KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A federal court ruled three years ago that parts of Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry laws were unconstitutional, but since then, nothing in the law has changed.
The ACLU is looking to reform, or even do away with the registry as part of an ongoing lawsuit.
“The law that we have now is broken, it’s bloated, its ineffective and it actually makes us less safe,” said Miriam Aukerman, an attorney with the ACLU of Michigan.
Aukerman said the state’s sex offender registry law is unconstitutional and ineffective, which was why the organization had ongoing lawsuits in both state and federal court.
“When someone has served their time and done their punishment, we say ‘go out and start your life over again,’” Aukerman said.
Michigan has one of the largest sex offender registries of any state, with 44,000 people.
The registry is easy to access, and searchable by location or name on the Michigan State Police website.
A search of the database shows 783 registered sex offenders in Kalamazoo, including 18 living within a half mile of Newschannel 3.
“I think people need to know where things are, where people are in their neighborhood,” said Calhoun County Prosecuting Attorney David Gilbert.
He said easy access to the database helps keep people safe.
In 2006 and 2011 the Michigan legislature toughened sex offender laws, requiring lifetime registration for certain offenses. Those registration requirements were implemented retroactively.
The toughened registration requirements meant people whose crimes occurred before the registry even existed had to register and were governed by strict standards.
A federal appeals court ruled the retroactive registration unconstitutional in 2016. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal a year later.
Michigan ACLU Training Session (Michigan Citizens for Justice)
@Everyone,
Here is another small article originally posted on Women Against the Registry (WAR) about an hour ago if anyone wants to read it, it’s the same as other Michigan articles but also different as well.
https://wsbt.com/news/regional/aclu-lawsuits-look-to-reform-michigan-sex-offender-registry?fbclid=IwAR3xnNtENX9cCICGe-zLYCTowXBG7Ev6u9gbC5oM-C1IZTnwn_YS1_YKx2U
“I think people need to know where things are, where people are in their neighborhood,” said Calhoun County Prosecuting Attorney David Gilbert. ……. “It’s not there for the person that was convicted, it’s there for people in the community so they can check their community and see if someone who they may consider a danger is in their neighborhood,” he said.
I’m not sure if I am “Thing One” or “Thing Two”, but I do know that Gilbert and his ilk are lazy liars. All of these prosecutors, LEOs and legislators are lying when they roll out the overused tropes of “public safety” & “people have a right to know”.
They are proven to be lazy liars by the truth that if they were genuinely concerned about who may be dangerous and the people’s right to know, they would push for a drunk drivers registry, a domestic abusers registry, a meth cookers’ registry, and a registry of all the local racist fanatics who have stockpiled guns and ammunition! Aren’t the registry proponents always saying that people have a right to know who in their neighborhoods is dangerous???
I thought that was the entire argument for the registry. Or could it be that the true purpose is exactly what WE say it is: the registry is meant to shame and endlessly punish people who have already served their time.
Perhaps I’d like to know if the guy next door is a wife-beater or the woman across the street is a thief.
If we’re going to have a registry, then by God let’s not discriminate between crimes, let’s have one for one and all!
ACLU seems to have some balls in Michigan..why not California?
Janice needs all the help that she can get to fight all this nonsense..
Think I will call the ACLU and ask them..
Norman.
Wisconsin ACLU refused me completely in 98 when I asked the Milwaukee office for some advice concerning substantive due process claims. I’d not acquiesced in 92 by plea &; had trial unlike DPS folks. They just blew me off and sent fundraising material. I’d 10K cash but he wouldn’t even consider my case. Janice is one in A million. Problem is she can’t fight the federal surveillance saints who are funded by billionaires bent on
maintaining political c!out.
UNFETTERED uses of the electronic databases too useful to give up. See MI. The very second a state Congress limits gov ” use” it also limits the fed by default. That is why they’re stuck! Unpopularity is a separate issue.
Just read some notes from a local area meeting for local politicians, one of mine being Melissa Melendrez, the only things she talked about were “big gulps being banned, and the sex offender registry is being watered down.” And of course the idiot that posted the notes put a scared emoji face. I see all the comments here and feel some hope, then I am reminded by the extra stupidity that lives around me, and that have the ability to vote, and hope fades quickly!
I was incarcerated from 1987 until 1997. I have been on the registry for many years and can honestly say that the impact for me has been minimal compared to some. I know at least 15 others that have been on the registry for the same amount of time, or close to it. So the “100” number is bunk. And if you could put me in touch with one or two of the 3,000 that have been taken off, that would be great. Lol. Because there is nothing I would rather do than get off of this ” Government Go Fund Me” list…
I ceased being a sex offender when I ceased to commit sexual offenses. I was able to turn away from that, and stop. I went to court and took a plea deal for a sexual offense where a judgement and conviction was deferred based on the completion of 10 years probation without offending again. The government changed the deal on me after the fact, and although I completed the terms of the original deal, I have been forced to register each year, and was told that i will have to, under threat of jail for the rest of my life. My name, address, and photo have been put online, and my reputation has been continually slandered with the claim that I AM currently a sex offender, as if I am perpetually committing the crime that I already paid for. So far the highest court in the land has upheld this injustice against me. The government deceived me, lied to me, has continually slandered me, and unjustly punished me for many years, and is continuing to slander and punish me to this day.
This is the boogie man law
Hello Guy’s and Gal’s
Well, I finally received a response from the email I sent the other day concerning Does 2 and if there was any word on the injunction that was files after the March 6th Oral Arguments concerning Betts and Snyder
I heard back from Tim P. and as always, most questions were ducked and not fully answered just more of the same, we are doing it this way or we are doing it that way responses, so anyway this is what I got back from Tim P. ACLU.
We are working on it and hopefully we will have something before the end of this year. We understand your frustration, but understand we are working in the best interest of all parties. If we were to settle just the pre-sorna part of the law we would have no standing to get relief for those post sorna, and the only way to do that would be to go back and start the process all over. Hopefully you can continue to be patient and will be happy with the outcome. I also hope you understand that we get many many emails and your best bet to find out when changes are made will be the news media and letters you will get from the Michigan State Police. Your continued emails and any phone calls, do not speed the process up at all.
Respectfully Tim P ACLU of Michigan SOR Specialist
There was nothing about the injunction I asked about, nothing about US 42 1983 that I asked about when it comes to suing the State of Michigan or the State Police when it cones to the 6th Circuits ruling.
I would appreciate anyone’s thought’s on the matter sorry I didn’t have anything good to report.
i don’t believe we should judge who should or shouldn’t be on the register list i believe everyone should have a second chance. if detroit police was doing thier jobs in the first place there wouldn’t be alot of innocent guys on the sex offender list. everyone that has to register is guilty!!!! My husband has to register and didn’t have a fair trial because he was a Black young man in detroit back in the 90’s the police didn’t give a dam about being right they just had another Blackyoung man locked up…. Dna kits sat up in storage for years untested my husband did time for a lie and because he wouldn’t admit to a lie he suffered 13 long years in michigan prison system and to come home rebuild his family had grandchildren and been home 16years and still have to suffer from the sex offender list. its unfair cause he still feels LOCKED UP
Hello, I was just wondering if anyone has heard any new updates or news on the injunction after the oral arguments on the March 6th, or of there has been any updates or news, on Does 2?. Apparently the Michigan ACLU is tired from hearing from me. They just keep repeating the same thing over and over, still negotiating please watch the news and newspapers for further updates. They won’t even answer questions on US 42, 1983, on during these idiots.