A sex offender from St. Charles County thought he had moved on with his life after successfully completing five years probation for sending web cam photographs of his genitals to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Now he’s among hundreds of people in Missouri who are finding out they must attach GPS monitoring systems to their ankles for life, even though such a requirement wasn’t part of their sentencing agreement. Full Article
Read MoreMonth: May 2017
SB 26 Added to Suspense File
The Senate Appropriations Committee added Senate Bill 26 (SB 26) to its Suspense File during its hearing on May 15. The Committee is expected to decide whether to keep SB 26 in that file during its final hearing on May 25. If the bill is not removed from the Suspense File on that date, SB 26 can not move forward. So far, SB 26 has been amended four times — on March 20, April 5, April 18 and May 20 — by its author Senator Connie Leyva. As currently written, some registrants who are parents would…
Read MoreCT: Sex offender castration bill a priority for 2018
State Representative Kevin Skulczyck confirmed on Tuesday that he would like to see chemical castration performed on convicted sex offenders as a form of punishment. He said that the proposal will be on his “Top 5” list of priorities going into next year’s legislative session. Source
Read MoreNC: Rep. Davis co-sponsors bill to charge sex offenders registration fees
Convicted sex offenders would be required to pay a fee to be listed on North Carolina’s Sex Offender Registry, under a bill co-sponsored by a New Hanover County lawmaker. Full Article
Read MoreIn-depth: What happens to sex offenders in violation of Megan’s Law?
ALAMEDA COUNTY (KRON) — Since the 90’s, citizens of California have been able to see for themselves where registered sex offenders are living in their communities because of the Megan’s Law website. But with more than 100,000 sex offenders in the state, who is making sure those offenders are living where they say they are? Full Article
Read MoreNY: The troubling question of sex offenders driving for ride services (Editorial)
It’s a serious question, and one that deserves serious consideration: With the proliferation of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, and the isolated and unsupervised environments in which they do business, what should be the policy on sex offenders as drivers? Full Article
Read MorePA: Police warning of fake sex offender notification letters
Police in Lawrence County are telling residents to be on the lookout for fake sex offender warnings being circulated. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Pricey polygraph testing of sex offenders under fire as critics target accuracy, expense
Colorado has spent more than $5 million to administer polygraph tests on convicted sex offenders over the last seven years, despite concerns that the results are so unreliable that they can’t be used at trial. Polygraphs, often called lie-detector tests, are used to determine which prisoners convicted of sex offenses are suited for release by probing their sexual history, attitudes about their crimes and whether they are committing new offenses. They also guide how offenders on parole or probation are supervised. But a bipartisan group of legislators has joined offenders…
Read MoreMT: Man receives pardon for 1995 rape conviction against his now wife
A Glasgow man spent years of his life behind bars for a crime even his “victim” says he didn’t commit. ___ ___ met his now wife, ____, back in 1995 when he was 19 and she was 15. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Professional polygrapher holds position of power on state’s sex-offender treatment board
A professional polygrapher has an influential role in rewriting the rules in Colorado for how often their profession conducts lie-detector testing on sex offenders, an arrangement that critics have called a conflict of interest. Colorado will pay Jeff Jenks’ Wheat Ridge polygraph firm, Amich & Jenks Inc., up to $1.9 million to polygraph sex offenders in prison from 2010 to 2020, according to state contracts. Full Article
Read MoreNE: Judge asks why state wants to put boy on sex offender list
Federal appellate judges focused their questions this week on an attorney for the state, asking why Nebraska is pushing to put a 15-year-old boy on the state’s public sex offender registry rather than use “good old police discretion.” Full Article
Read MoreMI: Detroit Cops Raid an Innocent Family’s Home at Gunpoint on Bogus Sex-Trafficking Tip
In the high days of America’s militarized war on drugs, baseless and botched home raids have become a defining feature—with often disastrous consequences. Now we’re seeing the same sort of overzealous enforcement efforts in the fight against forced prostitution. This week, Detroit police raided an innocent family’s home after receiving a faulty sex-trafficking tip and then seeing two teens enter the house. One of the teens was the family’s 13-year-old daughter, who lived there. She wound up face-down and handcuffed on the floor, along with the rest of her family,…
Read MoreSex offender fails to meet registration requirements
An Austin County jury convicted ___ ___, 43, of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements May 3 in Judge Jeff Steinhauser’s 155thJudicial District Court. Evidence concluded May 2, around 2:30 p.m., and the jury delivered the guilty verdict the next day after more than eight hours of deliberation. After punishment evidence was presented, the jury deliberated about 25 minutes before sentencing Ward to 99 years in prison. Full Article
Read MoreAssembly Appropriations Delays Consideration of AB 558
During its hearing yesterday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee delayed consideration of AB 558 by placing the bill in its Suspense File. The bill may or may not be heard during the Committee’s final hearing on May 26. If the Committee does not hear the bill on that date, the bill will not move forward to the floor of the Assembly or to the Senate. “As currently written, AB 558 would require the addition of information regarding thousands of registrants to the public Megan’s Law website with no corresponding benefit to…
Read MoreConsideration of Tiered Registry Bill Delayed (SB 421)
Senator Scott Wiener, author of the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421), has waived presentation regarding that bill on May 15, the original date on which the Senate Appropriations Committee was scheduled to consider the bill. Due to this waiver, SB 421 will be placed in the committee’s Suspense File and will not be considered until May 25. According to staff in the office of Sen. Wiener, there is uncertainty regarding the estimate cost of implementing the Tiered Registry Bill. The estimated cost is expected to be revealed in a Budget…
Read MoreFixing California’s bloated sex-offender registry
R Street just signed a letter calling for commonsense reform of the California sex-offender registry, based on a bill proposed by our friend and Legislative Advisory Board member Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Kenosha to loosen residency rules for sex offenders
Residency restrictions the city of Kenosha places on sex offenders could soon change. On Monday evening, the city’s Public Safety and Welfare Committee approved ordinance changes proposed by Mayor John Antaramian to repeal and recreate some of the city’s rules. The changes must still pass City Council later this month. The proposal would shorten from 2,500 to 1,000 feet the distance from a prohibited location where sex offenders could temporarily or permanently reside. Full Article
Read MoreTraveling Abroad Sucks if You’re an Ex-Con
Going through customs can be unnerving and problematic for everyone. You’ve got to deal with long lines, uncertainty over what’s considered a contraband item, and the possibility of being denied entry to the country you’re visiting. But it can be even worse for ex-cons. Just ask the so-called Hot Felon, ____ ____. He was reportedly denied entry into the UK last month, even though he’d secured a work permit, was scheduled for a series of magazine shoots, and had permission from his parole officer to travel. Full Article
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