Month: April 2014

Policies that differentially apply to sexual offenders at different risk levels require defensible procedures for classifying offenders into risk categories. The current study examines the reliability and validity of Static-99 and Static-99R sexual offender risk assessment tools as implemented in the State of California. California is a valuable case study because it is a large jurisdiction that has devoted considerable resources to the implementation of risk tools. Paper

Do Ex-Sex Offenders Have Civil Rights?

They are the most loathed convicts on the planet. Even other criminals hate them. Cities in recent years have targeted them with laws that limit where and when they can be certain places, particularly on Halloween, when children are out. But ex-sex offenders do have rights. At least that’s the contention of a group called California Reform Sex Offender Laws. Full Article

Not Really, But Sort Of In Defense Of The ‘Pillowcase Rapist’ (Commentary)

Now I know that for some people, sex crimes are worse than actual murder. I know there a contingent of people who believe that rapists and sex offenders should be punished as if they committed murder, including having the death penalty on the table as option. For them sex offenders, especially those who committed crimes against children, should never see the light of day again (Hi John and Ken). I get that. What I’m about to touch on isn’t for you because I know that for you no amount of…

The Evolution of Unconstitutionality in Sex Offender Registration Laws

More is not always better. Consider sex offender registration laws. Initially anchored by rational basis, registration schemes have spiraled out of control because legislators, eager to please a fearful public, have been given unfettered freedom by a deferential judiciary. This Article does not challenge the state’s legislative power to enact sex offender registration laws. Instead, this Article posits that, even if sex offender registration schemes initially were constitutional, serially amended sex offender registration schemes—what this Article dubs super-registration schemes—are not. Their emergence demands reexamination of the traditionally held assumptions that…

Today’s Untouchables: Sex Offenders

April 14, 2014April 14, 2014 Admin

Sex offenders are the foremost pariahs of our current day. In opinion polls, even intravenous drug users place higher. A recent series of high profile cases involving child sexual abuse have revealed the maddening frequency of the problem. My hometown newspaper now exists in electronic format, and as I read the local news, it seems that every other week brings a report of a new crime against minors. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Most are the product of incest, unreported, hushed up within families. The offenses that…

CA RSOL Meeting – May 17 in Berkeley

April 13, 2014May 17, 2014 Admin

California RSOL’s Meeting will take place on May 17 at 10 am in Berkeley. The location is Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1606 Bonita Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709. 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. One topic of discussion will be the series of lawsuits filed throughout the state against municipal ordinances that prohibit registrants to enter public parks and other recreation areas.…

WA: Yakima County judge blocks release of sex offender information

April 12, 2014 Admin

YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima County judge has blocked the release of names and addresses of low-level sex offenders to a Mesa woman who wants to post the information on a website. Ruling Friday, Superior Court Judge Blaine Gibson permanently blocked Donna Zink’s request for low-level sex-offender registration forms from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. The move had been sought by 22 low-level offenders who said releasing the information would subject them to public scorn and threaten their safety. The ruling covered all low-level offenders who comply with state law,…

CITY OF CARSON SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT

A sex offender ordinance adopted by Carson, a city located within Los Angeles County, is the subject of a lawsuit filed today in Federal district court. This is the fourth lawsuit to be filed in four weeks challenging a city’s sex offender ordinance that includes restrictions regarding where more than 105,000 individuals can be present. Specifically, the Carson ordinance prohibits registered citizens from being present in or within 300 feet of a wide range of locations including schools, parks, library, swimming pools, and bus stops. A registered citizen who violates…

Do sex offender registries, like new ‘OffenderWatch,’ make us safer? (Op-Ed)

Today the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office announced it was launching “OffenderWatch,” a brand-new way to be scared of your neighbors. … I have a few questions: Why? And what, exactly, are you to do with this information? Do you commit these names and faces to memory? What are you supposed to do when you meet one of these guys on the street? Do you instruct your kids to stay away from these homes? Are we supposed to keep an eye on them in some way? Should we organize patrols…

WA: Yakima County judge to hear arguments on request for sex-offender data

YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima County Superior Court judge will hear arguments today on whether to give a Mesa woman names and addresses of all low-level sex offenders in the county. Judge Blaine Gibson will also hear a request from attorney Greg Scott to certify his suit to block the release of the names as a class action on behalf of all 688 Level 1 sex offenders in Yakima County. Level 1 sex offenders are considered least likely to offend again, and their names are typically not posted by authorities.…

WI: Man convicted of setting sex offfender’s house on fire

STURGEON BAY – A man who didn’t like that a sex offender moved into the neighborhood, so he set that man’s home on fire, was convicted Thursday. T.J. Robert Hunt pleaded no contest to arson, according to online court records. Three other counts were dismissed. Sentencing is scheduled for July 14 in Door County Circuit Court. Hunt and Justin Baker set fire to the residence of ____ ____. ____ was convicted in Michigan in 2009 of 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Assault, according to the state registry. Authorities said the two cited…

Sex offender wants parks proximity (National City)

A registered sex offender in San Luis Obispo County is suing cities across the state, claiming he has every right to go near schools and parks — and National City has become his latest target. ____ ____, 61, of Grover Beach, was convicted in 1979 of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. His attorney, Janice Bellucci, says he has relatives in National City and wants to visit. She sued the city in federal court last week over its ban on sex offenders being within 300 feet of a…

Feds settle with local firm over inaccurate background checks

(AP) — It’s tough enough landing a job these days, so imagine if that background check provided to your potential employer wrongly identified you as a possible sex offender. That’s what the Federal Trade Commission says happened in a case it’s settling with InfoTrack Information Services of Deerfield. The company provides employment background screening services. The FTC says InfoTrack gave inaccurate information suggesting that job applicants potentially were registered sex offenders. Full Article

Scan Your Date’s Photo, Learn If He Is A Sex Offender

A few years ago I attended an annual conference of Balkan political leaders. Middle-aged men filled the room. In the back a younger woman who could certainly have adorned the cover of a fashion magazine stood out in stark contrast. I wondered: who could she be? Those sitting beside me had no idea. I wondered if one day technology could identify any stranger at a moment’s notice. On that day, only by happenstance did I later learn her identify. Soon, facial recognition programs may help instantly inform us who’s who.…

UT: Man arrested after living as unregistered sex offender for 20 years