February 1: After meeting in the offices of all newly elected members of the state legislature as well as members of the Senate Public Safety Committee, more than 35 ACSOL members concluded their early lobbying efforts on January 31. “We educated the newly elected members and staff regarding the need for a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence as well as the harm that could be caused by prohibiting all registrants from visiting all K-12 schools for all reasons,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. The ACSOL members were organized into…
Read MoreMonth: January 2017
Sex Offender Laws: Fair for Some, Draconian for Others
In my previous posting to this site, “Is it Automatically OK to Hate Sex Offenders?,” I discussed the various types of sexual offenders, noting that some are more likely to respond to treatment and less likely to reoffend than others. In this follow-up article, I discuss the fact that even though not all sex offenders are created equally, they are uniformly subjected to the same highly punitive and largely inflexible sentencing laws. Full article
Read MoreAccepting that others can change is often difficult
Many residents hearing about a sexually violent predator possibly being released from a state hospital to Lincoln want to prevent that move. Having a sex offender living nearby is scary. We want to keep family members safe and protect them from anyone who is dangerous. But how can parents do that if they’re living next to someone who committed horrendous crimes on innocent victims, oftentimes children who can’t defend themselves? Full Article Also see Criminal controversy
Read MoreSan Jose cat killer may have to register as sex offender
A San Jose man who stole, tortured and killed 21 cats more than a year ago and a throng of people who have been closely following the case should learn next month when he’ll be sentenced and whether he’ll eventually have to register as a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Prison sentences served, but sex offenders stay locked up
____ ____ was originally sentenced to three years of probation after his conviction in 2011 on charges of aggravated child pornography. ____ is impoverished and homeless. And after he was found violating his parole by sleeping in the doorway of a church, Murphy was ordered to serve his sentence in prison. He finally was approved to be released from custody in March, 2014, into the state’s mandatory supervised release program. But because he is homeless and cannot find a place to live that satisfies the myriad of restrictions and regulations,…
Read MorePackingham v. North Carolina – Oral Argument February 27
Issue: Whether, under the court’s First Amendment precedents, a law that makes it a felony for any person on the state’s registry of former sex offenders to “access” a wide array of websites – including Facebook, YouTube, and nytimes.com – that enable communication, expression, and the exchange of information among their users, if the site is “know[n]” to allow minors to have accounts, is permissible, both on its face and as applied to petitioner, who was convicted based on a Facebook post in which he celebrated dismissal of a traffic…
Read MoreThe government made me a sex offender
I stood silently as the customs official swiped my passport through the card reader at his station. He swiped it again then lifted his head and stared at me judgmentally. Turning to his terminal, he began typing frantically. “Is something wrong?” I asked, knowing that something indeed was wrong. “Is it the magnetic strip?” “No,” he stated tersely. “The computer has flagged you as a sex offender.” He called out something like, “I need an assist,” and a rather large agent quickly approached. “Sir, you need to go to secondary.…
Read MoreOH: Convicted animal abusers must register with Cuyahoga County Sheriff and cannot have pets
CLEVELAND, Ohio – People convicted of abusing animals can no longer have pets and must register with the Cuyahoga County sheriff, under legislation approved Tuesday by Cuyahoga County Council. Council created an animal abuse registry, which was prompted by a new state law that makes cruelty to pets a felony. Full Article
Read MoreInglewood City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Inglewood City Council voted in favor of repealing the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city during its meeting on January 24. The City Council is expected to finalize its decision to repeal the restrictions during its next meeting which is scheduled for January 31. “This is a significant victory for registrants and their families,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “No longer will families be separated by a law that failed to increase public safety and yet violated the Constitution.” If the City…
Read MoreNC: Lawsuit Contends Sex Offender Law Goes Too Far
Convicted sex offenders are pushing back against North Carolina laws they contend deprive them of constitutional rights without protecting children. Two anonymous sex offenders and a Raleigh-based national nonprofit that advocates for them filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the state laws. It’s part of an effort to trim sex registry laws that now require more than 800,000 convicts nationwide to register their names, addresses and photographs, perhaps for as long as they live. Full Article Related / NARSOL website http://nationalrsol.org/narsol-ncrsol-file-suit-challenging-north-carolinas-sex-offender-registry/
Read MoreThe FBI ran a child porn site to catch predators, and now the accused are crying foul
When ____ ____ ____ logged into a large child pornography website and downloaded images using his work computer, he was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. The operator of the website that was exploiting children, however, was not arrested. That’s because it was the FBI. And federal prosecutors are defending the agency’s decision to secretly hijack and peddle child porn for two weeks as part of a sting operation. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Legislator wants “johns” to face felony charge, register as sex offenders
Advocates for human trafficking victims hope to use momentum from last legislative session to target those who pay for sex. Lawmakers and nonprofits have been pushing for changes in the law, including more leniency for prostitutes and stiffer penalties for their customers. Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, is behind a bill that would make solicitation of a prostitute a felony and require those convicted to register as a sex offender. The offense is currently a misdemeanor, even when a minor is involved. Full Article
Read MoreIA: New art exhibit features Luther College graduates
Wartburg College’s Waldemar A. Schmidt Gallery exhibit “Sexy/OFFENDER” opened Jan. 9 and exhibits artwork from Byron Anway and Ben Moore, Johanna Kramer-Weston, Gallery Director and Exhibitions manager said. Kramer-Weston said the two collaborated for the exhibit because they share a fascination of classical portraiture in the age of Facebook, Snapchat and selfies. She said they pull their inspiration from magazines, criminal mugshots and media websites. “All portraits are handled with the same beauty and attention, causing the viewer to question who is the deviant, who is the social media star…
Read MoreFL: Sex Predator Who Won Lottery Settles Lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. — (WKMG) — A convicted sex predator who won a $3 million Florida Lottery jackpot has settled a lawsuit filed by his alleged victims. The plaintiffs’ suit against ___ ____, 45, was scheduled to go trial this week in Orange County Circuit Court. However, like many other civil cases, the parties were able to reach an agreement days before jury selection was expected to begin. Full Article
Read MoreACSOL Makes Formal Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) made a formal presentation to the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) during the board’s monthly meeting on January 19. In its presentation, ACSOL notified CASOMB that it would lobby on both the tiered registry bill and Senate Bill 26. ACSOL told CASOMB that while the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry, it has several serious concerns about the draft tiered registry bill. One of those concerns is the amount of discretion provided to district attorneys to stop the petition…
Read MoreWA: State corrections agency right to retire the word ‘offender’ (Editorial)
Words matter because the meaning that we give words matters even more. This is especially true of the words we use to describe each other, which is why it’s useful to have a discussion about the words we use to refer to those who have committed crimes, those who are currently incarcerated or are otherwise serving their sentences and those who have rejoined society at large. And it’s why a recent decision by the state Department of Corrections to phase-out the use of the term “offender” in written policies and daily…
Read MoreVA: Lawmakers say judges being too lenient on people possessing child porn
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced. “We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Cooper supports bills including SB 1278 that aim at making sentencing guidelines what they were prior to last year’s changes. Full Article
Read MoreVA: Lawmakers say judges being too lenient on people possessing child porn
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced. “We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Full Article
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