LOS ANGELES – The California law mandating GPS monitoring of sex offenders can provide a false sense of security for the public, according to a report released Wednesday. While it can help law enforcement authorities find suspects after a crime has occurred, it has only limited benefits in preventing crime in the first place, the report says. The report from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Inspector General was requested after two Orange County sex offenders who were required to wear GPS devices were arrested last spring in the…
Read MoreYear: 2014
OR: Portland City Club Report Says Fewer Youth should Register as Sex Offenders
The City Club of Portland has released a research report on juvenile sex offender registration in Oregon. After interviewing 17 experts and reviewing almost 50 research reports, the committee recommends changes that would identify youth who are at most risk of re-offending and reduce the number who are placed on the registry. Full Article
Read MoreTo Lena Dunham: From A Person Placed on the Sex Offender Registry as a Child
Dear Lena Dunham, You have been taking some heat for a passage from your book outlining what most psychological and developmental experts would call childhood sexual curiosity, if not just plain curiosity. I am glad you have defended your actions as a child as just that—childhood exploration. While the behavior might be considered by a puritanical society as taboo, it should not be a criminalized behavior. Ms. Dunham, many children around the country did the same thing you did. For example, a 9-year-old in South Carolina is now on the sex…
Read MoreCars kill more kids on Halloween than Registered Sex Offenders, so we should ban Trunk or Treat
Over the past few years, we see the barrage of Halloween stories designed to scare the people in a different way. There was no shortage of news stories warning parents to check the registry before they send their kids out trick-or-treating. Still, there has not been a “stereotypical kidnapping” of a child by a “Registered Sex Offender” on Halloween so long as the registry has existed. In 2014, no child was murdered by a Registered Sex Offender. Full Blog Item
Read MoreDeadly Halloween Across the Nation
Halloween took a deadly turn for trick-or-treaters, paradegoers and party guests across the country, on a holiday that federal safety regulators say is one of the deadliest on America’s roadways. At least 15 people were killed and nine others were injured in accidents and a fire connected to the festivities in the past few days, in states from California to New York, and Washington to Maine. Full Article
Read MoreLiving with 290: AB109 – Rehabilitation or Family Destruction?
Husband AB109er! In full compliance for 9 months. Allowed to live at home with wife and kids after 3 months on the streets. They say he’s not an SO he’s an alcoholic. Clean and Sober 9 months out, never missed an appointment, graduating from treatment. Gainfully employed – even though I lost my job. Asleep upstairs 2 hours. Friends drives by to pick/up halloween costumes for her kids. She literally walks thru the house and the kids are standing in the door way while we are outside. Probation comes thru…
Read MoreCA Supreme Court to Hear Two Residency Restrictions Cases
The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument on two residency restriction cases on December 2 starting at 2 p.m.. The oral arguments are open to the public and will be held at the Ronald Reagan State Office Building, 300 South Spring Street, Third Floor, North Tower, Los Angeles. “The issue of where a registered citizen may live is of great importance to more than 105,000 families within the state of California,” stated California RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “This issue is also important to the protection of the state and…
Read MoreTX: For $1.4 million, Dallas sex offender registration doesn’t buy much
If the goal is more stigma and shame, the operation succeeds spectacularly. For starters, the entrance is hidden around back of Dallas police headquarters, behind a rusting door, next to a small sign: “Sex Offender Registration Entrance Only.” Inside, the atmosphere only gets worse. The dreary waiting room is almost always filled to capacity with people sitting glumly, waiting for hours to meet the strict reporting requirements of being a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreMD: Court ruling upends Maryland’s sex offender registry
___ is among 1,155 sex offenders who have been removed from the registry since February. … Most have been stripped out because of a decision by Maryland’s highest court. That ruling handed a victory to advocates who said the registries were unfairly punitive, but has troubled legislators and upset victims. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments November 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreTX: 89-Year-Old Grandmother Required To Post Sex Offender Sign
ALVARADO (CBSDFW.COM) – Police in Alvarado aren’t bending the rules for 89-year-old ____ ____, whose son is a registered sex offender. “I haven’t hurt anybody. I haven’t violated or done anything to anyone,” said ____. Her home is her son’s official residence, thus ____ must post a “sex offender warning” sign on her lawn this Halloween. And it doesn’t matter, that she’s home alone. Full Article
Read MoreLiving with 290: first visit
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 MoreLakeside 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
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