Month: July 2018

MO: SB655 changes Missouri’s sex offender list

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A lot of people have been talking about how Senate Bill 655 adjusts how old one must be to get married in Missouri, increasing that age to 16. Clay County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Shannon Ryser said that is only one portion of the bill. He added that a portion also is dedicated to the sex offender registration list. “There is a much larger portion of the bill that significantly revises and basically overhauls the requirements of sex offender registration,” Ryser said. “Right now in Missouri, everybody that is convicted of…

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Singapore: Unofficial sex-offender registry raises risk of vigilantism

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[straitstimes.com – 7/26/18] The unofficial registry of convicted sex offenders is nothing more than harassment and more punishment for former offenders who have already served their time (Unofficial registry of sex offenders draws mixed views; July 15). It needs to be removed so that people who have this stigma attached to their name can have a hope of living a normal, law-abiding life, just like other released offenders. Unless they are recalcitrant and violent offenders, why should they be forced to wear the scarlet letter even after they have served…

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HI: Dozens of sex predators registered as living in Oahu parks

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Hawaii’s sex offender registry is meant to keep people safe by requiring convicted sex criminals to submit their address to an online database. On the site, the public can check to see if a sex offender lives nearby. But a Hawaii News Now investigation has revealed some alarming gaps in the system, including vague addresses and dozens of convicted sex predators living places where you hope children can be safest. Full Article

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NY: Critics say pardons will give sex offenders access to schools

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[timesunion.com – 7/24/18] ALBANY — Schools are generally off-limits for sex offenders, but not when it comes times to vote. A carveout in the state’s criminal trespass laws allows sex offenders to enter a school for the specific purpose of voting, including school district votes and other government elections, where the school is the polling site. The issue has jumped into the public’s consciousness as the result of outcry by some Republicans about conditional pardons recently issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that could speed up the restoration of voting…

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ICE arrests 2K child predators, skit compares it to ISIS

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[onenewsnow.com – 7/23/18] ICE arrests 2After comedian Michelle Wolf compared the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS on a parody video, former ICE Director Thomas Homan condemned the skit and pointed out how the agency has “arrested over 2,000 child predators,” along with thousands of other depraved criminals. Joining the ICE attack bandwagon Wolff – who hosts her weekly Netflix show The Break with Michelle Wolf – mocked ICE while impersonating the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in the mock recruiting…

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House Judiciary Committee Falsely Claims Credit For Stopping 90% Of All Sex Trafficking Because Of FOSTA

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[techdirt.com – 7/24/18] For no clear reason at all, the Republicans* on the House Judiciary Committee released a video on YouTube earlier this week praising themselves for stopping online sex trafficking via FOSTA/SESTA. It’s… quite something. The video makes a number of blatantly false claims from various members of the House Judiciary, but let’s focus mainly on the claims of Ann Wagner, whose original bill kicked off the process that became FOSTA/SESTA. She’s been spreading moral panic nonsense about sex trafficking and the internet for ages, so it’s no surprise…

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MA: Board wants Cosby deemed a sexually violent predator

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[bostonherald.com – 7/25/18] Disgraced comic icon Bill Cosby will have to register as a sex offender in Massachusetts if he returns to his sprawling Shelburne Falls estate — and state and local authorities say they will be watching for him, the Herald has learned. Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board recommended to a judge yesterday that Cosby be declared a “sexually violent predator.” But the 81-year-old comedian’s conviction April 26 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in Philadelphia is sufficient for Massachusetts authorities to require him to register here if…

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EXPERT: CRIME REGISTRIES TURN PEOPLE INTO PARIAHS WITH ‘VERY LITTLE TO LOSE’

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… While public sex offender registries are now required by federal law, other registries for people who have committed certain types of crimes—such as domestic violence or drug-related crimes—are on the rise. They are seen by some victims’ rights advocates as a way to protect the community. But, criminal justice advocates argue that the registries are just another way to assert control over people who have already served their time. With registries, the collateral consequences of incarceration can extend indefinitely. Full Article

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ME: Strong board grapples with sex-offender housing limits

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[sunjournal.com – 7/21/18] STRONG — Selectmen are facing a request from townspeople to prohibit registered sex offenders from living in specific areas of town. The request was made after a group of people alerted town officials that a resident at Valley Brook housing on Main Street is a lifetime registrant on the Sex Offender Registry. The housing complex is next to Strong Elementary School. “I had some members of the public with some concerns that there’s no sex offenders ordinance here in town,” Selectman Rodney Spiller said at a recent…

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PA: Judge upends sex offender registration

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WEST CHESTER >> A Common Pleas Court judge has ruled that a West Goshen man convicted of forcing himself sexually on a sleeping woman will not have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. In an order signed July 10, Judge Anthony Sarcione found that the law that defendant ____ ____ was required to report to state police as a sex offender was unconstitutional. He said the law, the Sexual Offenders Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), violated the fundamental right to reputation under the state…

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Emotional Support Group Meetings in 2018

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Emotional Support Group meetings will be held on the following dates–usually the fourth Saturday of each month–for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. Meetings are based upon 12-step principles and are led by a mental health professional. Meetings are held at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles There is free underground parking. Meetings start promptly at 10 a.m. and anyone who arrives after that time may not be able to participate due to the logistics of that location. There is no charge to attend…

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ACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting in L.A. on July 28

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ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones. They are usually held the fourth Saturday of each month, so this year they are planned for: July 28, Aug 24, Sep 22, Oct 27, Nov 24, Dec 22   The next meeting is Saturday, July 28, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide…

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Is a life sentence for child sexual abuse just?

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Arguably Chicago’s most notorious figure in the national Roman Catholic priest sex abuse scandal was committed indefinitely Wednesday to a state facility for sex offenders. In refusing to release ____ ____ under strict monitoring, Cook County Judge Dennis Porter noted that the defrocked priest had never cooperated with treatment or even admitted to a problem. Full Opinion Piece

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