Barely had Match.com declared that it would henceforth include sex offender screenings for its users, than Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers found a number of other online dating websites announcing that they would be following suit.

Match.com's decision to include sex offender background screenings for all users of its website came in response to a lawsuit filed by a California woman. The woman claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by a man she met on Match.com. Her lawsuit against the dating website did not claim monetary damages, but asked that the website install sex offender screenings.

Match.com agreed, and in April announced its decision to include sex offender screenings. Last month, the dating website made its decision official, by promising to screen out sex offenders using a sex offender registry.

Other dating websites are also making similar promises. According to e-Harmony, it has already installed sex offender screenings for all members. Another dating website, Zoosk, says that is planning similar measures.

All Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers can see coming out of measures like this is the creation of one more area of life where persons convicted of sex crimes are not able to participate as regular people do. Reducing recidivism rates has much to do with helping people integrate into society, and that doesn't happen if you keep raising barriers for people who want nothing more than to begin leading normal lives after incarceration.

Additionally, it's hard to believe that sex offender screenings will really keep dating website users that much safer. For one thing, these don't screen for people who may have committed offenses that they have not been convicted for. They also don't screen for people with other types of criminal convictions. It is easy to wonder whether dating websites believe persons convicted of sex offenses, are more dangerous than those convicted of other first-degree crimes.