Online Predators in Texas Might Be Eligible for Release Under New Policy

Criminalizing online solicitation of minors was deemed “unconstitutional.”

By Alain StephensMay 14, 2015 8:43 am

We’ve all seen the show “To Catch A Predator”: where journalists and police officers pose as underage youths, luring child predators into the hands of law enforcement. The show has become somewhat of a public warning about the very real dangers of online sexual predators holding inappropriate and salacious conversations with minors. The act of doing used to be a crime in Texas.

The keywords being “used to”, because two years ago the Texas Court of Criminal appeals removed a piece of the statute criminalizing online solicitation of minors, saying it was unconstitutional. Now district attorneys are notifying sex offenders that their case may be eligible for a reversal – removing them from the sex offender registry and maybe even setting them free.

Grier Weeks is the Executive Director of the National Association to Protect Children – a national bipartisan nonprofit focused on protecting children from crime. He joins the Texas Standard to talk about this new policy.

Audio and more from the interview will be posted shortly.