I think it would be good for someone who actually deals with these restrictions to speak. I was convicted of an offense commits by my at-the-time boyfriend, because I could not prove I DIDN'T do it, and was badgered into pleading guilty by a district attorney and public defender who liberally used scare tactics on my family and myself, knowing we were inexperienced in legal situations. I'm not perfect, but over all I believe I am a good person. And apparently so do the vast majority of people who have known me, because despite 4 1/2 years in state prison & 2 1/2 years on parole, my friends and family are continually supportive of me in ever way.
I am not a unique case, I am not a rarity. I was mandated to take a 'sex offender program' while incarcerated, and of all of the women I met who were required to register upon release (maybe 40 women) only 2 were there for what is considered 'typical' sex offenses, IE: child molestation. And 90% of them were sitting in jail because they had gotten involved with a man who did something heinous and they were guilt6 by association.
The entire issue of sex offender registration is vastly, enormously exploited by politics and greed. Sex sells, so the media catastrophizes the rarest, sickest crimes as if they were a common danger. Politians persecute and demonize anyone they can POSSIBLY convict of ANY sex crime, because being seen as 'hard on sex offenders' will increase their chances of reelection.
I'm still in my 20s but I often consider taking my own life, because living with this label is terrifying. All I ever really wanted out of life were the things most people want.....love, happiness, a family, and to do something that contributed to the good of the world and that I enjoyed.....and because I was young and manipulated by a man (have any of us NOT been there?) I may never have any of those things.
But I love life...and I'm trying....because no matter what the LAW says...I'm just a regular girl.....trying my best.
I am a level 1 in ny .
I am the ghost they chase , I am the witch they hunt. I have no rights or voice. I live in fear every day of a new law that will chain me away for ever. I once was a stupid kid who spent. Night with a girl under 17. Now I'm a grown man with a career , children and normal life. I never hid in a bush , or had some urge to harm anyone. They label me the boogeyman yet I'm the one in constant fear .
...ya know, something people need to realize is that most (95%) of 'sex offenders' never re-offend. If you really stop and think about that...its not sex offenders anyone should really be worried about...its non-sex offenders. (...or people that have never been caught)
I think if you ask most sex offenders, the 'system' has beat them down so bad that they never even want to break the speed limit laws.
I am level 2 and my crime about 20 yrs ago and i have never committed any other crime sense.and i have 3 boys love them to death and to them i am not a monster.plus i talk to the one i committed the crime against she holds no hard feelings with me but still i am a level 2 i just wanna be re-classed.and want others like me helped thank you
I'm a level 1 and convicted of attempted possession of child pornography, a misdemeanor. This was a plea bargain for 3 photographs taken off the internet of girls standing nude but not ingaged in a sexual activity. For this I received 8 weekends in jail, probation, and listed on the SOR for 10 years as a level 1. Prior to this I was an outstanding citizen... Eagle Scout, Scoutmaster, and Daycare Opperator. It wasn't my criminal charges that I was concerned about but my marraige and my 3-yr old son to which my wife fought for full custody and no visitation. This was almost 10-years ago and although I'm past loosing my son, I live with the fear of anyone finding out that I'm a sex offender. I've had over 100 hours of personal counceling from my therapist to deal with my depression and since of being an outcast. I work construction to avoid children and have no relationships to speak of. I watch movies on DVD and Netflix every night. Then I came home one evening from work and logged onto Netflix only to find that my Soney Playstation Account was canceled... so no more Netflix. I was furious to find out that our NY Attourny General issued "Opperation Game Over". And now that a few months have past i'm past that too. But the biggest fear is trying to get on with my life only to have the Sheriff knock on my door because of another stupid law that I didn't know about and have all my work riped away from me. I'll kill myself before I spend another day in jail.
im a level 2, after being set up by a dirty police officer and his 16 yr. old kid accomplice,- had they not have set me up i would never have committed the crime in the first place. It was on the internet, - i am classified at level 2 - i have never touched a single kid before that in any way shape or form. Cops can't catch the real predators they have to set up innocent people and turn them into criminals.
Post a Comment