Many criminals pay for the consequences of their actions long after they have served their time in the eyes of the court. This sentiment is especially true for sex offenders, and rightly so, as they’ve committed serious sexual offenses against vulnerable individuals. They must adhere to strict guidelines for decades after a conviction, but when do measures taken to protect the public go too far in punishing a person for years after a conviction?

That’s the question that was asked by an Illinois appeals court this week while hearing a case of Marc Pepitone, a sex offender who was originally arrested back in 1999 and convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault. Pepitone was arrested again in 2013, but not for sexual abuse. Instead, he was arrested while walking his dog in the park, as Illinois has a law that bans convicted sexual offenders from a wide variety of public places.

Sex Offenders In Public Places

The law regarding convicted sexual offenders in public places states that it is a crime for convicted sex offenders to attend concerts, picnics, rallies, public parks or other popular public places in Illinois like Soldier Field, the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium or the Museum of Science and Industry.