…The following day, Naperville police suspected that Corey — who had no criminal history and had never been in serious trouble at school — had video on his phone of a consensual sexual encounter with a 16-year-old classmate and possibly played it for friends. At lunchtime, he was called into the dean’s office. There, with a police officer and campus dean, Corey was questioned about possessing and possibly sharing “child pornography,” allegedly threatened that he’d be put on the state’s sex offender registry, then was left alone to wait for…
Read MoreMonth: May 2017
L.A. group wants sex offenders to be included in Prop 57’s early release
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (Yes, that’s a thing) claims that state prison officials have undermined Prop 57’s parole process, by not including sex offenders for consideration for early release. Full Article
Read MoreID: Lawsuit over Idaho’s sex-offender registry laws expands to 134 plaintiffs
A lawsuit filed last year by 104 sex offenders challenging Idaho’s laws that require registration and community notification of sex offenders has been expanded to 134 sex offenders. They say the laws violate an array of constitutional rights, from the prohibition on double jeopardy to freedom of religion. Full Article
Read MoreThe Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017 Passes in the House of Representatives
Today, the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017, which would allow the protections of the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act to continue saving the lives of children throughout the nation, passed in the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. Full Press Release Also see https://judiciary.house.gov/press-release/goodlatte-floor-statement-targeting-child-predators-act/ https://judiciary.house.gov/press-release/goodlatte-floor-statement-global-child-protection-act/ https://judiciary.house.gov/issue/preventing-crimes-against-children/
Read MoreMO: Missouri to remove hundreds of GPS monitoring devices recently put on sex offenders
Hundreds of sex offenders will soon have GPS monitoring devices removed from their ankles after Missouri officials recently required that they wear the bulky devices, according to a preliminary injunction filed in Cole County Circuit Court on Monday. Full Article
Read MoreWhen you can legally have sex with a 17-year-old, can you be prosecuted for possessing lewd nude photos of her?
From Commonwealth v. Kushmanick, which was decided last year by a Pennsylvania appellate court, but which I just came across last week (all quotes are from the opinion): 1. The facts: Kushmanick started dating S.C. when he was 18 or 19, and she was 16 (according to defendant, just a week shy of her 17th birthday). The age of consent for sexual activity generally in Pennsylvania is 16. (There is the possibility that someone may be prosecuted for “corrupting the morals of a minor” when the minor is 16 or 17,…
Read MoreDebate over sex offenders moves to court as California undertakes prison parole overhaul
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is claiming California prison officials have undermined last fall’s ballot measure to overhaul the state’s parole process by excluding sex offenders from consideration for early release. The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, which advocates for the rights of those convicted of sex crimes and their families, says the exemption — written into newly released guidelines to implement Proposition 57 — “impermissibly restricts and impairs the scope” of the initiative. Full Article
Read MoreMN: sex offenders seek to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court
A group of Minnesota sex offenders has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to examine whether the state is violating the Constitution by confining people indefinitely in prison-like treatment centers after they have already completed their criminal sentences. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Next Two Weeks Could Make Huge Difference
The next two weeks could make a huge difference in the lives of more than 100,000 registrants and their families. That difference could be a decision by the Senate Appropriations Committee to release the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421) from the committee’s Suspense File on May 25, the deadline for this action to be taken. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s decision will be based, in part, upon the budget analysis for SB 421. Therefore, it is important to understand what the analysis has to say. First, the budget analysis for SB…
Read MoreLiving with 290: Does THIS part of PC 290 exist?
I was just “in-person verified” by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Dept. today, and informed that PC 290 REQUIRES that each individual registrant have their registration verified IN PERSON TWICE YEARLY. Does ANYONE KNOW WHETHER THIS ANY PART OF PC 290 “REQUIRES” THIS? If so, please post a response. If not, please refer me to an attorney who I can contact that will SUE THIS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OUT OF EXISTENCE OVER THIS.
Read MoreShould sex offenders charge GPS devices at the library?
If you’re homeless, where do you charge the ankle monitor a judge has ordered you to wear? Businesses accuse you of stealing power and scaring away their customers. The city cut off power to some major downtown spots over similar concerns.Full Article
Read MoreWeiner will bear weight of sex offender laws he helped pass
… Do you remember those committee hearings you attended on the Adam Walsh Act (a failed attempt to standardize the complexities of sex offender registration)? Hopefully you paid attention, because sex offender registration laws and compliance with such laws are far more complex than simply avoiding sending nude pics via the wrong phone app. You helped make sure that, over the past decade, registration laws became some of the most draconian laws known to man. Full Article Related http://abovethelaw.com/2017/05/anthony-weiner-pleads-guilty-will-have-to-register-as-a-sex-offender/
Read MoreVigilantes Assault, Rob and Murder Registered Sex Offenders
As repeatedly reported in Prison Legal News, for over a decade registered sex offenders have been targeted by vigilantes and assaulted, robbed and murdered due to their past crimes. And as noted in this issue’s cover story, that is part of the dark side of sex offender registries, which allow public access to offenders’ residential addresses and other personal information. Such information not only endangers registered sex offenders but also those who live with them and, in at least one case in Dallas, Texas, an innocent victim. That Dallas man, who was beaten…
Read More14-Year-Old Boy Facing Assault Charge, Sex Offender Registry for Sex with 12-Year-Old Girl
A Houston-area seventh-grade boy has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child because he engaged in consensual sex with his sixth-grade girlfriend. Unless a judge decides to show leniency, he could be forced to register as a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreIn-depth: California lawmakers consider bill that ends lifetime registration for certain sex offenders
California lawmakers are considering a controversial bill that would end lifetime registration for certain sex offenders. Proponents of the bill say it would allow law enforcement to concentrate on high-risk offenders. Full Article Related http://kron4.com/2017/05/17/in-depth-why-arent-all-sex-offenders-listed-on-megans-law/ http://kron4.com/2017/05/16/in-depth-are-high-risk-sex-offenders-really-where-they-say-they-are/ http://kron4.com/2017/05/15/in-depth-what-happens-to-sex-offenders-in-violation-of-megans-law/
Read MoreEditorial: Shackling sex offenders for life is no way to administer justice.
Many sex offenders in Missouri are finding themselves shackled for life to the state’s criminal justice system, even though some pleaded guilty or were convicted before a law tethering them to GPS monitoring ankle bracelets existed. The law took effect Jan. 1 but is being applied retroactively to crimes committed on or after Aug. 28, 2006.Full Article
Read MoreSchools face vexing test: Which kids will sexually attack?
The children who sexually assault other children may be the popular jocks, the loners or anyone in between. There is no typical attacker, no way for schools to predict who might inflict that kind of torment on a classmate.Full Article
Read MoreWI: Bill Would Create Exemption for Wis. Sex Offender Registry
– A bipartisan proposal creates an exemption to Wisconsin’s sex offender registry for teenagers ages 15 to 18 who are convicted after having consensual sex. State law makes it a crime for two people under the age of 18 to have sexual contact, regardless of consent. Republican Rep. Joel Kleefisch and Democratic Rep. Fred Kessler have written legislation that creates a new crime of “underage sexual activity” and lowers the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. Other states have labeled it the “Romeo and Juliet” exemption. Full Article
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