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Federal Parolees Kicked off Internet
The U.S. Parole Commission has said that it was so disturbed by the amount of information available on the Internet about child sex rings, recipes for explosives, and plans for hate crimes that in December, 1996, without holding any public hearings, it approved restrictions on the use of computers by certain federal parolees.
The new restrictions, which federal parole officers can put into use as they see fit immediately, will range from prohibiting parolees from owning a computer to installing monitoring equipment on their computers that will keep tabs on where they roam on line.
Michael J. Gaines, one of the three U.S. Parole Commissioners and a former chairman of the Arkansas parole board, said that the commission is most concerned about parolees "with histories involving either pedophilia or hate crime activity, the illegal use of explosives, those kinds of things.'' And he added, "our staff is estimating perhaps 100 or so offenders may fit the condition."
Jenni Gainsborough, speaking for the ACLU National Prison Project, said the new restrictions could probably withstand any legal challenge, since parole boards have the authority to restrict their convicted charges in ways that would be unconstitutional on first amendment and due process grounds otherwise.
New York Times
The new restrictions, which federal parole officers can put into use as they see fit immediately, will range from prohibiting parolees from owning a computer to installing monitoring equipment on their computers that will keep tabs on where they roam on line.
Michael J. Gaines, one of the three U.S. Parole Commissioners and a former chairman of the Arkansas parole board, said that the commission is most concerned about parolees "with histories involving either pedophilia or hate crime activity, the illegal use of explosives, those kinds of things.'' And he added, "our staff is estimating perhaps 100 or so offenders may fit the condition."
Jenni Gainsborough, speaking for the ACLU National Prison Project, said the new restrictions could probably withstand any legal challenge, since parole boards have the authority to restrict their convicted charges in ways that would be unconstitutional on first amendment and due process grounds otherwise.
New York Times
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