Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) joined with his colleagues on the New York State Senate Task Force on Critical Choices to announce legislation intended to stem the growth of Internet crime videos that have been popping up on web sites. The measure, which Senator Flanagan is sponsoring in the Senate, would enhance penalties for those who record criminal acts of violence with the intent of distributing them on the Internet for entertainment purposes.
"Using the Internet to glorify acts of violence is outrageous and reprehensible behavior that must be stopped. This type of behavior, which affects real people throughout our nation, is unacceptable and New York State has an obligation to act now," stated Senator Flanagan. "By enhancing the penalties these criminals face, maybe we can protect future victims from this senseless and thoughtless use of the Internet."
The move, which was announced at a press conference in Albany, is aimed at halting the increase of violent attacks that are orchestrated and recorded for future posting on Internet sharing sites, such as YouTube.com and MySpace.com.
Earlier this year, a group of teenage girls in central Florida recorded the brutal beating of a sixteen-year-old girl and posted in on You Tube, where it was widely viewed. And just last month, in an incident thought to be inspired by the attack in Florida, a group of middle school girls in southern Indiana videotaped the beating of a twelve-year-old classmate and also posted it on the Internet.
Similar attacks against the homeless are gaining notoriety on video sharing sites. A group of high-school students recently went on a crime spree, recording violent attacks against people on the street, including throwing smoke bombs at and setting fire to homeless individuals, with the intent to become "famous" on the Internet.
The legislation that Senator Flanagan has proposed would create the new crime of unlawful violent recording in cases where a person commits an assault while knowingly recording the crime with the intent of broadcasting or disseminating it. The new statute would allow additional penalties of one and a half to four years in prison.
Additionally, the legislation would make persuading others to commit crimes for the purpose of recording, viewing, or broadcasting a class E felony. This change would allow for additional penalties of one and a half to four years in prison for those convicted of this crime.
"By eliminating the ability of these criminals to gain any acknowledgment or notoriety for their crimes, we can take away any perceived power they foolishly crave. This legislation will provide law enforcement with a tool to protect innocent people from being victimized twice and protect everyone from having to witness their outrageous acts," added Senator Flanagan.
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