RALEIGH — Violent felons who post video of their crimes online would get longer prison terms under a bill advancing in North Carolina’s legislature.
The measure that cleared a House judiciary committee without objection Tuesday would automatically add two years to the sentence of “any person convicted of a violent felony who intentionally posts a clip” of the crime “on the Internet or other similar communications media.”
“I’m seeing a lot of young people who are starting to mess up their lives, putting things on video, even fighting in school, other things in the community,” Democratic Rep. Garland Pierce, who represents part of Robeson County, told the committee. His bill should “send a strong message that North Carolina will not tolerate this type of behavior,” he said.
The measure would take effect on Dec. 1. It also would allocate money for a prosecutor to help local district attorneys with such cases.
Asked by a committee member if the legislation might upset Facebook or other social media companies, Pierce said he believes they won’t object.
“Once they see those types of clips, they immediately take them down,” Pierce said “They don’t want their network to be used for purposes like that.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina’s spokesman, Mike Meno, told The Associated Press that his organization has no comment on the bill at this time, but will be studying its potential impact on civil liberties.
It’s unclear how many other states are considering similar proposals. The National Conference of State Legislature isn’t currently tracking this type of legislation, a spokeswoman said.
