California Legislature Will Not Consider Tiered Registry Bill This Year

The deadline for the introduction of new bills has passed and there is no tiered registry bill for consideration by the California legislature during this two-year session. “Despite strong efforts by the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB), an author for the tiered registry bill could not be found,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of California RSOL. “The next opportunity to introduce the bill is projected to be 2017.” The CASOMB strongly recommended the creation of a tiered registry in a report issued in April 2014. CASOMB repeated its recommendation In…

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CA Supreme Court Decision Regarding Residency Restrictions Due March 2

The California Supreme Court has officially announced that it will publish on Monday, March 2, two decisions regarding residency restrictions. The decisions are expected to determine the following issues: (1) whether residency restrictions are constitutional, (2) to whom do the restrictions apply and (3) if the restrictions can be applied to every registered citizen while on parole. The Court heard oral arguments in the case on December 2 in Los Angeles. During oral arguments in the case of People v. Mosley, the Attorney General’s office argued that residency restrictions are…

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DE: Misguided legislation won’t protect children

This week, my graduate seminar at the University of Delaware hosted several scholars who study sex trafficking, both trafficking laws and the people they affect. Together, this group of scholars and activists from around the world share some common concerns about what happens when well-meaning policymakers use the wrong tools to address problems. Sen. Chris Coons has the opportunity to address one aspect of this with the bill pending now in the Senate Foreign Relations committee, H.R.515, International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking. While the proposed…

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CASOMB: Year End Report (2014)

The beginning of 2015 is an opportune time to provide an update and overview of activities, plans and recommendations of the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) and the State Authorized Risk Assessment Tool for Sex Offenders Committee (SARATSO). The picture of sex offender management in the state is a complex one with many moving parts. This Report touches on many of those components. It is anticipated, however, that actions by the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of California government over the coming months will cause new issues to emerge…

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Teens Who Sext Are Child Pornographers? (Op-Ed)

Thanks to our mistaken belief that no one under 18 can have any legitimate sexual feelings—and hence any sex they’ve engaged in was coerced and bound to render unspeakable emotional harm—we have laws on the books like this one in Wisconsin, according to USA Today (boldface mine, all mine!): In 2012, state lawmakers passed into law a mandatory, minimum three-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography. Previously, judges had the discretion to order lesser penalties depending on the circumstances. That means a 17-year-old who receives explicit images from a younger friend…

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NY: Senate passes Sex Offender Legislation

Albany, N.Y. – The New York State Senate passed a bill Thursday granting municipalities the authority to establish residency restrictions for registered sex offenders. Sen. Rich Funke (R-NY 55th District) first announced the bill Monday alongside Penfield Supervisor Tony LaFountain. Penfield is working on a child safety act that would prevent level two and three sex offenders from living in designated child-safe zones, which would be 2,000 feet away from any schools, parks, playgrounds, town facilities or daycare centers. Full Article

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Sex Offenders Employ Simple Techniques to Change Identity

Sexual offenses – particularly those against children – are among the most reprehensible of crimes. Two techniques that sex offenders use to escape detection from the law are manipulating their ID and residing at addresses other than those reported to authorities, a nationwide study found. Donald Rebovich, Ph.D., professor of criminal justice and executive director of the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP) at Utica College, conducted the study, “Hiding in Plain Sight? A Nationwide Study of the Use of Identity Manipulation by Registered Sex Offenders.” Rebovich worked…

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WI: Man arrested on suspicion of burning house intended for sex offender

Dane County authorities arrested a town of Cottage Grove man they say set fire to a house Sunday night in a vigilante effort to keep a sex offender from moving in there. Russell A. Speigle, 50, was arrested on a tentative charge of arson for the fire, which destroyed a home at 4721 Gaston Circle in the town of Cottage Grove, Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Tuesday. Investigators are now trying to determine if Speigle was responsible for another fire that damaged the same house in December, Mahoney said. Full Article

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OK: Sex offender chemical castration bill defeated in Senate committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday defeated a measure that would have allowed for the chemical castration of violent sex offenders.bThe Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Senate Bill 671 by Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro, by a vote of 5-4 with no debate.   The legislation would have applied to sexually violent offenses including rape, rape by instrumentation, lewd or indecent proposals or acts against a child under 16, solicitation of a minor and procuring a minor to participate in pornography. Full Article

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Living with 290: Torn and Angry

He has a violent history of fighting and no love for authority (cops). He felt the street life was appealing until prison came knocking on the door. One night of drunkenness and high off of whatever he could get his hands on changed our lives forever. …. Just know that in 1997 Jazz was one of the fastest 400/800 meter runners in the country. Now, he’s labeled as a sex offender. Can’t live withing 2600 feet of school. Yet, there is a school on nearly every corner. When he was…

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Do Sex Offender Registries Reduce Recidivism?

No. Or at least that is what the empirical evidence and research on this issue shows. But that doesn’t mean we should not have them. The fact is that the registries don’t really do anything to improve public safety. They just make people feel safer and in control; unfortunately this is a false sense of security. Full Opinion Piece [Paul Heroux is a state representative from Massachusetts.]

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NY: Ruling stirs debate on limiting where sex offenders live

MINEOLA, N.Y. — A decision by New York’s highest court striking down dozens of local laws that set boundaries on where convicted sex offenders may live has rekindled a debate over whether such laws really work to protect children. New York’s Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that only the state has the power to tell offenders where they can and cannot reside, and generally only while they are on parole or supervised release. The ruling effectively struck down more than 130 local laws across the state, many of…

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Op-ed: The sexual violence that has no name

He was my teacher. I was 19 years old and had graduated from high school the year before. I never said no. Legally, the incident was just poor judgment on both sides. Physically, there were no bruises. There was no force. This doesn’t fit the narrative of the girl who got drugged and raped at a fraternity party, nor does it resemble any sort of stereotype about a non-white stranger jumping out of the bushes and attacking the closest white girl. Full Article

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Monthly Meeting April 11, Lobbying April 13/14 in Sacramento (updated)

California RSOL will return to Sacramento to to conduct a monthly meeting for registered citizens / family members on April 11 and  lobby on April 13 and 14 (please note new dates for lobbying). The lobbying effort will focus on creation of a tiered registry as well as opposition to two bills that would allow cities and counties to adopt presence restrictions. “If Assembly Bill 201 and Senate Bill 267 become law, registered citizens would once again be prohibited from visiting cities and counties within the state of California,” stated California…

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Northern Ireland: Sex offender awarded £20,000 in damages against Facebook

A convicted child abuser who featured on a Facebook page set up to monitor paedohphiles in Northern Ireland is to be awarded £20,000 in damages, a High Court judge ruled today. In a landmark verdict, Mr Justice Stephens held that both the social media giant and page operator Joe McCloskey were liable for misusing private information. He also ordered that the ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe From Predators 2’ profile at the centre of the lawsuit is to be terminated. Full Article Related: Facebook case: ‘I’d rather go to jail than…

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How I Became a Monster

Hello. I’m a monster. Not just any kind of monster. Vampires and werewolves get to star in movies. They’re monsters, but they can also be heroes. I’m the worst kind of monster. I’m a sex offender. And the worst kind of sex offender. I’m a pedophile. Don’t worry. I’m locked up. I’ve been in a federal penitentiary for almost two years and I’ll be here for at least another seven. No time off for good behavior. Not for monsters like me. When I get out, I’ll be on lifetime probation.…

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