[benitolink.com 3/28/18] A statewide initiative to change portions of three crime-related laws is picking up steam in the local region. The Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018 would change parts of Proposition 47, Proposition 57, and Assembly Bill 109 to reclassify certain “nonviolent” crimes as “violent” to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of crimes such as assault on a peace officer, rape of an unconscious person or by intoxication, and human trafficking of a child. A complete list of the purported “nonviolent” crimes can be…
Read MoreMonth: April 2018
India: India to join 8 countries having sex offenders database
India will join a club of eight countries with a sexual offender database to monitor and track those convicted of such crimes, amidst growing criticism against it in the US, where it is pursued aggressively. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Two Louisiana elementary school students arrested for child porn over nude Snapchats
[fox59.com 4/20/18] SLIDELL, La. – Police arrested two Louisiana elementary school students after they allegedly distributed nude photos to classmates using a social media app. The Bonne Ecole Elementary students, a girl and a boy, were booked on charges of distribution of child pornography, according to the Slidell Police Department. The female student allegedly used Snapchat to send nude pictures of herself to the male student, who allegedly sent them to other classmates. Read more
Read MoreBook: The Sex Offender Housing Dilemma: Community Activism, Safety, and Social Justice
by Monica Williams (Author) The controversy surrounding community responses to housing for sexually violent predators When a South Carolina couple killed a registered sex offender and his wife after they moved into their neighborhood in 2013, the story exposed an extreme and relatively rare instance of violence against sex offenders. While media accounts would have us believe that vigilantes across the country lie in wait for predators who move into their neighborhoods, responses to sex offenders more often involve collective campaigns that direct outrage toward political and criminal justice systems.…
Read MoreIL: Fake Facts And Rational Basis
[simplejustice.us 4/12/18] When the constitutionality of a law is challenged, the most critical factor is the test use by the court in deciding whether it passes scrutiny. If it’s strict scrutiny, the law almost always gets crushed. But then, strict scrutiny is reserved for laws that implicate fundamental rights, which are fundamental because the Supremes say they are. And the others? Last week the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a state law banning sex offenders from public parks, overturning a 2017 appeals court ruling that deemed the statute “unconstitutional on its…
Read MoreMeet the activists demanding elimination of the sex offender registry
[therooster.com 4/19/18] “The tide is going to turn against sex offender registries when people realize they’re more likely to end up on the registry than to be molested by someone on it,” says Lenore Skenazy, author, columnist and activist for the elimination of sex offender registries. She lists off the offenses that could put a person on a public list of social outcasts widely seen as pedophiles, predators and rapists: You could be a sex offender if you go to a prostitute. You could be a sex offender if you…
Read MoreRegistry Restrictions VS Parental Rights
[womenagainstregistry.org 4/19/18] Recently I wrote a piece on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s denying and then limiting a father who also happens to be a registrant, access to visit his ill child in the hospital. A father who was doing right by his child, being responsible, being there to comfort his ailing son. This week I read another article about Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital/South St. Louis who is denying a father who also happens to be a registrant, (his offense was in 2004) further visitation with his premature son in NICU.…
Read MoreAL: Eye spy a sex offender: Jeffco Sheriff’s Office touts use of iris scans in fighting crime
[al.com 4/19/18] When an inmate was recently booked into the Jefferson County Jail, he lied about who he was and when he was born. At one time, it could have been hours or days before lawmen discovered his true identity, but biometric technology now being used by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office gave them his correct identity in a matter of seconds based on a previous arrest in Atlanta. The sheriff’s office nine months ago became the first law enforcement agency in Alabama to implement the Inmate Recognition & Identification…
Read MoreMap of Registered Sex Offenders in the United States
[missingkids.com] Map of totals of Registered Sex Offenders in each state prepared 11/28/2017 by NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.com/content/dam/ncmec/en_us/documents/Sex_Offenders_Map.pdf
Read MoreNC: Lawsuit moves forward in twice-delayed hearing on Motion to Dismiss
[narsol.org 4/18/18] By Robin Vander Wall . . . At a hearing in federal court (Middle District, NC) on Monday, April 16, 2018, NARSOL, NCRSOL, and two John Doe plaintiffs were represented by Attorney Paul Dubbeling to defend against the state of North Carolina’s Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit filed in January, 2017 seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under section 1983 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code (Civil Action for deprivation of rights). Forty six named defendants were represented by Attorney Lauren Clemmons of the N.C. Attorney General’s office.…
Read MorePA: Bill would ban sex offenders from firefighter rosters
[abc27.com 4/19/18] HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban convicted sex offenders from serving as firefighters. Under House Bill 2220, professional and volunteer firefighters would have to submit to a background check or sign a statement saying they’ve never been convicted of a sexual offense. Pennsylvania already prohibits convicted arsonists from serving as firefighters, but whether a convicted sex offender may serve is up to each individual community to decide. Republican Rep. Kathy Rapp introduced the proposal after a fire chief in her Crawford County…
Read MoreCA: Root and Rebound to Open Fresno Office to Serve Women with Criminal Records and in Reentry
[rootandrebound.org and calwellness.org] We are thrilled to announce our growth to Fresno, CA! Root & Rebound to Open Fresno Office to Serve Women with Criminal Records and in Reentry We are thrilled to finally share this news—we are opening an office in Fresno, CA thanks to the California Wellness Foundation, which will serve women in reentry and women with criminal records/past justice-involvement to move through the hurdles and obstacles they face and change the systems and structures that create unnecessary barriers to opportunity. A three-person team, composed of a reentry attorney,…
Read MoreMN: Supporting policy to prevent harm: Identifying gaps to support children with sexual behavior problems
[sajrt.blogspot.com 4/13/18] By Hannah Laniado (Prevention Program Manager, MNCASA at hlaniado@mncasa.org) & Julie Patrick (National Partners Liaison, Raliance at jpatrick@raliance.org) Recently, the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) published, Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Improving Minnesota’s ability to provide early identification and intervention services through policy and practice recommendations (June 2017), a comprehensive report outlining the data collection, literature review, and formation of recommendations for implementation. This is the first in-depth look at how one state can create change to improve intervention, prevention and response to children with sexual behavior…
Read MoreThe Sex Trafficking Panic Is Based On Myths
[buzzfeed.com 4/18/18] As they crack down on sex workers and pass outrageous new laws, our politicians and moral crusaders make some bold claims: Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of sex trafficking is one oft-cited figure. Kids are entering sex work at an average age of 13, says another. But is any of this true? Good data is hard to come by in an industry kept largely in the shadows. That’s why, from 2012 to 2014, we spent nine months walking a stretch of road in Las Vegas…
Read MoreWI: Many On GPS Monitoring Are Homeless
[urbanmilwaukee.com 3/10/18] Michael walked out of the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in April 2017 at age 60 with $140 to his name, a record as a sex offender and a GPS monitoring bracelet strapped to his ankle. Michael, who requested that only his middle name be used to avoid public attention, was convicted of two child sex crimes, the most recent in 2006, for which he spent 10 years in prison. Upon release, he traveled to Vernon County, where he had committed his most recent sex crime, and stayed in a…
Read MoreStereotypes and Misconceptions About Sex Offenders [audio recordings]
[kboo.fm 3/26/18] Jan Haaken talks with Tim Buckley, one of the authors of The New Scarlet Letters: Sex Offenders, Their Treatment, and Our Challenge. They will discuss stereotypes and misconceptions of sex offenders, and how the punitive orientation of the criminal justice system affects people who fall under this widening label. Listen to Stereotypes & Misconceptions About Sex Offenders audio recording of interview with Tim Buckley. More audio recordings discussing The New Scarlet Letters [marilyncallahanlcsw.com]
Read MoreCA: Woman awarded $6.45 million in revenge porn case
[cnn.com 4/9/18] Revenge porn can be costly. A federal district court in California last week entered a default judgment against a man and ordered him to pay $6.45 million in damages after he was accused of spreading an ex-girlfriend’s naked pictures and videos online. It’s believed to be the second-largest payout for a victim of revenge porn who was not a celebrity, according to the woman’s lawyers. The unnamed woman, who was listed as Jane Doe in legal filings, sued the man, David Elam II, in civil court. She alleged…
Read MoreMO: Dad upset he can’t see son in NICU because he’s a registered sex offender
[kmov.com 4/18/18] SOUTH ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – A Metro East dad is upset he’s been banned from seeing his newborn at the hospital because he’s a registered sex offender. The man has asked to remain anonymous to protect his wife and children. “They shouldn’t have to pay the consequences for something I did when I was young and stupid,” said the dad. The man was 19-years-old when the offense happened in 2004. The victim of the aggravated criminal sexual abuse was 13. 14 years later, he is a husband and…
Read More