[ssrn.com 5/2/18] Florida State University Law Review, Vol. 46, 2019 38 Pages Posted: 2 May 2018 Mirko Bagaric Director of the Evidence-Based Sentencing and Criminal Justice Project, Swinburne University Law School Peter Isham Northwestern University, School of Law, Students Date Written: April 14, 2018 Abstract The punishment imposed on criminal offenders by courts often does not exhaust the hardship they experience. There are a number of collateral forms of punishment that many offenders are subjected to as a result of their offending. Some of these deprivations are institutional, such as…
Read MoreMonth: May 2018
OffenderWatch, the Largest Sex Offender Registry Network in the U.S., Awarded Contract with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
[watchsystems.com 5/4/18] COVINGTON, La.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OffenderWatch, the leading public safety sex offender registry network in the United States, is pleased to announce that it will be working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to modernize the Canadian National Sex Offender Registry. This marks the first time that OffenderWatch, headquartered in Covington, La., has worked with a law enforcement agency outside of the U.S. OffenderWatch was awarded the contract to modernize the RCMP’s National Sex Offender Registry, following a Government of Canada procurement process. The contract between the RCMP and OffenderWatch…
Read MoreCT: Keep statute of limitations; and another ‘liberal activist’
[journalinquirer.com 5/4/18] Arguing recently for the repeal of Connecticut’s statute of limitations for sex offenses, Laura Cordes, executive director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, declared, “Justice should not have an expiration date.” But justice often does have an expiration date, and not because of statutes of limitations but rather because as time passes evidence inevitably is lost, memories fade, and witnesses die or disappear, making it impossible to mount a complete and effective prosecution or defense. Connecticut’s current statute of limitations for sex offenses is five years,…
Read MoreSC: Sheriff’s office assistant stole money from sex offenders, SLED says
[wyff4.com 5/4/18] KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. (WIS contributed to this article) — A 34-year-old woman is accused of stealing money collected from registered sex offenders while she was assistant to a South Carolina sheriff, according to an arrest warrant. The State Law Enforcement Division arrested Samantha West Connell, of Kershaw County, on a charge of embezzlement of public funds, value less than $10,000. Advertisement SLED agents said the thefts were committed between January 2015 and April 2016, while Connell was employed as an administrative assistant at the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office.…
Read MoreFL: Man accused of trying to kill sex offenders in Kissimmee
[UPDATED LINKS 5/7/18] [wesh.com 5/4/18] OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Police said a man was locked up after he was accused of trying to kill sex offenders. Officers said he tried to set the men on fire. Jorge Porto-Sierra has been formally charged with four counts of attempted premeditated murder. Osceola County detectives said the 50-year-old confessed to deputies he tried to kill multiple people at the Friendly Village Inn on Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. After his March 7 arrest, Porto-Sierra said he arrived at the motel to “barbecue all the…
Read MoreGeneral Comments May 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreCA: New CDCR Regulations Deny Prop. 57 Benefits to Registrants
[ACSOL 5/4/18] The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has issued new regulations that continue to deny the benefits of Proposition 57 to registrants. The new regulations are dated May 1, but were not publicly available until today. “The new CDCR regulations are inconsistent with a court order issued earlier this year,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The court in that case clearly ruled that CDCR cannot exclude all registrants from the benefits of Proposition 57.” In its newly issued regulations, CDCR specifically prohibits “inmates convicted of a…
Read MoreFL: Under threat of lawsuit, Miami-Dade grants reprieve to eviction of sex offenders
[floridaactioncommittee.org 5/4/18] Facing an imminent lawsuit to be brought by Legal Services of Greater Miami on behalf of the homeless sex offenders living alongside railroad tracks in Miami-Dade, the Deputy Mayor has granted a temporary reprieve to the forced eviction scheduled for Sunday, May 6, 2018. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, had sent a memo on March 21st, announcing plans to shut down the encampment of sex offenders living outdoors, legislated into homelessness by the County’s 2500 foot exclusion zone. Included in that plan was a deadline of May 6th for…
Read MoreVA: Registered sex offender sues Stafford School Board for banning him from meetings
[fredericksburg.com 5/4/18] A Stafford County resident is suing the county’s School Board over a no-trespassing notice that effectively prohibits him from attending the board’s meetings because he is a registered sex offender. Melvin Allen filed a federal lawsuit this month claiming that the action violates his constitutional right to participate in public meetings. He is seeking unspecified damages. Allen received the notice barring him from “School Board-owned property” on May 3, 2016, presumably because he picked up his grandson from Winding Creek Elementary School the previous month, according to the…
Read MoreCA: San Diego DA Candidate Summer Stephan’s Bad Day
[sandiegofreepress.org 5/3/18] Wednesday, May 2, wasn’t a good day in appointed interim District Attorney Summer Stephan’s quest to win her first election in the June Primary. In Justice Today, a leading publication in the field of criminal justice reform called out Stephan’s claims about human trafficking, suggesting she’s used inflated numbers to bolster her political and professional profile. And Genevieve Jones-Wright, Stephan’s opponent in the upcoming June primary, has asked the State Attorney General’s office to investigate ten alleged violations of state law prohibiting employees–in this case, local law enforcement–from…
Read MoreCA: Wilk sex offender bill passes Senate with unanimous vote [Senate Bill 1199]
[signalscv.com 5/3/18] A bill that State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Antelope Valley, introduced to reform the release and placement for California sex offenders unanimously passed the Senate on Thursday. Senate Bill 1199 would expand current protections against the ‘dumping’ of sexually violent predators into random communities. Now it would include, when reasonably possible, requiring authorities to take familial and community ties into consideration when determining where inmates convicted of registerable sex offenses are placed upon release. Read more
Read MoreRI: 4 Cranston residents concerned about sex offenders, criminally insane living nearby
[abc6.com 4/30/18] CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Cranston East High School hosted a forum Monday night that many feel is long overdue, about a growing list of unwanted neighbors for those who live along Roosevelt and Pontiac Avenues. “With Cranston being the receiving community of not only sex offenders but now the criminally insane, our residents need to be aware of it,” said Rep. Robert Lancia. Since 2012, the sex offender population at Harrington Hall on Howard Ave has been steadily growing–now hovering around 30. “If you go hang out with…
Read MoreNew Federal sex offense bills: H.R. 5650 Nicole’s Law Act and H.R. 5622 PERSIST Against MST Act
[govtrack.us 4/27/18] H.R. 5650: Nicole’s Law Act of 2018 To direct the Attorney General to make grants to States that have in place laws that expand the protections offered to victims of sex offenses who are not in a familiar or dating relationship with the perpetrators of such offenses. H.R. 5622: PERSIST Against MST Act To improve the ability of the Department of Defense to address sexual offenses, and for other purposes.
Read MoreWA: Landlords sue Seattle over tenant history ordinance
[richmond.com 5/1/18] SEATTLE (AP) — A landlord group has sued the city of Seattle over an ordinance passed in August that prohibits them from making rental decisions based on a tenant’s criminal background. The Rental Housing Association of Washington sued the city in King County Superior Court Tuesday. The complaint alleges the city has violated property owners’ due process and free speech rights. It says landowners have a right to select their tenants and the ordinance is unreasonable. The Seattle City Council unanimously approved the “fair chance housing” ordinance in…
Read MoreSex Offender Laws Shame
[youtube.com 3/19/15 – Shame vs guilt] Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown is an American scholar, author, and public speaker, who is currently a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Watch the video
Read MoreCO: Bill bans conflicts of interest on sex offender management board after Contact7 investigation
[thedenverchannel.com 5/1/18] DENVER — The Colorado House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to move forward with legislation that would ban members of the state’s sex offender management board from profiting from the treatment requirements they set. The sex offender management board, also known as the SOMB, sets the standards and procedures for supervision and treatment of convicted sex offenders in the state. Last year, Contact7 Investigates explored allegations of a conflict of interest within the board when it comes to polygraph testing mandated for offenders. Public records show the polygraph company…
Read MoreChild Sexual Abuse Prevention Isn’t a Soft Option
[medium.com 4/29/18 – alternatives to anti-registrant laws] Wouldn’t it be great if we could eliminate child sexual abuse (CSA) with a pill? But it’s a more complicated prospect than it seems. Who would you administer it to? Most child sex offenders are unknown to the police before they offend, and by then, it’s too late for their victims. So would you just administer this pill to everybody, to be on the safe side? And if you did, what if it had side effects? Thinking that we can eliminate CSA with…
Read MoreIreland: Proposal to restrict sex offenders from travelling abroad
[rte.ie 5/2/18] Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan has proposed legislation to restrict sex offenders from travelling abroad. Launching the Sex Offender’s Amendment Bill during Private Member’s time in the Dáil, she said the aim was to protect children who are easy prey in countries where the authorities cannot or will not protect them. Conservative estimates put the number of children trafficked at four and a half million, she told the Dáil this evening. She also said the increase in global travel had created more opportunities for abuse. Deputy O’Sullivan also raised…
Read More