Prosecutors can subject those convicted of sexual offenses—and sometimes, those with no conviction at all—to an indefinite period of civil punishment at the end of their criminal sentence. In January, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Bianco ruled that after spending nearly two decades detained by the state of California without trial, ____ ____ was a free man. Unlike the 536,000 people held pretrial in the criminal justice system in America, ____ , 44, was not being held because he was accused of a crime. Instead, ____ was locked up for 17…
Read MoreYear: 2018
Federal judges butt heads with U.S. lawmakers over legality of ankle monitors for nonviolent suspects
In a clash that has surfaced in federal courthouses across the country and a recent Houston case, a collection of judges have held it is their duty to set conditions of release for accused sex offenders despite a strict law that limits their discretion. Full Article
Read MoreND: North Dakota works to track registered sex offenders
[inforum.com – 9/2/18] Keeping track track of sex offenders in North Dakota requires technology and the teamwork of law enforcement and communities across the state. There are among nearly 1,900 sex offenders in the state, according to Liz Brocker, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. A website for the Attorney General’s Office tracks the locations of sex offenders in the state, based on their residence or place of employment. Staff with the office work extensively to keep the website up to date with extensive information on offenders,…
Read MoreGeneral Comments September 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of September 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreIndia Likely to Launch Sex Offender Data Base Next Month
[sputniknews.com – 8/31/18] The registry is aimed at helping law enforcement agencies to identify repeat offenders while making people aware of those involved in crimes that are sexual in nature, however, human rights activists are concerned the draconian step might do more harm than good. New Delhi (Sputnik) — With demands to ensure justice for sex offense victims growing louder every passing day, the government of India has decided to adopt a sex offender database. The database would store the profile and personal details of convicted offenders and also those…
Read MoreMD: Maryland joins sex-offender registry program
[washingtonpost.com – 8/26/18] HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Maryland is joining a sex-offender registry program that law enforcement officials say will make it more efficient to share records. The Herald-Mail reported Sunday that Maryland became the 17th state to join OffenderWatch last week. A statewide contract will allow every sheriff’s office, participating police departments and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to use the technology. Maryland residents will also be able to register online to receive alerts and updates at no cost when offenders register within a specific radius of…
Read MoreIA: Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders Survives Court Challenge
A nearly six-year-old lawsuit challenging Iowa’s program for keeping sex offenders confined after they serve their prison terms has been dismissed by a federal judge in Sioux City. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Bennett ruled against patients in the Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders, or CCUSO, housed at the Mental Health Institute in Cherokee. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Craven County sex offenders are carefully tracked
Between 170 and 190 sex offenders live in Craven County following strict guidelines regarding where they can live, visit, work or walk. Not only does the Sheriff’s department track their daily lives, but they can be tracked by their neighbors or relatives as well, through the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, a site that will warn residents where the offenders are, what they look like, and of what crime they are convicted. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Sex offender gets jail for not reporting social media password
A Level 1 sex offender from the Tuscarora Indian Reservation was sentenced Thursday to a year in the Niagara County Jail for not telling authorities one of his social media passwords. ____ ____, 48, of Susie’s Lane, must register because of a misdemeanor sex conviction in 2004, defense attorney David J. Mansour said. In April, ____ pleaded guilty to a felony count of failure to register. He reported two social media accounts last year, but only one password. Mansour said ____ thought the accounts were linked. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Bail overhaul plan would limit release of sex crime suspects
People arrested on suspicion of crimes that would require them to register as sex offenders would need a judge’s approval to leave jail while awaiting trial under a change to the state’s new landmark law ending bail. State senators voted Wednesday to send the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown, just a day after Brown signed the law that will make California the first state to end bail in October 2019. In the place of bail, judges and county officials will determine whether to release suspects before trial based on the…
Read MoreCA: Bill to Track Registered Sex Offenders Detained in County Jail Advances to Gov’s Desk
Today, the Assembly unanimously approved Senate amendments to Assembly Bill 1994 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), sending it to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration. AB 1994 will provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to track registered sex offenders. “It is unacceptable that neither law enforcement nor the public are notified when registered sex offenders are released into our communities,” Assemblymember Cervantes said. “This bill will provide law enforcement with more tools to track registered sex offenders and help keep our streets and neighborhoods safe.” Full Article
Read MoreTX: Pastor convicted of child porn gets probation, must post sex offender sign at his home
An associate pastor who told police he kept child porn on his computer as part of research for “a possible lesson involving Cupid, love and human trafficking” has been sentenced to eight years’ probation. ____ ____, 79, also was ordered by Judge Mollee B. Westfall to post a sign at his Hurst home that says, “A person on probation for a child sex offense lives here.” Full Article
Read MoreMO: New three-tiered sex offender law goes into effect Tuesday
Starting Tuesday, August 28, a new law goes into effect that’s expected to drop the number of registered sex offenders in Missouri. It will be a three-tiered system that punishes people based on the severity of their offenses. Full Article Related MO: New Law Expected To Reduce Missouri’s Sex Offender Registry Count
Read MoreCA: Gov. Brown signs Wilk’s sex offender bill into law
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1199 into law Monday evening, an attempt to correct the way Jessica’s Law led to a disproportionate number of sexual offenders being released to rural areas. The bill’s author, Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, said the bill addresses an unintended consequence, which created a burdensome and unfair situation in several parts of the 21st Senate District, which he represents, as well as rural communities throughout the state. Full Article
Read MoreFL: The Last Victim: One man caught in the day-care hysteria decades ago still seeks justice
[nationalreview.com – 8/23/18] On January 23, 2014, the Florida Parole Commission sent Frank Fuster a letter informing him that, owing to a recent policy change, it had determined that his initial interview was scheduled for March 2134. No, that isn’t a misprint. His first parole hearing is scheduled in 120 years. And this for a crime that, by any fair reading of the evidence, not only did Fuster not commit but never even happened. Thirty-three years ago, Fuster, along with his young wife, Ileana, was convicted of sexually abusing children…
Read MoreIL: Appellate court reverses sex offender registration conviction
An Illinois appeals court reversed a man’s conviction after he was accused of failing to register as a sex offender. The Fifth District Appellate Court, in reversing former judge John Baricevic, found the state did not provide enough evidence that ____ had to continually register as a sexual offender on the date of his offense. Prosecutors conceded there was no indication if Kitterman’s imprisonment or subsequent conviction changed the required registration date. The three-judge panel ruled ____, who represented himself, proved the the Sexual Offender Registration Act (SORA) requires the offender to…
Read MoreTX: Something Is Wrong with the Sex Offender Registry, and Deregistration Is the Only Tool We Have to Fix It
Something is wrong with the sex offender registry. It is not working the way it was intended to work. Worse, the registry is causing innocent people to be harmed. Yet none of these innocent people harmed by the registry are convicted sex offenders. Before diving into a discussion regarding the public sex offender registry, it is important to note that this article is not a critique of those who created and implemented the registry. Nor is this article a critique of those who keep the registry functioning. Rather, this article…
Read MoreLiving with 290: Not above the law
No one is above the law. Punish me for the crimes I committed, but obey the law yourselves in doing so. I was told they wanted to ask me some questions, just for basic information and said that I didn’t have to talk to them if I did not want to. I could go outside, but then I could not come back inside, because they couldn’t have me going out and coming in while they were working. This is their only pass at compliance with Miranda. From my own research,…
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