If you have been charged with a sex offense, you know the stakes are high. The possibility of a stiff prison sentence is daunting. So is the social stigma that can come from being charged at all.

To be convicted of certain sex offenses also means having to register as a sex offender. This involves reporting to local law enforcement after release from prison and disclosing where you live.

Under a proposed bill in the California Legislature, this reporting requirement would involve not only where you live. It would also include information on online monikers, e-mail accounts, and use of social networking sites.

Sen. Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, proposed the bill, SB 57, after hearing that the murderer of two southern California teenagers used a false name when setting up a sexually explicit MySpace profile. The bill has already passed the Assembly, but the Senate has not yet voted on it.

Sen. Runner believes that requiring registered sex offenders to disclose Web addresses would help deter predatory behavior and other forms of Internet crime.

It is by no means clear, however, that cash-strapped law enforcement agencies have the resources to enforce additional registration requirements. As everyone knows, California has had plenty of financial challenges in recent years, and budgets remain tight.

Moreover, it isn't as if all convicted sex offenders are currently getting a free pass. Corrections officials are already monitoring computer use by about 8,750 parolees who were released to the community after serving time for sex offenses.

Source: "Sex offenders would disclose their Web addresses under proposed legislation," Los Angeles Times, 6-1-11