A future historian might one day write the following of our time: “Despite a generally permissive culture in which sexually suggestive photographs were used to advertise products ranging from toothpaste to cars, 21st century Americans nonetheless harbored draconian and puritanical laws involving sexual misconduct. It is almost as though they were afraid of the very desire they relied upon to entertain and to titillate themselves.” Full Op-Ed Piece
Read MoreMonth: September 2014
Westminster expected to repeal sex-offender ban
WESTMINSTER – The City Council on Wednesday will likely repeal its ban on registered sex offenders entering public parks – a move that staffers hope will both satisfy recent court decisions that prevent cities from enacting such laws and help settle a potentially expensive lawsuit. Full Article
Read MoreNJ: Supreme Court – Sex offenders who served their time can’t face penalties under new laws
Sex offenders can not be subjected to punishments under newly created laws if they committed their offense and served their time before the legislation was passed, the state Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision Monday. In 1986, ____ ____ was convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a minor and given a 20-year sentence. About six months after his release in 2009, when ____ was under no form of parole, the parole board said he would have to comply with the 2007 Sex Offender Monitoring Act meaning that he would have to…
Read MoreIN: Court – Sex offender doesn’t have to register
MUNCIE – A Muncie man convicted of sex crimes in Florida does not have to register locally as a sex offender, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled. In a 3-0 ruling, the appeals court also ordered local authorities to dismiss two criminal charges pending against 44-year-old ____ ____ ____ that stemmed from his failure to register with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. Full Article
Read MoreADVANCING ADVOCACY Workshop Sept 24 (National RSOL)
Join RSOL on fourth Wednesdays (Wed, September 24, 2014 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM E.S.T. – Teleconference) to learn tips and get answers to questions surrounding sexual offense laws and policies, seeking change among lawmakers and the general public, and in general becoming a better advocate. We will be covering everything from basics to more detailed suggestions on how to approach lawmakers and build working relationships. Topic this month: Storytelling for Change – Phil Horner Phone line will open at 7:45 p.m. E.S.T. for early birds. Call in information will be…
Read MoreDC: US attorney calls for an end to statute of limitations in sex crimes
WASHINGTON – The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia is urging the D.C. city council to eliminate the 15-year statute of limitations on sex crimes. U.S. Attorney Ron Machen says advances in DNA have erased the need for such a law. But a bill that would wipe the statute off the books has gone nowhere since being introduced early last year. Since at least 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has repeatedly asked the D.C. city council to eliminate the statute of limitations on sex crimes. The council members have listened.…
Read MoreJurors Beware: State Crime Labs Incentivized to Help Falsely Convict
Many jurors are led to believe that evidence and results provided to them through state crime labs are objective data on which they can rely in determining the fate of the defendant. Earlier this year, we discussed the crime lab scandal at the Hinton Lab in Jamaica Plain in Massachusetts, in which a chemist who was socially wooed by prosecutors falsified lab results in favor of conviction for years, calling 40,000 convictions into question. Jurors should be aware that there are even stronger incentives for state crime labs across the country to…
Read MoreSexual Offender Residence Restrictions
ATSA supports evidence-based public policy and practice. Research consistently shows that residence restrictions do not reduce sexual reoffending or increas community safety. In fact, these laws often create more problems than they solve, including homelessness, transience, and clustering of disproportionate numbers of offenders in areas outside of restricted zones. Full Report (pdf)
Read MoreSC: Public university required students to submit sexual history or face disciplinary action
Clemson University is requiring students to reveal how many times they’ve had sex in the past month and with how many partners. In screenshots obtained exclusively by Campus Reform, the South Carolina university is asking students invasive and personal questions about their drinking habits and sex life as part of what they’ve billed as an online Title IX training course. Full Article
Read MoreUT: Sex offenders driving up prison population
Prison populations around the country have been in steady decline for the past 10 years. In Utah, it’s a different story. The number of men and women in the state’s prison system has continued to rise, with the highest drivers being nonviolent criminals and sex offenders, who are staying in longer and taking up more beds than ever before, according to data collected by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Sex offenders now take up 42 percent more beds than they did 10 years ago, making them the largest group inside the…
Read MoreAK: How We See It – Sex Offender Laws Need Another Look
Is it assuming too much to believe any substantial changes to the state’s sex offender laws is dead on arrival at the state Legislature? Will they even arrive? Arkansas lawmakers approved creation of a sex offender registry in 1997, joining other states and the federal government in establishing new penalties and handling for people convicted of sex-related crimes, particularly against children. These laws varied state to state, but had at least a couple of similarities. They require convicted sex offenders to register with local and state authorities so their whereabouts…
Read MoreFBI launches a face recognition system
The FBI’s new facial recognition system lets local police easily identify you. It will one day spot you from your iris, voice and the way you walk. It’s called the FBI’s Next Generation Identification system, and the agency said it became fully operational Monday. The government expects the system’s database to house 51 million photographs by next year — and keep growing. But it’s not just for the FBI. Police everywhere will be able to tap into the system. They’ll quickly ID fingerprints during a routine traffic stop — or look up…
Read MoreTX: Deputy seeks sex offender dick pics
A Sheriff’s deputy in Wise County has been arrested in a bizarre incident. Sgt. Chad Hightower told sex offenders the state now required him to photograph them nude. He even told one fellow he must achieve an erection for the photo shoot, which took place in the police impound yard. Unreal. Full Article Also see Officer arrested for photos of sex offender
Read MoreThe Supreme Court Renders Another Decision Interpreting the Ex Post Facto Clause
June 2013 – The national drive to identify and punish child predators took a step backward this week. While on its surface, the Supreme Court’s decision this week in Peugh v. United States does not deal with sex offenders, its impact will surely be felt in the sex-offender cases. As with the Court’s decision ten years ago in Stogner v. California, the Ex Post Facto Clause has once again been interpreted to make it more difficult to incarcerate criminals, and particularly sex offenders, as I will explain below. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Study – Home prices may suffer in areas near offenders
BLOOMINGTON — The legal limits on where convicted sex offenders can live have created an unintended financial consequence for McLean County property owners who may have a person considered an outcast by society living next door. The selling price for homes sold within close proximity of where a registered sex offender lives were predicted to be $6,586 lower than sold homes in areas without offenders nearby, according to a study by John Navarro, an Illinois State University criminal justice sciences student who examined the issue for his graduate thesis. Full…
Read MoreSteep cost to house sex offenders
Sometime before Oct. 24, if all goes according to plan, ____ ____ will move into a rented three-bedroom home on five acres in the backcountry community of Campo — a move that will be unwelcome by neighbors, closely watched by a team of experts, and expensive to taxpayers. _____, 58, is the most recent sexually violent predator to win release from a state hospital to live on his own, but under supervision. It won’t come cheap, either: the state Department of Hospitals said that the average cost for supervision of sexually violent…
Read MoreBellflower eases ‘loitering’ rules for sex offenders
BELLFLOWER — The City Council Monday night gave final approval to an ordinance change halting the enforcement of “loitering” restrictions on registered sexual offenders as listed in a 2010 city law and instead aligns itself with state law on the subject, which is not as restrictive. Originally approved Aug. 25, the ordinance change will take effect in 30 days. There was no comment on the unanimous decision from council members or the audience. Full Article
Read MoreVA: Justices – Judge erred in ordering lifetime waiver of probationer’s 4th Amendment rights
RICHMOND, Virginia — A judge went too far in requiring a sex offender to surrender his constitutional protection against unreasonable searches after leaving prison, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled Friday. Full Article
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