In response to David Trower’s Nov. 12 column “Sex offenders need stronger punishments,” I feel disappointed that Trower would write something that relies on thoroughly debunked stereotypes, faulty statistics and emotional appeals, yet fails to even acknowledge or address the root causes of the issue of sexual abuse. Trower’s viewpoint is typical of those who adhere to the “uncontrollable monster” myth of the American Sex Offender. It is a persistent myth dating back to the late 1800s and the serial killings of Jack the Ripper and HH Holmes. (In fact,…
Read MoreYear: 2013
A new look at truth and Justice for ALL
Don’t make the mistake of falling into the bigotry, propaganda and lies put forth by any hatemonger groups that are attempting to make themselves look better or feel better by attacking a disfavored people. These groups always use myths, half-truths and lies and the result is that these bigoted groups siphon off much-needed funds from communities using such catchwords as “if it saves one child” or “community safety” when in fact laws rules and regulations based on these misconceptions are damaging children and doing nothing for community safety this one…
Read MorePA: Judge made right ruling on juvenile sex offenders (Editorial)
In the twilight of his career, York County Common Pleas Court Judge John C. Uhler recently cemented his legacy as a legal lion of Pennsylvania with what might amount to a landmark ruling. It was the right ruling — deeply grounded in constitutional principles. Unfortunately for the judge, though, it’s probably not one that will make him popular among the lock-’em-up-and-throw-away-the-key crowd. In fact, the decision will likely be unpopular among the many people who believe sex offenders should receive death sentences — or at least life without parole. Full…
Read MoreJurisdiction Substantially Implements SORNA (Colorado)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Justice Department’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) today announced that Colorado and five federally recognized Indian tribes are the latest jurisdictions to substantially implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Full Announcement (pdf) A list of the jurisdictions that have substantially implemented SORNA (17 states, three territories, and 57 tribes) can be found at: http://www.smart.gov/newsroom_jurisdictions_sorna.htm
Read MoreNZ: Labour says no to vigilante action against sex offenders
Labour does not support vigilante-type actions against sex offenders as reported in the Herald on Sunday this morning but says the police must be utterly scrupulous in investigating sex offences in order to keep public confidence and prevent people taking the law into their own hands. Full Article
Read MoreNEW! Living with 290 – YOUR Story
Tell YOUR Story! There are many challenges facing every person required to register under PC 290 as well as their loved ones. We are inviting you to share the challenges you are facing – as a person required to register, as a family member, as a loved one, or as a friend. It is through the expression of those challenges that we can learn from each other and educate those who do not yet know the life of a 290 Registrant. Tell your Story! – Click Here!
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting – January 11 in San Diego
The first regular CA RSOL meeting of 2014 will be held in San Diego on January 11 at 10 am. As always, the meeting will be open and free of charge to registrants, friends & family and supporters. Media and government officials are not invited in order to ensure all attendee’s privacy. The meeting will cover general topics of interest, as well as specific issues pertinent at meeting time, in addition to offering invaluable opportunities to network with others affected by this issue, as well as activists and professionals. Meeting…
Read MoreHandbook: Sex Offender Registration and Notification in the United States (2013)
US Dept of Justice: The SMART Office is pleased to announce the release of the 2013 version of Sex Offender Registration and Notification in the United States: Current Case Law and Issues. This edition updates the 2012 version with new cases, issues raised, and corrections where prior case law has been overturned or modified. There were a number of developments in case law, federal legislation, and administrative policies regarding sex offender registration and notification during the last year. Below are some highlights of those changes. Readers are encouraged to review…
Read MorePA: Law requiring lifetime registration for juvenile sex offenders is unconstitutional
In a decision that seems destined for the appeals courts, a York County judge has ruled unconstitutional a two-year-old Pennsylvania law that imposes lifetime registration requirements on juvenile sex offenders. Senior Judge John C. Uhler issued his ruling against the juvenile registration provisions of the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act while weighing the cases of seven county teens adjudicated as having committed serious sex crimes. Uhler found that the registration mandate “unconstitutionally forecloses a court’s considerations of the many unique attributes of youth and juvenile offenders” under age 18…
Read MoreNew treatment for sex offenders reduces repeat crimes by 70%
Sex offenders are 70 per cent less likely to reoffend if they are part of a restorative justice programme which exists in other countries but has not yet been introduced inIreland, a conference heard yesterday. The Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) programme was developed in Canada and 100 such programmes are now in operation in the UK for sex offenders who have been released from prison. Full Article
Read MoreSan Diego Gets in Your Face With New Mobile Identification System
The San Diego regional planning agency, SANDAG, has been quietly rolling out a new mobile face recognition system that will sharply change how police conduct simple stops on Americans. The system, which allows officers to use mobile devices to collect face images out in the field, already has a database of 1.4 million images and serves nearly 25 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the region. Full Article Also: Facial recognition, once a battlefield tool, lands in San Diego County
Read MoreViewpoint: Sex offenders need stronger punishments
Baylor Lariat – A couple months ago, more than 100 people convened in Los Angeles for the Fifth Annual National Reform Sex Offender Laws conference, “Justice for All.” The purpose of the conference is to shed light and try to bring about reform of national and state sex offender laws that they claim deny the civil rights of more than 750,000 sex offenders. I find this to be offensive. These laws exist for a reason and they exist to protect everyone, especially children. To think that, as a sexual offender, your…
Read MoreFresno State ASI: Revised sex offender resolution passes
A debate over a revised resolution regarding the disclosure of sex offenders on campus, which has been among the main focuses of Fresno State’s Associated Students, Inc. agenda for most of the semester, came to a near-unanimous conclusion Wednesday. The resolution, authored by Neil O’Brien, senator for the College of Health and Human Services, calls for students to receive a general notification email from the University Police Department that informs a student if a registered sex offender is enrolled in their class, lives in the same campus housing as them…
Read MoreUK: 10 years for killing sex offender
A man who admitted killing a convicted sex offender in a flat fire in Worcester has been jailed for 10 years. Daniel Martin, 25, set fire to a wheelie bin and pushed it up against the front door of ____ ____’s flat in the early hours of December 14, 2011, sparking a rapidly spreading and ferocious blaze in which the 52-year-old was killed. Sentencing Martin for manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court, Mrs Justice Thirlwall said the crime was “shockingly stupid”. She said he had intended “to do something so frightening, it…
Read MoreEx-San Jose officer cops plea over teen’s pics
… As a condition of his plea to a felony charge of distributing or exhibiting harmful matter to a minor, ____ has resigned from the department where he had served for eight years, authorities said. When ____ is sentenced, the judge will determine if the conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor, in which case ____ would not have to register as a sex offender for life. Full Article
Read MoreAR: Sex Offenders, Experts Question Effectiveness of New Restrictions
LITTLE ROCK, AR – After serving their time, some sex offenders can be on another list for the rest of their lives. Convicted sex offenders are required to register with their local law enforcement office for at least 15 years, often much longer than that. Now some registered sex offenders and their families are saying this branding is doing more harm than good. Full Article
Read MoreOR: Sex offenders commute to easy registration sites
… Recently, Fairview Police Chief Ken Johnson reported an unusually high number of sex offenders registering in Fairview. Even more odd, a majority of them don’t live in Fairview, but are arriving from Portland and elsewhere within Multnomah County. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Denver Post article, shows eight amendment violation, for lack of treatment
An article in the Denver Post on November 3, 2013 was titled “Unintended effect of 1998 Colorado law: More sex offenders in for life”. This article brought to light that Colorado has not been offering treatment, as is required by law to people who have been sentenced for crimes. These people can only be released after receiving effective treatment and the state is not offering that treatment supposedly because of facilities and financial issues. Full Article
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