Virginia Sex Offenders On Web

Virginia State police on Tuesday launched a Web site with the names, addresses and photos of the state's registered violent sex offenders.

Ross Guidotti of CBS Affiliate WTVR reports that the site currently lists 4,631 convicted sex offenders, with almost all of the state's 6,363 offenders expected to be online within two months.

Guidotti reports that Virginia schools and day-care centers have been given the option to register their locations and email addresses with the site so that they can be notified when a convicted sex offender moves into the neighborhood.

The list of names includes all sex offenders who were serving sentences or on parole as of 1994 or thereafter.

Kent Willis, director of Virginia's American Civil Liberties Union, called the site an invasion of privacy against people who already have paid their debt to society. He also warned the site would encourage vigilante justice.

A total of 1,700 people initially failed to register with the state as required by law. However, all but 300 of them have been tracked down.

All but 81 of Virigina's sex offenders are men.

©1998, CBS Worldwide Inc., All Rights Reserved