New York Governor Bars Sex Offenders From Playing Pokemon Go (theverge.com)

Adi Robertson, reporting for The Verge: At the direction of Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York's correctional department has made playing online games a violation of parole for sex offenders -- particularly Pokemon Go. In a statement, Cuomo said that people on the sex offender registry are now banned from "downloading, accessing, or otherwise engaging in any internet enabled gaming activities, including Pokemon Go." He also published a letter that he sent to game developer Niantic, asking for its cooperation in preventing registrants from signing up. The decision is based on a report from two New York state senators, released last week. Jeffrey Klein and Diane Savino visited the locations of 100 registered sex offenders in New York City and found 57 pokemon and 59 pokestops and gyms within half a city block. They were particularly worried about the "lures" that draw pokemon -- and thus players, including children -- to a location. While criminals have used pokestops and lures to attract and rob players, there are no known cases of sexual predators using them so far. Nonetheless, Klein and Savino have crafted bills that would ban sex offenders from playing the game and require Niantic to remove any Pokemon Go-related items or locations from near their homes.

Comments

Does NY law really work that way?

[magarity]

Can the governor really just declare what is and is not a parole violation? Also, what communication ensures the parolees get the memo?

Re:Does NY law really work that way?

[SumDog]

If a person is on parole, they are still incarcerated. They're incarceration is relaxed for a given amount of time, in an attempt to rehabilitate (that's the idea anyway). Keep in mind, prisoners are slaves. It's in the constitution. The US allows two types of slavery: convicted prisoners and people in military service.

So yes, they can attach any arbitrary rules.

The sex offender list is fucking terrible in the US for reasons stated in other comments. Uncle bill who rapes a 12 year old shouldn't be lumped together with an 18 year old who fucks his or her 17 year old partner (which is legal in George, but not Tennessee because we have wildly varying age of consent laws, which itself is totally fucked up).

The justice system has no interest in truly finding a solution to sex offenders. We just punish and punish and punish and give them no hope of being able to fix themselves. In Australia, the sex offender registry is confidential. No one can access it except for very specific jobs and living situations.

Probably Can't Do That

[sycodon]

I'm skeptical that the governor can unilaterally change the terms of probation and/or subsequent registration requirements and rules without the Legislature changing the law, unless New York has a King for Governor.

Re:wait what

[powerlord]

Can a minor who publically urinates in AZ be convicted as a sex offender for exposing himself in view of a minor (himself)?

Re:wait what

[hackwrench]

Stuff like that happens because this country was actually based on the concepts of Hobbes who believed that the state should have absolute power. The founders justified their revolution based on a variation of Hobbes done by Locke, but they still believed in the basic principle. People keep recommending to me to read the Federalist Papers and act like they understand them and I haven't made it all the way through, but if you don't understand that a big part of the first two papers is the author playing the age old confidence game of telling the reader that only he knows what's best for them and anyone else is in it for themselves, then you don't understand the Federalist Papers.