Orange County’s longstanding effort to ban sex offenders from parks and beaches has been stymied again. Concerns from legislators that the proposal by Assemblyman William “Bill” Brough, R-Dana Point, might conflict with a recent state Supreme Court ruling that overturned the state ban on where sex offenders can live prompted him to withdraw it from consideration for this legislative session. Brough said he plans to introduce a new version next year. Full Article Related Janice’s Journal: Assembly Member Brough Withdraws AB 201 [UPDATED] Janice’s Journal: SB 267 – Time to…
Read MoreMonth: May 2015
Bob Dyer: Sex-crime punishments incredibly inconsistent
We seem to have no trouble differentiating between a minor fistfight and an assault with a crowbar that turns someone into a vegetable. But for some reason, we tend to lump all sex crimes into one big category. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreNC: Sex offenders can visit public libraries
A trip to the library landed ____ ____ in jail. In 2011, authorities caught ____ with explicit photographs of 15-year-old girls on his computer. He served 15 months in state prison and, after his release last year, became homeless. Last December the 46-year-old visited the Chapel Hill Public Library to job hunt on one of its free computers, he says. His probation officer had suggested that visiting a library was permissible, provided that a children’s event wasn’t being held there. Full Article
Read MoreDE: ACLU challenges GPS monitoring of sex offenders (Updated)
The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the constitutionality of a Delaware law that requires GPS monitoring of certain convicted sex offenders on probation. The complaint filed Monday targets a 2007 law that requires GPS monitoring of Tier 3, or high-risk, sex offenders who have been released from custody and are on probation. Full Article Update : ACLU of Delaware sues over sex offender GPS law (with copy of law suit)
Read MoreMI: Eliminating statute of limitations on child molestation could be unconstitutional
LANSING — A panel of Michigan lawmakers questioned the constitutionality of a bill to allow criminal cases against people accused of molesting children decades ago, despite emotional testimony from alleged victims of a Norton Shores man. House Bill 4231 would retroactively remove all statute of limitations on first-degree criminal sexual conduct of a minor. In 2001, the Michigan Legislature eliminated the statute of limitations on first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which prior to that was six years. Full Article
Read MoreMalaysia: Sex offender registry needed to monitor offenders
DAP lawmaker Zairil Khir Johari has called on the government to consider setting up a sex offender registry to monitor and restrict known sex offenders in the country. His call comes following the case of Malaysian student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, 23, who was offered a second chance by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) to continue his studies once he returned home after serving a sentence in London for possessing paedophilia. Zairil said he was not against any efforts towards rehabilitating sex offenders, but was worried about others who would be studying alongside…
Read MoreFL: Couple found guilty of having sex on Florida beach
A jury Monday found a couple guilty of having sex on Bradenton Beach after only 15 minutes of deliberation. The convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. ____ and ___ were charged with two counts each of lewd and lascivious behavior for having sex on a public beach on July 20, 2014.Video played in the courtroom during the 1- 1/2-day-long trial showed Alvarez moving on top of Caballero in a sexual manner in broad daylight. Witnesses testified that a 3-year-old girl saw them. Both ____ and ____ will…
Read MoreAUS: Sex offender registers don’t mean we can assume children are safe
The sexual abuse of children remains one of the most urgent and unremitting issues across the globe. The royal commission into sexual abuse of children in institutions has given currency to an entrenched and critical social problem. However, our newly published research into Australia’s first publicly accessible register of sex offenders highlights the dangers of public misunderstanding of how it works and, indeed, of where the risks for children are greatest. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments May 2015
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2015. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreCalif. Supreme Court Ruling Reveals Unintended Consequences of Jessica’s Law
Child welfare advocates sounded the alarm earlier this month when the California Supreme Court issued its opinion on In re: William Taylor, a case involving housing restrictions imposed on certain paroled sex offenders in San Diego County that has been weaving its way through the judicial system for years. Full Article Related: Residency restrictions loosened on sex offenders (Napa Valley Register)
Read MorePrediction of dangerousness, length of treatment, and psychological damage
As many of you might realize from my writing that I have a real problem with the pseudoscience of psychiatry and psychology. Especially when it comes to constitutional values and allowing the government to control the thinking of the populace through the questionable methods of mind control, which is in fact, what behavior modification programs are. It’s one thing if someone goes into these programs of their own free will, because they want to make changes. It’s another thing for the government to force them into them. This is especially…
Read MoreAre sex offenders attending your child’s school? It’s legal
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —When parents drop their children off at school, they might know who else is in the classroom — but KCRA 3’s investigative team has found your child might be sharing a class with a convicted sex offender. Some parents may never know. These offenders don’t show up on the Megan’s Law website or anywhere on the Internet, and by law, the schools can’t tell you who they are. Full Article
Read MoreWhy You Can’t Trust the Nation’s Frequently Inaccurate, Terribly Organized Sex Offender Registries
Just in time for the all-important May sweeps period, a local television anchor somewhere is bound to open a newscast with a question specifically designed to simultaneously titillate and scare the crap out of you. “Does a pedophile live on your block?” the menacing voice will intone. “Are your children safe?” The answer, invariably, is “probably” and “probably not.” If you tune in, you’ll confront a terrifying graphic that the station’s self-glorifying “investigative reporter” has cooked up showing a map crowded with dots. Each one, you’ll be told, represents a…
Read MoreBob Dyer: Are sex offenders ruined for life?
Well, here’s something new. How about an 85-year-old woman from a small Wayne County town rushing to the defense of a convicted sex offender she doesn’t even know? And how about that same sex offender agreeing to sit down for an interview with the Beacon Journal just days after a thorough public shaming? Full OpEd Piece
Read MoreSecondhand Pariah: A Plea for Empathy from the Girlfriend of a Sex Offender
One morning in January of 2014 my life changed forever. Out of nowhere, seven highly militarized FBI agents wielding guns and a search warrant raided the home that I shared with my partner. Barely awake, I couldn’t believe what was happening. Then we discovered his charges: possession and distribution of child pornography. He is not a monster; he is not even attracted to children. While he was on a torrent site looking for music to download, he came across pornographic images that he thought he’d check out, against his better…
Read More