A network of Arizona-based Internet companies is mining data from sex-offender sites maintained by law-enforcement agencies and using it to demand money and harass those who complain or refuse to pay. State and national registries are set up to provide information on where the most serious sex offenders are living and warn that the information cannot be used to threaten, harass or intimidate offenders. But sex offenders and others profiled by the Arizona companies accuse their operators, in a civil lawsuit and elsewhere, of running an extortion racket by demanding…
Read MoreYear: 2013
Tiered Registry Bill Stopped by Appropriations Committee
The Appropriations Committee of the California Assembly today stopped further consideration of the tiered registry bill, AB 702, this calendar year. There was no discussion of the bill nor was a vote taken. Instead, Chairman Mike Gatto (Democrat, Los Angeles) decided to “hold the bill” in the committee’s suspense file. “This is a sad day for registrants in California,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “Because of this decision, California will remain 1 of only 4 states in the nation that has a lifetime registry for all registrants.” …
Read MoreFL: Florida teen charged in relationship with minor mulls plea deal [UPDATE]
***UPDATE 3: Fla. teen charged over same-sex underage relationship accepts plea deal; won’t have to register as sex offender, report says (CBS) VERO BEACH, Fla., October 3 – ____ ____, the Florida 19-year-old charged over a same-sex relationship with an underage classmate, has accepted a plea deal that will allow her to be released from jail December 20 and not have to register as a felon or sex offender, reports CBS affiliate WPEC. Full Article *** ***UPDATE 2: ____ ____ offered new plea deal VERO BEACH, Fla., October 1 — ____ ____,…
Read MoreMiracle Village: A haven for America’s social pariahs (with Video)
Almost 750,000 Americans are now on sex offender registries, and the numbers just keep growing. Because the truly dangerous are mixed in with the far more numerous low-risk offenders, registries are useless from a public safety perspective. But they do have a pernicious effect on ex-offenders, who oftentimes find themselves with nowhere to go and no hope of ever reintegrating into society. Enter “Miracle Village” in Florida. Built in 1964 for sugar cane workers (some of whom still live there), it was transformed into a haven by an evangelical pastor…
Read MoreWhat to do when the feds come to town
What to do when the police come around for a compliance check. Know your rights! Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Lobbies for Tiered Registry Bill
Ten individuals representing California RSOL are lobbying in Sacramento in support of a tiered registry bill, AB 702. The bill, as currently written, would remove some individuals from the registry after 10 or 20 years after their release from prison, probation and/or parole. “It is great to have two teams of individuals, including registrants and family members, lobbying in support of the tiered registry bill,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of CA RSOL. “We are educating elected officials and members of their staff regarding the need for a tiered registry.” AB…
Read MoreWhy Current Child Porn Laws Imprison the Wrong People
Growing up, I was taught that prison was a place where people went when they did bad things. It was simple then: There were good people and there were bad people. As I got older, the picture grew more complicated. I saw good people do bad things, and I saw bad people do good things. But recently, when one of the best people in my world did something that landed him in prison, my beliefs about the justice system and how it punishes American citizens were completely upended. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Supreme Court removes Hammond man from sex offender list
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a Hammond man removed from the state’s sex offender registry after determining the law requiring him to register for life imposes an unconstitutional retroactive punishment. Full Article
Read MoreAUS: Find a better way to keep our children safe
Sex offenders are seen by the community as the scum of the Earth. They are considered to be monsters, people who should be abandoned by the community, locked up for a very long time, placed on a sex offenders register and, if they are ever released, monitored for life. Recently, we read in the Herald Sun that new technology will mean that these heinous offenders will have tracking devices attached to them, so if they’re not in jail, “we” know where they are. But is there a better way? Does…
Read MoreJudge Denies TRO in Websites Case
Federal district court judge Bernal denied an application for a Temporary Restraining Order in the lawsuit against three websites that list the names of registrants and family members on May 10. One of the reasons given by the judge is that there was insufficient evidence of irreparable injury despite the statements of 6 plaintiffs in separate declarations. “The judge in this case ignored the evidence presented in the case that people have been significantly harmed by the defendant’s reckless and intentional acts,” stated attorney Janice Bellucci. “Further evidence will be…
Read MoreIN: Pence signs into law changes to sex offender registry
Changes are coming to Indiana’s sex offender registry, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Mike Pence Thursday. HEA 1053 requires the Indiana Department of Correction to remove information from the online public portal of the sex offender registry relating to a sex or violent offender who no longer is required to register or is deceased. The new law also adds the vehicle identification number of the vehicle owned or regularly operated by the offender to the information he or she is required to provide for sex offender registration.…
Read MoreMay 13: Radio Show with Experts on Child Pornography
On Monday, May 13, from From 9-11PM EST (6-8 PM Pacific Time) – Join Radio Host Michael Blum with special guests: Gail Colletta, PRESIDENT/Legislative ChairFlorida Action Committee Dr. Eric A. Imhof, PsyD, Forensic Psychologist,Specialized Treatment and Assessment ResourcesSpecialty: Child Pornography Dr. Suzonne Kline, PsyD, Forensic PsychologistTreatment, Evaluations and Risk AssessmentsSpecialty: SVP’s and Child Pornography Call in at 888-545-1470 Listen on 1470 on the AM dial. It can also be heard from the station website, http://www.wwnnradio.com/streamer and from the players on http://www.michaelblumshow.com or http://www.reality-radio.net. Also, streaming from IHeart Radio. Search IHeart for 1470.
Read MoreRestrictive Residency Rules and the Illusion of Public Safety
The latest strategy to restrict where convicted sex offenders live is to create parks where none exist to force registered sex offenders to move out of a neighborhood. The City of Los Angeles plans to build three pocket parks in the communities of Harbor Gateway and Wilmington. California state law prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a park, playground school or a daycare center. Some states restrict living within 1,000 feet or near certain bus stops. There are similar residence restrictive laws in every state along with…
Read MoreOR: Bill would give break to some young sex offenders
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Some young offenders convicted of having sex with underage partners would be able to request the crime be removed from their records under a bill narrowly passed by the Oregon House on Wednesday. Voting 31 to 27, the House sent the bill to the Senate with little discussion. Under the bill, in order for adult offenders to apply to have their records erased, coercion or force could not have been used in the sex act. Other conditions include completion of all required court-ordered programs and treatments. Full…
Read MoreBusted! Offenders Adds Sex Offender Registry Information from Sacramento, California
Busted! Grid, the leading innovator in the aggregation of crime information, announces the addition of sex offender registry information from Sacramento, California to the Busted! Offenders database. Over 6,600 registered sex offenders living and working in Sacramento have been added to the BustedOffenders.com website. The addition will help ease family’s safety concerns among people in the city who come in contact with their children. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Challenges Santa Ana Ordinance, Registration Process
California RSOL filed a lawsuit in federal district court on May 2 challenging the sex offender ordinance and sex offender registration process in the City of Santa Ana. The ordinance contains presence restrictions including a prohibition of registrants using the city’s public library. The registration process requires all registrants to register inside the Santa Ana Jail for periods up to four hours as well to wear a prison uniform. Registrants are not allowed to leave during the registration process and are prohibited from using cell phones or any other communications…
Read MoreGeneral Comments May 2013
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2013. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it ‘professional’.
Read MoreFormer Facebook exec joins Chelsea’s Law effort
Chris Kelly, a former Facebook executive who authored and financed a highly successful California initiative to stop sex trafficking, has joined the effort to pass Chelsea’s Law in all 50 states. Signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010, after unanimously passing both houses of the state Legislature, Chelsea’s Law is a one-strike mandate for sexual predators convicted of a violent sexual assault on a child. It’s named after Chelsea King, a 17-year-old Poway girl who was brutally raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender who was paroled after serving…
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