Federal judge lifts ban on sex-offender’s calls to daughter
Illinois is one of the few states that prohibit registered sex offenders from contact with anyone under the age of eighteen years of age. That same law extends to parents convicted of sexual offenses when the child is not in sole custody and applies to any registered offender regardless of current registry location. However, a Chicago federal judge says a corrections department ban on telephone contact between a mom with a sex-crime conviction and her 17-year-old daughter should be lifted.
Adele Nicholas, legal counsel representing the registered sex offender said, “a generalized fear that sex offenders will offend again isn’t justification enough to ban phone contact in individual cases.” The judicial ruling provides an opening to reducing fear based legislation and unreasonable circumstances where families are divided or prohibited from engaging in fundamental human rights.