The San Luis Obispo County YMCA is attempting to prevent sex offenders from accessing its gym. [KSBY] Starting in 2017, the YMCA will conduct background checks on all members and applicants. The local YMCA will use the National Sex Offender Registry to check for offenders who could be working out at the gym. Full Article
Read MoreYear: 2016
State owes counties millions in sex offender legal costs
California must reimburse its counties for the legal costs involved in determining whether sex offenders who have completed their prison terms should be sent to mental hospitals, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday. A lawyer for local governments said the statewide cost would be about $25 million a year for the reimbursements, which the state stopped paying in July 2013. Full Article
Read MoreL.A.’s proposed ban on single adults near playgrounds is fear-based policy making at its worst
In an attempt to make Los Angeles parks seem super safe, City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell has proposed barring adults unaccompanied by children from entering playgrounds. It’s an effort, he said, to keep city parks “free of creepy activity.” Full Article
Read MoreMT: Bill Would Cap Jail Time for 18-Year-Olds Who Have Consensual Sex with Other Teens at ‘Just’ 5 Years
It is a measure of how insane our sex offender laws have become, to announce that this proposed bill in Montana is a relief. Senate Bill 26 would prevent 18-year-olds who have consensual sex with other teens under the age of consent (younger than 16, but at least age 14) from needing to register as sex offenders. It would also cap the time they can possibly serve in prison at just five years. Full Article
Read MoreIs It OK To Automatically Hate Sex Offenders?
A few months ago I was asked by the editors of Sex Offender Law Report to write an article, intended for a legal system readership, discussing the inner-life of sex offenders, including analysis about whether some offenders are more/less dangerous than others, and if we can tell the difference. (They are, and we can.) That article will likely be published in mid-2017. In the interim, I want to present a simplified version here, written for both a clinical and lay audience. And yes, I realize this is a controversial subject. After all, if there’s…
Read MoreEFF to Supreme Court: Strike Social Media Ban for Sex Offenders
Yesterday, EFF and its allies Public Knowledge and the Center for Democracy & Technology filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down under the First Amendment a North Carolina law that bans “registered sex offenders” (RSOs) from using all Internet social media. This law sweeps far too broadly. Social media are one of the most important communication channels ever created. People banned from social media are greatly handicapped in their ability to participate in the political, religious, and economic life of our nation. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Sex Offenders Say Illinois Parole System Is Broken
CHICAGO (CN) – More than 4,000 sex offenders in Illinois face effective life sentences despite a court granting them parole because of restrictions on where they can live, seven men claim in a federal class action. Full Article
Read MoreUK: Facebook damages payout to Limavady child sex abuser may be reduced
Facebook remains liable in damages for details about a convicted child abuser featuring on pages set up to name and shame paedophiles in Northern Ireland, the Court of Appeal has ruled. But senior judges restricted the period when the social network knew private information was being published – meaning a £20,000 compensation award to the sex offender could now be cut. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan indicated that a further hearing will explore the appropriate level of payout due to the changed circumstances. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Court ruling gives state authorities trouble with tracking sex offenders
RENO, Nev. (News 4) — The state is having a hard time keeping track of its most heinous sex offenders because of a new Nevada Supreme Court ruling. Parole and Probation tracks 6,000 sex offenders in the state, with 1,000 on lifetime supervision. Staff make sure they’re registered as required by law — they confirm their address and make sure the offenders have no contact with their victims. Full Article
Read MoreNew evidence says US sex-offender policies are actually causing more crime
… Cases like this might seem to argue for even tougher controls on ex-offenders convicted of sex crimes. But new research indicates that the existing sex-offense regime in the US actually may be making repeat sex crimes more likely. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Sex Offender Facial Recognition System
MASON CITY, Iowa – More sex offenders could soon be off of the streets thanks to a new project that will help identify them. The Iowa Department of Public Safety is currently seeking funds that will be used to create a state-wide facial recognition system to identify sexual offenders. Once the software is in place, it will connect with other databases and cross-reference sex offenders through photos using a biometric system. Full Article
Read MoreAR: Bill would bar sex offenders from school events
Allison Finley is the mother of a sexual assault victim. “We found out some years later because my child could not verbalize at two and a half [years old] what had been done,” she explains. The attacker is in prison but the impact continues. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Sex offender ordinance on way out
A Krum ordinance that greatly restricts where convicted sex offenders may live appears headed for the dustbin. Similar ordinances in Argyle, Hickory Creek, Oak Point and Ponder could fall soon. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender housing and mobility – New research
A new study looks at the residential patterns of registered sex offenders 15 years after arrest. Full Article
Read MoreCA Sex Offender Management Board Releases Video
The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) has released a 7-minute video that dispels many myths regarding registrants and replaces those myths with facts. The video includes on-camera statements from CASOMB members including representatives of the California Department of Justice, the Los Angeles Police Department and treatment providers. According to the video, not all registrants are the same and the majority of registrants are “very unlikely” to commit a subsequent sex offense. In fact, the rate of re-offense for low-level offenders is less than one percent. The video also highlights…
Read MoreACSOL Board of Directors Determines Initial Positions on Tiered Registry Bill
The Board of Directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has determined its initial positions on the Tiered Registry Bill. The determinations were made during the board’s meeting on December 8. “After careful consideration of input from registrants, family members and supporters, the ACSOL board of directors has decided that the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The board of directors also decided to oppose the Tiered Registry Bill in its current form because it is…
Read More60-year Sentence in Child Pornography Case Is Found Substantively Reasonable
On Tuesday, the Second Circuit issued a decision in United States v. Brown. The opinion presents an interesting debate about how the federal system punishes defendants accused of child pornography charges. I encourage defense attorneys to check out both the concurrence and dissent, for some powerful arguments about the risks of unreasonable sentences in child pornography cases. Full Article
Read MoreSenator Leyva Introduces Bill to Keep Registered Sex Offenders off School Campuses
On the first day of the 2017-2018 legislative session, Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) today introduced important legislation to protect school children from dangerous sex offenders. Specifically, SB 26 would prohibit registered sex offenders from entering school campuses in California. Full Article Related Bill Info Sen. Leyva Announcement
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