It’s halloween and my first year as a registered 290. while at work my wife called me in tears. that morning she was visited by a small army of police/probation personnel. They informed her that the house was to be searched. My poor wife of 40 years sat there terrified while they went through everything. Finding nothing,they left informing her they would be back next year. I’m fearful of neighbors now knowing. all of this is my doing. the guilt/shame is sometimes more than I can bear. I alone created…
Read MoreMonth: October 2014
Lakeside residents outraged over sex offender’s release
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – The community of Lakeside is in an uproar over news that a registered sex offender could soon be living across the street from an elementary school. Full Article
Read MoreShaming Employers Willing To Give A Registrant An Opportunity
As registrants, we know how difficult it is to find employment. Irrespective of how educated, professional or qualified you are, the scarlet letter infects you, your family, your friends, your employer. There are kind-hearted people out there who are willing to give someone a second chance and help them support their families and themselves. In exchange they get a hard-working, dedicated, loyal employee, who will value their job more than you can imagine. Full Editorial
Read MoreNJ: Megan’s Law 20 years later: Pros and cons of sex offender rules still debated
Two decades after a convicted sex offender lured a 7-year-old named Megan into his house with the promise of seeing a new puppy, then killed her, the law that bears her name remains broadly popular, but gets mixed reviews. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Open Letter to Louisiana’s Sheriffs Regarding Halloween (ACLU)
NEW ORLEANS – The ACLU of Louisiana delivered an open letter today to all of Louisiana’s parish sheriffs, concerning regulation of the Halloween holiday. The letter reads as follows: Full Letter In response to: Plaquemines placing sex offender signs on lawns for Halloween
Read MoreMD: ‘Vigilante justice’ leads to prison time in fatal beating of sex offender
A 20-year-old Reservoir Hill woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for what prosecutors called an act of vigilante justice when she led a group beating of a sex offender that turned fatal. Her father was also sentenced to jail time for his role. Full Article
Read MoreCollateral Consequences: Why Bar Sex Offenders From Business Loans?
February 2012 – The principals of a small business seeking government-backed loans expect to be asked about their commercial backgrounds and credit histories. They probably do not expect to be asked whether they are former sex offenders. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreCA Supreme Court to Hear Residency Restrictions Case
The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 2 in Los Angeles on a case in which the constitutionality of residency restrictions have been challenged. Following oral argument, the Court has up to 90 days to render its decision. “Current residency restrictions violate both the state and federal constitutions,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “As applied, they constitute banishment which has been outlawed in our country for more than 100 years.” The case to be argued is In re Taylor, S206143, in which the California Court of…
Read MoreAre Sex Offenders Unfairly Persecuted on Halloween?
On Halloween night, Andrew will celebrate the holiday the way most married fathers do: He and his wife will go trick-or-treating with their two kids, who are nine and 12; maybe afterward, they’ll head to their church to finish off the night with games and snacks. But Andrew’s family isn’t like other families, because Andrew is a registered sex offender. … “Just because you’re on the registry doesn’t mean the Constitution doesn’t apply,” said Janice Bellucci, an attorney and president of California Reform Sex Offender Laws. Full Article
Read MoreDE: When Halloween fun is against the law (Opinion)
Halloween is a time for costumes, parties and seeking out some chills and thrills. It is also when sex offenders are placed in the spotlight as law enforcement, neighborhood watch groups and local media tell parents their little ghosts and goblins are in imminent danger of becoming prey. The result is a slew of policies aimed at keeping sex offenders off the streets and in their homes on Halloween – usually with the doors locked and the lights off. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreLOS ANGELES COUNTY SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
A sex offender ordinance adopted by Los Angeles County is the subject of a lawsuit filed today in federal district court on behalf of a registered sex offender (“registered citizen”). This is the 25th in a series of lawsuits challenging sex offender ordinances adopted by local governments. “The California Court of Appeal ruled in January 2014 that city and county ordinances that restrict the presence of registered citizens are unlawful,” stated attorney Janice Bellucci. “Despite notice of more than eight months, Los Angeles County has failed to repeal or revise…
Read MoreMS: Registered Sex Offender Emerges as Star College Football Player
A registered sex offender has emerged as a star player on a top tier college football team, resuming his athletic career after being expelled from the Air Force Academy where he was court-martialed for sexual assault. No NCAA rule prevents a person with a criminal conviction from playing college athletics, a spokesperson told ABC News. It is left up to the individual college or conference to determine eligibility. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Nonprofit To Expand Nassau County Sex Offender Program
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) – Starting next year, the Long Island-based group Parents for Megan’s Law will begin monitoring the online activities of Nassau County’s registered sex offenders. The monitoring will include tracking posts on Facebook and Twitter and forwarding leads to police, Newsday reported. Full Article
Read MoreVA: revisiting penalties for teen sexting
RICHMOND — Should teenagers who exchange sexually explicit messages and photos face the same punishment as adults charged with producing and distributing child pornography? The Virginia State Crime Commission is revisiting the teen sexting issue and may again consider legislation that would lessen penalties — primarily intended for pornographers — in consensual cases involving suspects who are minors. Full Article
Read MoreHalloween & Sex Crime: Myth vs. Reality
It is almost Halloween, and as we begin to feel a chill in the air in the northern hemisphere, we also feel the excitement of that annual ritual of trick or treating. But while children look forward to a night of ghouls, ghosts, goblins and goodies, parents ponder the presence of real-life demons in the neighborhood: registered sex offenders. States, municipalities, and parole departments have adopted policies banning known sex offenders from Halloween activities (or, in some jurisdictions, from even leaving their homes on Halloween), based on the concern that…
Read MoreThis is getting boring, but it’s Halloween again
I really thought this year was going to be different. Last year the “big, bad sex offender at Halloween” hype started as early as August and was in full swing in September. This year, all was quiet on the scare tactics front through the end of September and was slow going into October. However, the past few days have picked up speed, and some of the articles are so self-righteously infuriating about how they are making Halloween safer for children by–take your pick–visiting all registrants in their district on Halloween/not…
Read MoreProf. Alan Dershowitz: “Harvard’s policy was written by people who think sexual assault is so heinous a crime that even innocence is not a defense.”
It’s a great quote, and it appears in this week’s Time Magazine in a story about the letter published last week in the Boston Globe signed by 28 Harvard law professors voicing strong objections to the school’s one-sided, feminist-inspired sexual misconduct policies. But when Dershowitz continued and said that people accused of rape should have a full and fair opportunity to defend themselves, Time pooh-poohed it: “It’s a noble idea, but . . . .” Full Article
Read MoreThe “Sex Offender” Regime is Cruel and Unusual Punishment
If it’s true that all seven of the football players arrested for hazing in the Sayreville, New Jersey, War Memorial High School locker room are students of color, that is one more reason not to prosecute them as sexual felons. I don’t mean not to prosecute them in adult court. I mean not to prosecute them at all. If they’re guilty, they should be disciplined by the school, kicked off the Bombers team, and held accountable to their victims by making amends in words and deeds. But the punishment the…
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