Newly Released Report Reveals Misleading Government Data for Registrant Re-Offense Rates

Although statistics demonstrate that there is a low rate of re-offense for registrants, reports released by the government often conveys the opposite, according to a newly released academic report.  The report concluded that the government’s use of untrue or unsubstantiated ‘knowledge’ can have deleterious effects such as the passage of new laws that violate registrants’ civil rights and do not increase public safety. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of statistical data, the report includes quotes of false information regarding re-offense rates from federal and state legislators that led to the…

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TX: HOA bans homeowners renting to sex offenders, but is it legal?

HOUSTON – A Fort Bend County neighborhood’s homeowners association has put a ban on any homeowner renting to a registered sex offender. Lots of families with young children live in the Kingdom Heights neighborhood. The deed restrictions established by the HOA for the quiet suburban Houston community are crystal clear — no homeowner may lease to a residence to a registered sex offender. Full Article

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Janice’s Journal: CASOMB Should Discontinue Use of Polygraph Exams for Registrants

The Fifth Amendment is alive and well for registrants in Colorado due to a decision this week by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.  In that decision, the Court ruled that registrants could not be forced to incriminate themselves by answering questions about their sexual history during a polygraph exam. In Colorado, registrants on supervised release were required to participate in polygraph exams and to sign an agreement and which allowed their answers to be shared with law enforcement.  In making its decision, the Court noted that the terms of…

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WI: Underground and off the grid – Lawmakers work to solve issue of homeless sex offenders

“I’m always moving around. I’m homeless,” …. said. Many people in Milwaukee wish he would just go away. The evidence is in the maps — maps that show where convicted sex offenders can live, and where they cannot. They show safe zone perimeters around schools, parks, playgrounds, daycare centers, trails and churches. Each municipality makes its own. Full Article

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AR: Judge resigns after allegations that he offered young men reduced sentences in exchange for sexual favors

Once, the judge allegedly asked a man to pose like Michelangelo’s Statue of David in exchange for $300. He allegedly instructed another man to strip naked and bend over, handcuffed, inside an Arkansas courtroom while he snapped photographs, up close. And on multiple occasions, he allegedly sentenced men — often young and poor — to illegitimate “community service” that ultimately led them to the judge’s home or office, posing for more suggestive photographs as “proof” they had completed their work. Full Article Related Is Predator Judge Joseph Boeckmann The Most…

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Ask Sacto 911 crime Q&A: Why doesn’t Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department install observation cameras at trouble spots?

Q: Why doesn’t the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department have camera pods in places that are trouble spots like the Sacramento Police Department has? … These devices alert officers if the car in the next lane was reported stolen, or if it is owned by a parolee, a sex offender or someone who hasn’t paid a fine. Full Article

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FL: Lawmakers – Banning sex offenders from social media is easier said than done

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Sexual offenders and predators in Florida are required to register their internet information, including emails and social media accounts, with their probation officers, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and their local sheriff’s office. But doing more, such as banning them from social media, is something lawmakers say is easier said than done. Full Article Related FL: Who is policing sex offenders online? The answer – no one

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Polygraph Requirement Violates Registrant’s 5th Amendment Rights

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision today stating that a registrant’s Fifth Amendment right to remain silent was violated when the government sought to return him to prison because he refused to answer questions regarding his sexual history during a polygraph exam.  The questions the registrant refused to answer are (1) after the age of 18, did you engage in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 15, (2) have you had sexual contact with a family member or relative, (3) have you ever physically forced or threatened anyone…

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NY: But seriously folks – SORA is punishment

2012 – New York’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) imposes a lifetime of police supervision on tens of thousands of persons who have already served their sentences. It is applied retroactively to people whose offenses were committed before its enactment. A person pleading guilty to a SORA-eligible offense need not be told that this additional sanction will be imposed. His or her risk level may be assessed based on charges that were dismissed as part of the negotiated plea. Statements that he or she has never had the opportunity to…

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Number of Registered Citizens increasing at record rate

Florida sex offender registry: double-digit growth More than a dozen people a day walk into the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and register as sex offenders. The county is home to more than 2,200 of them. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has a dozen people on staff — including four detectives – who do nothing but register and track sex offenders, who are required by law to register. Full Article N.Y. sex offender numbers outstrip nation’s New York state’s number of registered sex offenders has exploded over the past decade, ballooning…

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