IL: Sex offender workplace registry bill sparks debate

State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) has introduced a bill that would require convicted sex offenders to register with police in the locales where they work to plug a hole in the state’s registry system. The measure is viewed as a common-sense approach by Highland Park Police Chief Paul Shafer and others in law enforcement, and seen as overly punitive and burdensome by some advocates looking out for offenders’ rights. Full Article

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CT: Bill to Keep Sex Offenders Away From Schools Could Cause ‘Chaos,’ Critics Say

A bill intended to keep convicted sex offenders away from kids would throw the Connecticut’s sex offender registry into “chaos,” according to the state’s Department of Correction. Included in Senate Bill 1087 is a provision that would prohibit registered sex offenders from residing within 1,000 feet of a school or a child day care center, but according to Eric Ellison, deputy director for parole and community services at the Correction Department, that’s not a feasible, or even desirable, goal. Full Article

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CA RSOL Meeting – May 9 in Los Angeles

The monthly meeting for May will take place on May 9 in Los Angeles at the usual location in Los Angeles, at the ACLU Building at 1313 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Start time is 10 am. The main focus of discussion will center on the recent California Supreme Court decisions about residence restrictions. We welcome registrants, friends and family and other supporters to attend. The meeting is off-limits to media and government officials in order to ensure everyone’s privacy. There is no charge to attend. Show up,…

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VA: woman convicted for harassing sex offender

All she wanted to do, Delores Ann Harris told a jury Friday, was to protect herself and her granddaughter from a man who had been convicted 21 years ago of aggravated sexual battery, a man who has been on the state’s sex offender registry since 1997. But the convicted sex offender in the courtroom was the victim in the jury trial. And Harris, 61, was the defendant, charged with misusing information from the sex offender registry. Full Article

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IN: Sex offender fights restraint law Challenges Hartford City child safety zones

Challenges Hartford City child safety zones – Convicted sex offender ____ ____ would like to take his daughter bowling. And to church. And although it’s been more than 20 years since he was convicted of the crime in Los Angeles County, California, the 47-year-old Blackford County man is prohibited from doing those and other activities with his daughter because of a Hartford City ordinance. Full Article

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IA: Supreme Court rules on sex offender supervision of Waterloo man

The Iowa Supreme Court is questioning whether the supervision of a Waterloo man who was deemed a sexually violent predator is constitutional. ____ ___, 57, was committed to treatment at the Iowa Department of Human Services’ Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders in Cherokee in 2001 after he was released from prison for a 1995 sexual abuse conviction in Dubuque. The state’s sexual predator laws allow for civil confinement for convicted sex offenders who have a mental abnormality that makes them more likely than not to carry out future sex…

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ND: Man Sentenced to Prison For Sexual Conversations with Minors

… Judge Gary Lee ordered ____ ____ to spend six years in prison, followed by five years of probation, and a lifetime requirement to register of a sex offender. Judge Gary Lee told ____ that the prison time was a minor worry in his life. The judge said the lifetime sex offender label was much more damaging, adding, quote, “Your life is over.” Full Article

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State audit faults evaluations of sexually violent predators

The state auditor released a report Thursday criticizing the Department of State Hospitals’ evaluation system for determining whether  prisoners due for parole or psychiatric patients being held at Coalinga State Hospital are sexually violent predators. The audit found that evaluations of current and potential “SVPs” are inconsistent, and that there is no standard protocol used to determine whether those being assessed meet the criteria for confinement. The audit also found that evaluators lack clinical supervision and training, and that Coalinga has a “significant backlog” of annual evaluations that violates the rights…

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Sex Offender Gets Up to 44 Years in Prison for Stabbing Police Dog

Early last year, I wrote about the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old beloved Police Dog, Rocco. ____ ____, a convicted sex offender,  stabbed Rocco during an attempted arrest by the police. He also injured two other human police offers while resisting arrest. Bail was set for 1 million dollars. This week, WTAE Pittsburgh’s Action News reported that ____ was sentenced to 17 years, 9 months to 44 years in prison. The 22-year-old ____ must also serve 8 years of probation following his release. Rocco’s handler, Officer Phil Lerza, was also…

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NY: Drawing the line on sex offenders

___ ___, Douangtavilay, a Level 3 sex offender, once lived 200 feet from athletic fields used by Penfield youth. The discovery of this fact has prompted Penfield officials to propose residency restrictions on sex offenders, potentially putting Penfield in conflict with state law. New York’s courts assign sex offenders a Level 1, 2, or 3 designation, based on the risk that they’ll re-offend. Level 1 means a low risk, Level 2 is moderate, and Level 3 is high. Full Article

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OH: Supreme Court – When Is a Sex Offender Not a Sex Offender?

Maybe Hollywood culture has impassioned us too much. We expect loud murmurings and banging from a gavel to restore order when we envision courtroom scenes. Largely, we expect drama, especially when it comes to sex crimes. The reality is that it is a subdued affair. At least it was this morning. There was a small and quiet crowd in the Supreme Court of Ohio this morning. Overall, it was a feeling of intrigue as the Court heard an important paradox of a question. When is a sex offender not a…

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Another View: Sex offenders are human beings, too

Ben Boychuck’s recent article (“Best solution may be sex offender ‘colonies,’” March 6) reminded me of a similar suggestion in 2010 by gubernatorial candidate Douglas Hughes to build a “pedophile island” off the California coast. Thankfully, Hughes was not elected, but his sentiments are often echoed across the nation. Full Letter to the Editor Related: Best solution may be sex offender ‘colonies’  (Opinion)

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NC: Sheriff bans sex offenders from church

ROBBINSVILLE, N.C. – A sheriff in one of North Carolina’s smallest counties told sex offenders they can’t attend church services, citing a state law meant to keep them from day care centers and schools. Sheriff Danny Millsaps, in Graham County, told the registered offenders about his decision on Feb. 17, according to a letter obtained by the Asheville Citizen-Times on Friday. Full Article

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