Inland dwellers take note: unless state lawmakers take action, registered sex offenders will likely have a great deal more leeway in choosing where they live and congregate in the very near future. Santa Maria civil rights attorney and one plaintiff, a 62-year-old registered sex offender, have been on a tear over the past year, challenging ordinances up and down the state that bar sex offenders from living near schools, parks, libraries and other public places where children might be. Full Article
Read MoreYear: 2015
State AG won’t appeal sex offender provision struck down by court (Prop 35)
Attorney General Kamala Harris says she will not ask the Supreme Court to let California enforce a voter-approved law that would require more than 70,000 sex offenders to disclose their Internet identities to police, a decision that apparently means the law will not take effect. Full Article
Read MoreUK: Child prisoners more likely to become sex offenders, report suggests
Children who serve time in prison are at greater risk of becoming sex offenders later in life, a study has suggested. Researchers found teenagers who were sent to Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) often went on to display sexual aggression in adulthood and would sometimes find themselves back in prison for offences such as rape and child abuse. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Sex offender trial highlights differences between Minnesota, Wisconsin
ST. PAUL – The trial in the lawsuit against Minnesota’s program for treating its most dangerous sex offenders opened with contrasts: how two very similar states can have such dramatically different results in treating offenders. About 20 years ago, Minnesota and Wisconsin established programs to treat sex offenders who seemed likely to recommit crimes. But where Minnesota’s program has more than 700 offenders confined to its facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter, Wisconsin’s Sand Ridge facility is home to 362 committed offenders, Deborah McCulloch, head of the Wisconsin program,…
Read MoreNE: Boy’s family fighting state putting him on sex offender registry
Juveniles aren’t listed on Nebraska’s Sex Offender Registry, but a 12-year-old boy who recently moved to the state could end up there by the letter of the law. His family is fighting the move, and a federal judge already has agreed to block the Nebraska State Patrol from adding his name and picture to the registry and public website while the civil case is pending. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Stranded triplets’ dad arrested on sex offender violation
HOUSTON — The father of month-old premature triplets who were staying in a hotel with his wife and toddler daughter with no money to get home was arrested Tuesday at a Houston motel for a sex offender violation. ___ ___ was arrested following his appearance in a KHOU-TV report about the family’s financial troubles. Full Article
Read MoreMinnesota Sex Offender Program violates human rights (Opinion)
The Associated Press reported this week on the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. This civil commitment program allows the state to place sex-offenders who have finished their prison sentences into high-security custody for an indefinite period. In other words, if sex-offenders meet certain, supposedly objective criteria, Minnesota holds the authority to put them in a penal dungeon, with little hope of release within their lifetime. This is not only a violation of due process, but a complete removal of any of the needed neutral tendencies of law. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreGeneral Comments February 2015
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of February 2015. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Buckle your Seatbelts
There are 3 significant events expected during the next 30 days: introduction of a tiered registry bill in Sacramento, two California Supreme Court decisions regarding residency restrictions and an attempt to make peace with the City of Carson. What occurs during this 30-day period will significantly impact every person required to register as a sex offender in California. First, there currently is a draft tiered registry bill supported by the California Sex Offender Management Board for which an author is being sought. The draft bill is reported to be consistent…
Read MoreMN: Trial may bring changes to sex offender program
A federal court trial starting today could decide the future of the state’s controversial sex offender treatment program. More than 700 civilly committed sex offenders are suing the state claiming it’s unconstitutional to keep them locked up indefinitely and that they don’t get adequate treatment from the program run by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Full Article
Read MoreUK: British MPs Recommend Prevention Orders Used for Sex Offenders to Tackle Antisemitism on Social Media
A report following a British parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism released Sunday proposes that those spreading racial hatred online should be treated like sex offenders and served anti-social behavior orders or “Asbos” restricting their online access and possibly banning them from social media sites, various UK media outlets reported. Full Article
Read MoreKY: Teen sex a crime? Ky high court to hear case
The eighth-grade boy and his seventh-grade girlfriend had been dating about 1½ years when they decided to have sex, which they did twice at her house when nobody was home. The boy, 15, also texted two nude pictures of himself to the girl, 13, who sent him one back. When the girl’s parents found the pictures on her phone, they took out a warrant in Woodford Circuit Court, and the boy was charged with sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor, and possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, a felony.…
Read MoreMN: Does ‘justice for all’ include sex offenders? (Opinion)
“And justice for all.” Boy, did I believe that as a child, when I placed my hand on my chest and recited the Pledge of Allegiance with fellow grade-school classmates. Although I grew up and smelled the coffee, that ideal is still implanted in my psyche. Dan Gustafson also grew up not only believing in it but walking the talk as a trial lawyer. On Monday, the former high school dropout, twice named a “super lawyer” in Minnesota by a prestigious legal magazine, will go to bat in a federal…
Read MoreSave the Date: March 7 at 10 a.m. – L.A. County
California RSOL will host an important event on March 7 at 10 a.m. in Los Angeles County. The details of that event — including specific location — will be disclosed “soon”. The event is open to registered citizens, their loved ones and anyone else who supports the cause of protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registered citizens. We hope to see you there!
Read MoreMURRIETA: Sex offender ‘safety zone’ ordinance repealed
They weren’t happy about it, but all five members of the Murrieta City Council voted this week in favor of repealing an ordinance that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter near areas frequented by children. Full Article
Read MoreMO: 3 relatives accused of staging kidnapping of boy to teach him a lesson
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. – A 6-year-old Missouri boy’s mother, grandmother and aunt are accused of staging a kidnapping, then holding the child for four hours to teach him about stranger danger. Full Article
Read MoreOK: State Lawmaker Proposes Chemical Castration For Sex Offenders
An Oklahoma lawmaker is pushing to allow chemical castration of sex offenders. The procedure is in effect in two other states and could be in Oklahoma before the end of the year. This isn’t the first time this idea has come up in Oklahoma. It’s always been shot down, but some believe it could actually work. Full Article Bill Text
Read MoreMN: Judge sides with Minnesota sex offenders
he class-action lawsuit featuring more than 700 civilly committed sex offenders, many from Moose Lake, will go to trial in a St. Paul courtroom beginning Monday after a judge denied the state and its defendants a summary judgment earlier this week. In his ruling filed Monday, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank scolded the state’s legislative and executive branches for having “let politics, rather than the rule of law and the rights of ‘all’ of their citizens, guide their decisions.” Full Article
Read More