After more than seven years and a move 2,800 miles across the country, ____ ____ thought he’d left behind reminders of the arrest that capped a bitter break-up. That was, until he searched the Internet last month and came face-to-face with his 2006 police mug shot. Full Article
Read MoreMonth: June 2013
Trio of sex offenders arrested in Santa Rosa registration sweep
Only three of 46 people contacted by police Wednesday had not followed state sex offender registration laws or were violating probation terms, Santa Rosa police said. Officers from several agencies joined Santa Rosa police during the all-day effort to make sure sex offenders registered in the city were complying with the law, Sgt. Terry Anderson said. Full Article
Read MoreSan Juan Man Guilty in Vigilante Murder of Sex Offender
A jury has convicted San Juan Capistrano resident Robert Eugene Vasquez of murdering his neighbor in what prosecutors described as a vigilante killing. He was also convicted of almost killing a second San Juan Capistrano man two days later, as he was hiding out from the police. Full Article
Read MoreCA RSOL supports AB 218
CA RSOL strongly supports the passing of AB 218 in the California Legislature. This bill would remove questions about criminal convictions from public job applications, postponing them until later in the hiring process. Through your support of AB 218, the State of California can begin to unlock employment opportunities for thousands of residents and help them obtain the second chance they deserve, thereby,significantly improving public safety and reducing the current recidivism rate. AB 218 was approved by the Assembly on May 30, 2013, and is now under consideration in the…
Read MoreOklahoma Supreme Court ruling may result in removal of hundreds of names from sex offender registry
Hundreds of names of convicted sex offenders may be removed from the state’s list of registered sex offenders as the result of an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling handed down Tuesday. In a split decision, the court ruled state corrections officials have been violating the Oklahoma Constitution by retroactively applying state sex offender registry laws, thereby dramatically increasing the time many convicted sex offenders must spend on the registry. (2 Pages) Full Article Case Info
Read MorePetition: Outlaw “Mugshot” Websites, Online “Reputation Management” firms and other Online Extortion Websites
“Mugshot” websites post arrest data, then demand a “Removal Fee” to have the mugshots/personal profiles removed. I have seen extortion fees of these websites range from $79 – $1,700 or higher. Often after the extortion fee is paid, they do not remove the info. or pass it along to another mugshot website. These websites display mugshots/profiles of people who were arrested but never convicted of any crime, people who were convicted then had their conviction overturned, or had their records expunged and even people who are now deceased. Currently Georgia,…
Read MoreUnited States v. Kebodeaux
Judgment: Reversed, 7-2, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on June 24, 2013. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito filed opinions concurring in the judgment. Justice Scalia filed a dissenting opinion. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Scalia joined as to parts I, II, and III-B. Issue: (1) Whether the court of appeals erred in conducting its constitutional analysis on the premise that respondent was not under a federal registration obligation until the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) was enacted, when pre-SORNA federal law obligated him…
Read MoreMD: Sex offender removed from Md. registry; could be first of many
Maryland officials in recent weeks quietly removed the mug shot of convicted child molester ____ ____. from the state’s sex-offender registry. They also deleted the Internet link to the former middle school teacher’s guilty plea to charges he abused a 13-year-old student decades ago. ____’s physical description, the address of the cottage he lives in near Annapolis, the make and model of the car he drives: Everything the state had tracked for years to keep him from anonymity was erased. ____ was removed not because he was exonerated of his crime.…
Read MoreBrian Banks’ accuser ordered to pay school district $2.6 million
The Long Beach Unified School District has won a $2.6-million judgment in its lawsuit against a former student who falsely accused classmate and football player Brian Banks of rape, officials said Thursday. “The court recognizes that our school district was a victim in this case,” district Supt. Christopher J. Steinhauser said in a statement. “This judgment demonstrates that when people attempt to defraud our school system, they will feel the full force of the law.” Full Article
Read MoreFederal judges order Brown to begin releasing inmates immediately
A panel of federal judges on Thursday ordered Gov. Jerry Brown to immediately begin releasing inmates from the state’s crowded prisons. In a 52-page order signed by U.S. District Judges Stephen Reinhardt, Lawrence Karlton and Thelton Henderson, the court ordered Brown to expand good-time credits that allow inmates to finish their prison terms early. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Commentary: More homeless sex offenders on the way
The United States is home to about 750,000 sex offenders, with slightly less than 60,000 registered in Florida. According to a 2012 study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Florida saw a 74 percent increase in the number of sex offenders in the past five years. What has also increased exponentially in the last five years is the number of municipalities that have passed tough residency restrictions against those classified as sex offenders. With thousands being added to the list each year and Florida requiring lifetime registration,…
Read More[UPDATED] California RSOL Meeting July 27 – Los Angeles
California RSOL will discuss the California Supreme Court decision of Doe v. Harris — its meaning and its impact — in the organization’s monthly Los Angeles meeting on July 27. The meeting will be held at the ACLU building at 1313 W. 8th Street and start at 10 a.m. The meeting will also include updated information regarding the exciting National RSOL Conference to be held in Los Angeles starting August 29. The conference will include experts and dynamic speakers including Alex Landon, criminal defense attorney and author of “A Parallel…
Read MoreIs new sex offender bill’s “throw ‘em in jail” philosophy good policy?
Article provided by Ventura Criminal Defense Lawyer – Bamieh & Erickson PLC Those convicted of sex crimes have long been a straw man for elected officials looking to bolster their political clout. Every time a politician wishes to appear “tough on crime,” one of the easiest avenues is pushing new sex offender legislation through the California House and Senate. But, while new sex offender regulations may be popular with the public, they are not always good policy, often hampering the livelihoods of individuals who would have otherwise simply paid their…
Read MoreMS: Sex offender wins new sentencing hearing
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A convicted sex offender has won a new sentencing hearing for failing to register in Mississippi because a federal judge erred in putting conditions on his supervised release, a federal appeals court panel has ruled. ___ ___ pleaded guilty in 2011 to failing to register as a sex offender in Mississippi. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison plus 10 years of supervised release. Full Article
Read MoreSupreme Court Rules That Pre-Miranda Silence Can Be Used In Court
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says prosecutors can use a person’s silence against them if it comes before he’s told of his right to remain silent. The 5-4 ruling comes in the case of ____ ____, who was convicted of a 1992 murder. During police questioning, and before he was arrested or read his Miranda rights, Salinas answered some questions but did not answer when asked if a shotgun he had access to would match up with the murder weapon. Full Article
Read MoreMurder trial to begin in 2011 death of sex offender in O.C.
A man accused of killing a registered sex offender in a San Juan Capistrano mobile home park and attacking a second victim days later goes on trial Monday for murder. Robert Vasquez, 36, could face a sentence of life in state prison without parole if convicted, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney’s office. Full Article NOTE: We copied and pasted the headline in the interest of news aggregation. However, we strongly disapprove of the choice of words and this type of reporting.
Read MoreFailure to Register: Are Violations Overblown?
“As a crime of omission, each failure to report ordinary life events is an opportunity for registrants to commit a new felony.” Over the last two decades, registration for sexual offenders in the US has become the law of the land. It seems intuitive that tracking known sexual offenders should reduce sexual abuse, but with data indicating that sexual offense recidivism is much lower than widely believed and as many as 95% of arrests for sexual abuse are first time offenders, there are legitimate controversies about the sex offender registry,…
Read MoreFL: Florida Appeal Court Approves Weekly Check-Ins for Homeless Sex Offenders
In a case that may have ramifications beyond the Florida Panhandle, where it originated, a state appeals court Monday approved a Bay County Sheriff’s Office policy that requires homeless registered sex offenders to report by 10 a.m. each Monday about where, through a detailed log, they expect to spend the next seven nights. Full Article
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