The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will challenge the passport identifier recently revealed by the U.S. State Department. The challenge is expected to be filed in a federal district court within the next 90 days. “We have begun the necessary process of identifying a strategy for a successful challenge,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The strategy will include the identification of potential plaintiffs as well as both legal and financial resources. The federal district court in which the challenge will be filed has not yet been determined.…
Read MoreYear: 2017
PA: Ruling halts proceedings related to defendants facing sexually violent predator designations
The state Superior Court has handed down a ruling that put an immediate halt to all court proceedings related to defendants facing sexually violent predator designations. As the second ruling within several months to call the state’s current sexual offender statute into question, District Attorney John T. Adams said that it’s time to start fresh.”What we need now is a rewrite of our statutory scheme dealing with the sexual offenders registry,” he said. Full Article Note: this article appears to be for subscribers only. It may be readable after doing…
Read MoreFL: Arsonist burns down accused child molesters Pasco County home
The home of a Pasco County man accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl caught fire Thursday morning, and investigators say arson is to blame. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Sex offender faces felony over old ID card
A Blackford County sex offender faces a felony charge as a result of failing to keep his identification card up to date. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Woman may be first sex offender evicted as towns adopt exclusion zones
… Yet when she showed up to check in at the Meadows Place police station, she said police refused to register her as a resident and informed her she couldn’t live in her home. A city ordinance prohibited registered child sex offenders from living within a certain distance of places where children gathered; her house was too close to a city pool. “But I already live here,” she replied. “You can’t anymore,” she was told. In an unfolding legal battle, KJ stands to become the first Texas homeowner evicted from…
Read MoreJustice Department declares war on ACLU attorneys who oppose Trump
[slate.com] On Friday, the Department of Justice filed an astonishing appeal with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to intervene in the Jane Doe case that seemed to have ended last week. Doe, an undocumented 17-year-old in a federally funded Texas shelter, was denied abortion access by the Trump administration, which argues that it can force undocumented minors to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. On Oct. 24, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Doe must be allowed to terminate her pregnancy, which she…
Read MoreShould Cruise Ships Allow Sexual Offenders to Sail?
[Huffington Post] Should cruise lines permit convicted sex offenders on their ships? Carnival the world’s largest cruise line is very careful, at least according to its website particular about who it will let on- if they are working on the ship as a vendor or crew member. According to Carnival’s website-it runs background checks at a seller expense which includes the following checks: Read more
Read MoreState Department revoking passports of child sex offenders
[NY Daily News] In compliance with a law passed last year, the federal government is curbing the liberties of convicted child sex offenders. On Wednesday, the State Department said it will begin revoking passports belonging to these individuals, forcing them to apply for a new document. Additionally, the updated passports will include a message on the inside back cover stating, “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to (U.S. law).” Read more
Read MoreNC: Fayetteville police captain charged with failure to report sex offender noncompliance
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) — The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has charged Fayetteville Police Captain ____ ____ with failure to report sex offender non-compliance. According to an arrest warrant, ____’s husband ____ ____, who is a registered sex offender, was with her at events with children present – which is a violation of his sex offender registry restrictions. Full Article
Read MoreNM: Two sex offender bills supported by Keller contained differences
SANTA FE – The 2011 sex offender legislation that’s surfaced as political ammunition against Tim Keller in Albuquerque’s mayoral race came about after repeated – and largely successful – lawsuits against New Mexico’s largest city for enacting local ordinances that went beyond what was then on the state’s books. Full Article
Read MoreU.S. Passports of Child Sex Offenders Will Note Their Convictions
[New York Times] The passports of Americans convicted of sex offenses against a child will soon bear a mark of their crimes. The State Department announced this week that a sentence noting their conviction would be added to the back inside cover of offenders’ passports. Once the State Department receives their names from the Department of Homeland Security, it will begin notifying affected sex offenders that their passports were being revoked and reissued with the new language. Smaller passport cards, which can be used only for very limited international travel,…
Read MoreACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of CA Registrant
ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Los Angeles last week on behalf of a California registrant who is on parole. According to the lawsuit, the registrant is being denied the ability to access social media as well as to attend and participate in church services. Subsequent to the filing of the complaint, the ACLU filed an application for a Preliminary Injunction this week. A hearing on the PI application will be held on November 27 at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 9C in the U.S. District Court, Central…
Read MoreIL: Sex offender charged with entering a school zone in Plainfield
A registered sex offender was charged with entering a school zone after he sought medical attention Oct. 25 at Plainfield East High School. Full Article
Read MoreOR: Staff told to report student sexual activity, including own kids
Salem-Keizer teachers and staff were recently told that when they learn, or suspect, a student is sexually active, they must report it to law enforcement or state officials. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments November 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreTrump administration reduces support for prisoner halfway houses
[Reuters] The administration of President Donald Trump has been quietly cutting support for halfway houses for federal prisoners, severing contracts with as many as 16 facilities in recent months, prompting concern that some inmates are being forced to stay behind bars longer than necessary. The Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long confirmed the cuts in response to an email inquiry from Reuters, and said they only affect areas with small populations or underutilized centers. “The Bureau remains firmly committed to these practices, but has had to make some modifications…
Read MoreScarlet-Letter Passports Are Unjust and Irrational
The notice, which will appear on the second-to-last page of U.S. passports, is officially known as an “endorsement,” but it is more like a badge of shame. “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor,” it says, “and is a covered sex offender pursuant to 22 United States Code Section 212b(c)(l).” The scary notation, which was revealed this week, is the State Department’s response to a 2016 law requiring that the passports of certain registered sex offenders include a “unique identifier” to help maintain their status as pariahs wherever…
Read MoreCA: Initiative Would Expand DNA Gathering, Restrict Early Parole
[CBS Sacramento] A Democratic lawmaker on Monday proposed a ballot measure that would bar certain convicted rapists and sex traffickers from earning credits to reduce their sentences and expand the list of crimes for which a perpetrator’s DNA is collected. Assemblyman Jim Cooper of Elk Grove said he’s taking the measure to California voters because Democratic leaders repeatedly stonewalled legislation to enact similar changes. “This initiative holds bad people accountable,” Cooper said at a news conference outside the Capitol flanked by prosecutors and law enforcement officers. Read more
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