The state’s criminal code completely bars child sex offenders from entering public parks, despite an exception written into a similar but separate part of the law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week.
The 5-2 majority held that the exception in Section 11-9.3(a-10) of the Illinois Criminal Code of 2012, which allows child sex offenders to visit public parks with their minor children when other minor children are present, cannot be read into Section 11-9.4-1(b), which prohibits a child sex offender from “knowingly be[ing] present in any public park.” Full Article
How does banning anyone from visiting a park minimize risk? It doesn’t! Safety and security is an illusion. This ruling was decided only for protecting the local authorities from liability and embarrassment from a media blitz in the event “one of those people” snatches a kid from a park. That’s all!
Well this is all kind of nuts. So they create an exception that is apparently meaningless. And convicted a man on a matter of useless principle of the law for looking out for his child. They immensely hurt him while literally wasting tens of thousands of public dollars for absolutely zero gain in any measurable way.
I would have argued the laws conflict. One law is an outright ban, but another lifts the ban under certain conditions, which were met from my reading of the opinion. Longstanding precedence is that when laws conflict, the conflict is resolved against the government. The dissenting opinion should have carried, IMHO.
Further, constitutional or not, I think the ban is wrong. If the registrant pays taxes, he has just as much right to be there as anyone else. If the ban sticks, he should be relieved of paying the taxes that support the park, as well as any other government service he is denied due to his registry status.
@SR – waste public dollars means that they get to keep their inflated salary government jobs. Sometimes they will actually hire outside council as well who in turn, “return the favor” (wink wink).
To all sexofenders liveing in the state of ILLINOIS id either move or try your best to follow the blueprint Janice Bellucci and the ACSOL team has lad out for everyone City to city coast to coast.
If you feel your constitutional rights are being violated then stand up and fight back.
Is it me, or should this have been fought on the grounds of the statutes being unconstitutionally vague??? What a crock of crap!
So the dude was being a good parent, looking for his wayward son. And yet for those good paternal measures, he gets slapped with a(nother) conviction. That’s all in spite of the convoluted and twisted interpretation the IL SC made. I know it’s State laws in a State matter but I hope to heavens there’s some sort of Federal Constitutional violation that could be tossed up. Vagueness is no longer valid, since IL SC has just made it crystal-clear for citizen and TBL alike.
I guess they make the laws about S$x offenders not being allowed in any parks to keep the rate of s$xual assaults down on children by S$x offenders in parks – I mean look at all the articles you read about in the news on a daily basis of this happening all over the country where S$x offenders are allowed in parks etc.
Oh wait! We don’t see articles in the news on a regular basis about these kinds of assaults on children where s$x offenders are allowed in parks. I can’t remember when I read one the last time.
Sorry, I am confused? Can someone please shed some light on how a law like this does reduce assaults on children?
I know, someone will say the famous phrase –
“If it saves just one child it is worth it”. Darn! And I was thinking the same thing that children are in far more danger just riding with an adult in a car – chances of an accident and child being hurt are far higher than an assault in a park.
Awesome, they sure got their priorities straight. Meanwhile 104 people were shot on Father’s Day in Chicago alone as a result of gang and drug warfare. Keep up the good work leaders of Illinois.
Traveling to or living in places like Chicago are close to impossible to comply with the letter of the law. Just finding out what places we are banned from is difficult. I can somewhat understand probation restrictions of this sort, but for a free citizen it is hard to swallow. It would be interesting if justice Thomas L. Kilbride was in danger or distress in a park and he called out to a citizen for help and that citizen said “sorry, cant be in the park”. Better yet: drowning in lake Michigan- can’t walk across the sand to the water… it’s a park.
My PO when asked if we see a child is drowning and no one else is around what should we do…. the answer of course was call the police. As a person not on probation it’s mind twisting. I pray for the day a kid is saved by a registrant who subsequently is charged with some proximity bull****. That is or best chance for stupid law reform.
As a side note a friend of mine in SOT group was given verbal atta-boy praise by his PO for waiting out in the street 20+ minutes until his wife arrived home while his hurt child who had fallen bled in his garage. His PO had trained him well.
I wonder what would of happened if something bad happened to his son and he got charged with child abuse/negligence because of his club membership. These laws have always been unjust and abuse of power!! Government has gotten to big for it’s pants.
This is some bull shit. They can make our info public but they can also ban us from Public places?!?
How is it Not punishment and or any different from a type of incarceration when they remove a groups status as part of the public as a FREE CITIZEN?
This really angers me even tho I don’t live in this area. I know I don’t ever want to walk into a place minding my own fucking business only to be looked at as a threat or a goddam domestic terrorist. I’m a human being. How can anyone expect a person to learn from their mistake and grow as a person when they keep having their face rubbed in shit?
Well , You all in IL have a road map of how to change the law, its not the old traditional way as BLM has taught us.
I’m still confused about this park restriction. Can I as a convicted child sex offender (not registered) be present in a IL park with my 4 year old daughter? I understand not approaching or communicating with other children, my question is can I legally be present if there with my daughter? I’m so tired of IL, I have 2 states to escape IL from and get my freedom back and neither sounds too appealing…Georgia and Alaska are the only 2 truly free states for me to get my life back. I was convicted in 91.
Another bad decision In Illinois released today upholding the 500 foot rule and registration is not punishment using bad cases. https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/862957b0-57a5-4485-9ac3-be91f70be527/Kopf%20v.%20Kelly,%202024%20IL%20127464.pdf
I don’t live in Illinois but I contribute to their economy. I visit people who live there. The criminal regime of Illinois is stealing from my family. The criminals are harassing my family. Anyone who supports the Sex Offense Registries there and these kinds of “laws” is an enemy of my family. I will treat them as such on a daily basis. I need have no concern for them or any “rights” they want to pretend they have. They are harassing terrorists who deserve consequences.