Let’s face it, we’re more sympathetic to the plights of some than others. Lost puppies and sad children rank right up there atop the sympathy scale. And at the bottom … Well, can you think of a group lower than sex offenders? It’s a tough sell, but a national conference is meeting this week in Dallas with the goal of making things a little easier for those convicted of sex-related crimes. Full Article
Read MoreMonth: July 2014
Changes to sex offender ordinance worries parents
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors deferred action on a proposal to repeal a Riverside County ordinance restricting where convicted sex offenders can reside and loiter, directing county staff instead to modify the law so that some of its provisions can be preserved. Full Article
Read MoreCities grapple with sex-offender code changes
HESPERIA — Reluctant to bow to state-level pressure, councilmen deferred adopting amendments to the city code about the regulation of sex offenders spurred by recent and pending court actions. With two of the city’s five councilmen on vacation, the motion to approve the amendments died on a split vote (three yes were needed to pass). Councilman Russ Blewett, who voted no, said after Tuesday’s meeting that he was basically protesting state laws and court decisions dictating what a city must do. Full Article
Read MoreI Saw a Man Get Arrested For a Sex Crime Because He Made a Scheduling Error
When I agreed to keynote the Reform Sex Offender Laws conference this week in Dallas, Texas, I didn’t expect it to hit quite so close to home. But before I arrived, I got a phone call from a soft-spoken, super-articulate young man, Joshua Gravens, who is a Soros Justice Scholar based in Dallas. His specialty is the injustice of the sex offender registry and the fact that it isn’t making kids any safer (see this study and this article). He is also a registered sex offender and invited me to…
Read MoreLompoc council to consider changes to sex offender ordinance [UPDATED with more media and video]
Lompoc’s City Council members tonight will consider easing loitering restrictions in the city’s sex offender ordinance to conform to state law, and temporarily suspending enforcement of residency limitations for registered offenders. Full Article City Council Hearing Video (click on #9) Update 7/16: Lompoc Council OKs settlement with registered sex offender (Lompoc Record) Update 7/17: To Settle Lawsuit, Lompoc Council Agrees to Ease Restrictions for Sex Offenders (Noozhawk)
Read MoreRiverside County moves to keep some sex offender limits
RIVERSIDE – Riverside County supervisors indicated Tuesday they would continue to limit where convicted sex offenders can live while repealing an ordinance saying offenders cannot go near schools and other places children gather. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Judge sentences man behind arson to sex offender’s home to prison
STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A Door County judge has sentenced a man who took part is setting fire to the home of a registered sex offender Monday to three years in prison. T.J. Hunt set fire to the home where Jason Johnson was staying back on November 2. Sturgeon Bay police say Hunt and Justin Baker claimed they set the blaze because they didn’t want a sex offender living there. Full Article
Read MoreSupervisors set to repeal sex offender ordinance
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors are expected to repeal Ordinance 902, the ordinance that sets rules on where sex offenders can live or visit. The board decided to appeal the ordinance on the advice of legal counsel following Appeals Court rulings on similar ordinances in nearby areas as unconstitutional. Third District Supervisor Jeff Stone registered a “No” vote, making a strong political statement on the subject during the July 1 meeting. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Letters on sex offenders go out to Van Hollen, Wall
As expected, letters were sent out Friday to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and Corrections Secretary Edward Wall in connection with the city’s effort to force the state to do something about the disproportionate number of sex offenders who are being placed in the city. In his letter to Wall, Murphy noted that Grave Roberts, who runs the state’s sex offender program, stated that residency restrictions “inadvertently have negative effects on public safety.” “As such, we believe it prudent and an agency obligation for you to send an unequivocal statement to…
Read MoreNZ: Revamp sex laws says UK expert
A former senior British policeman who broke up online paedophile rings involving up to 16,000 offenders says New Zealand must introduce a sex offenders register. The Government is debating whether to follow Britain, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia in introducing a central list of those who have been jailed for sexual offences, particularly against children. Full Article
Read MoreMA: SJC sex offender ruling another affront against Massachusetts residents (Op-Ed)
The state’s highest judicial entity; the Supreme Judicial Court reached another stunning milestone in delivering an affront to the sensibilities and protections of law-abiding citizens on July 11th. In a 6 to 1 decision the justices ruled that life-time parole for sex-offenders is unconstitutional. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreNE: Is registering as a sex offender inconvenient?
OMAHA, Neb. —Local law officials said sex offenders are ducking the system because they want Douglas County to make registering more convenient, but the county said it’s not going to cater to convicts. Authorities said there are not many wealthy registered sex offenders in Douglas County. In fact, the exact opposite can be said for most. Most convicted criminals are living on fixed incomes and some are without a home; most are unable to buy a car. When it takes a 13-mile cab ride to register as a sex offender,…
Read MoreMN: Federal panel moves on sex offenders release
____ ____ celebrated his 19th birthday by checking into Minnesota’s treatment program for sex offenders. ____ had been in and out of therapy and juvenile detention in Anoka County since he was 12, when his family discovered that he’d sexually abused other children, including his younger step-brother. Even at that age, ____ said, he was having almost daily sexual interactions with his peers. Full Article
Read MoreRI: Chafee signs law restricting employment of sex offenders
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Carnivals, arcades, movie theaters, public libraries, beaches and pools are among the facilities banned from hiring registered sex offenders as employees under a new law signed by Governor Chafee on Wednesday. The bill groups those facilities and a number of others into a category called “child-safe zones.” Any entity falling into that category cannot hire any individual who is a registered sex offender or should have registered as a sex offender. The law applies to offenders from any state whose victims were minors. Full Article
Read MoreLompoc May Revise ‘Presence’ Restrictions for Sex Offenders
The City of Lompoc is poised to repeal its stringent requirements on where registered sex offenders can visit, a change stemming from a lawsuit filed by a Grover Beach man. Full Article Related: Santa Maria attorney files sex offender lawsuit against Lompoc LOMPOC SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
Read MoreVA: Police to take graphic photos of teen as evidence
McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Virginia teenager is fighting efforts by police who want to take photos of him in a sexually aroused state to try to prove a sexting case against him. Prosecutors in Prince William County told a judge they need photos of the 17-year-old’s erect penis to compare against photos he is accused of sending to his 15-year-old girlfriend at the time. The teen has been charged in juvenile court with possessing and manufacturing child pornography related to the images of himself he’s accused of creating. Full Article
Read MoreRiverside County Officials Discuss Repealing Sex Offender Ordinance
TEMECULA (CBSLA.com) — A major move by Riverside County officials could do away with a sex-offender ordinance that sets rules on where they can live or visit. Sex offenders across California aren’t allowed within 2,000 feet of public parks or schools, and in Riverside County, they aren’t welcome within 300 feet. The county also has stronger restrictions on where sex offenders can live. Full Article
Read MoreUK: Primary teacher admits sniffing pupils’ feet in classroom ‘game’
A TEACHER has admitted he sexually assaulted pupils at a Blackburn primary school by tickling and sniffing their feet. ____ ____ would make the youngsters take off their socks and shoes and sit up on a table before assaulting them. The 51-year-old told the youngsters it was part of a game. Airey pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 at Burnley Crown Court. Full Article
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