KINGMAN – Although ____ _____ of Kingman was found not guilty of molestation of a child Tuesday in Superior Court, he still lives with the stigma of being accused. “This has been 13 months of absolute hell. Being accused as a predator, a child molester, anything among those lines, a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreMonth: August 2016
Shedding light on the dark field
IN AN office in Epsom in southern England, the phone rings. Calls come in from men who have been arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children; those who are fathers will probably have been barred from seeing their children unsupervised until their trials. Or the caller may be a mother whose adolescent son has been charged with molesting a child; if he has siblings social workers may insist that the family is broken up. Some calls are from men desperate to talk to someone about their own sexual…
Read MoreImpact of the Sex Offender Registry on the Family
Filmmaker, Matt Duhamel offers workable solutions from social workers and leaders to better minimize trauma for the registered sex offenders and their families. Watch on youtube Film Page
Read MoreProsecutors who falsify or withhold evidence could become felons under proposed state legislation
Prosecutors who intentionally withhold or falsify evidence could be charged with a felony under a new bill winding through the state Legislature. The proposal by Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, D-San Fernando, comes as prosecutors in Orange County face accusations that they’ve routinely misused jailhouse informants and withheld information from defense attorneys. Full Article
Read MoreNJ: Are Reforms Needed For Megan’s Law?
When ____ ____ got out of prison for a rape he did not commit, he spent the next 20 years on New Jersey’s sex offender registry. Only when he was formally cleared this month did his name come off a list that carries a lifetime of stigma. The case has put a spotlight on whether the registry — created by Megan’s Law and designed to notify parents of predators nearby — is too broad and even ineffective. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Facing legal challenge, Pasco County changes strict sex offender law
The Pasco County Commission on Tuesday amended its sex offender ordinance, the 2015 law that severely restricts where certain registered offenders can live or even go in the county. But why the commission changed the law — which is being challenged in court — is in dispute. Patrick Leduc, the attorney who is challenging the county’s ordinance on behalf of three registered sex offenders, said the changes were designed to protect the ordinance from his legal challenge. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Senate passes Funke bills to root out, crack down on sex offenders
The New York State Senate today passed S.4776, a bill sponsored by Senator Rich Funke, which would expand the information available on the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) sex offender registry’s website. The Senate also passed S.4765, a bill sponsored by Funke that would make it a felony for a sex offender to fail to appear at a court hearing to determine the risk level of the offender. Both bills passed with bipartisan support. Full Press Release
Read MoreThe punishment of sex crimes against women and minors
What the legislation would do: A number of California bills proposed this session seek to enhance punishment and repercussions for those who commit sex crimes, particularly against women and minors. Full Article
Read MoreAL: Court rules Martin’s lawsuit against Chilton Co. over anti-clustering law can continue
We previously reported on the case Martin v. Houston, CASE NO. 2:14-CV-905-WKW [WO] (M.D. Alabama 2016), in which the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama considered a pastor’s religious discrimination claims involving the state legislature’s enactment and enforcement of a sex offender law that prevented the pastor’s transitional housing program. The law in question (Alabama Code § 45-11-82) (the “Act”) prohibited individuals whose names are listed on the Alabama sex offender list from living together in the same home, and further provides that offenders cannot live on…
Read MoreMA: Judge Critical of Sex-Offender Registry Confirmed to Massachusetts High Court
Making a mild criticism of sex offender registries looked like it could have hurt a Massachusetts judge in her bid to serve on the state’s Supreme Judicial Court. But on Wednesday the Governor’s Council, an eight-member elected body responsible for approving judicial nominees, voted unanimously in favor of Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd’s nomination to serve as an associate justice. During a grilling by the Governor’s Council last week, Budd had said the state Sex Offender Registry is too expansive, ensnaring people who are far from a threat to anyone.…
Read MoreOR: Calling all Sex Offenders
Are you a sexual deviant? Are you a serial rapist? A child molester? A sexual predator? Well welcome to Oregon, the government has got your back. Full Article
Read MoreIsrael: There Are No Warnings when Sex Offenders Move From Israel but We Can Fix That
Sex offenders, like smugglers, take advantage of borders to avoid paying for their crimes. Sometimes they hop borders one step ahead of the cops. Israel, unfortunately is a popular destination for our miscreants. But there is also a reverse flow where Israel’s flotsam washes up on America’s shores. Local communities are often clueless. This is true, even if there was a conviction in Israel because Israel does not have a public sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreThe U.S. Is Still Dealing With the Murder of Adam Walsh
On July 27, 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh went to a Sears in a Hollywood, Fla., mall with his mother. As she browsed, he played video games a few aisles away. When she returned, he was gone. Full Article
Read MoreFL: FAC Members Sue Florida Over Internet Identifier Law
Moments ago, The Florida Justice Institute, Inc. and the law firm of Weitzner & Jonas, P.A. filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to strike down the State of Florida’s requirement that registered citizen’s “Internet Identifiers” be reported. Full Article
Read MoreAUS: Man Fined $150,000 For Facebook Post August 8, 2016
An Australian man has been ordered to pay $150,000 in damages for a defamatory Facebook post. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Appeals Court overturns conviction of man accused of soliciting a minor for sex over the internet
In a decision unique to the digital era, a man’s conviction for soliciting a minor for sex over the internet was overturned because he wasn’t allowed to claim the child lied about her age. Full Article
Read MoreRemarks by USMS Deputy Director David L. Harlow on the 10-year Commemoration of Adam Walsh Act SMART Symposium July 27, 2016
I am so pleased to be here and to witness again firsthand the incredible work being done by many different, yet all vital, agencies and organizations. Through the continuous hard work of the Department of Justice’s Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office and this Symposium, progress continues to be made to obstruct the violent and destructive behavior of sexual predators worldwide. … 1. Research shows that sexual crimes reported to police decline by an average of 13% within a jurisdiction after enacting a registry. … 2. Research shows registrants are more…
Read MoreMA: Nominee’s comments make her unfit for Supreme Judicial Court
BOSTON (State House News Service) – Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd’s “ideological statements” have “no place on the Supreme Judicial Court and render her unfit to serve as a justice,” according to Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, a Taunton Republican. … Under questioning by Governor’s Councilor Robert Jubinville, Budd also said she thinks there are too many crimes included on the Sex Offender Registry, including people who don’t need to be on the listing. “Not from my professional experience, but just hearing about people who wind up on the registry that don’t…
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