[washingtonpost.com – 5/23/19] The three teenagers regularly shared silly videos, trying to one-up each other and trusting the group text messages would remain private. But one especially sensitive text did not stay among them — landing the teen who first sent it at the center of a novel court case over a sexually explicit video she made and shared of herself. Maryland’s highest court will soon decide whether state laws intended to stop child pornography apply when the child is both the subject and the sender of the graphic material.…
Read MoreMonth: May 2019
The YMCA bans persons required to register as sex offenders, but how has that worked out for them?
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 5/22/19] The Fulton County YMCA, in Johnstown, New York was just hit with a $10,000,000.00 lawsuit. A 19 year old former employee was charged with raping an underage girl in the locker room In Wichita, Kansas a 31 year old former employee allegedly sexually assaulted three teenage girls this month. The same Y had another instance of sexual assault last year. The YMCA recently enacted a policy barring all persons required to register as sexual offenders from their facilities and revoking the membership of many long-time members after…
Read MoreMA: Baker to refile bill on sexual predators
[eagletribune.com – 5/20/19] Gov. Charlie Baker will ask lawmakers once again to limit the release of sexual predators from prison. The move follows last week’s ruling by the state’s highest court clearing the way for the eventual release of Wayne Chapman. Convicted of raping two Lawrence boys in 1975, Chapman is also a suspect in the 1976 disappearance of Angelo Puglisi Jr., 10, of Lawrence. He has admitted to raping as many as 100 boys in eight states and Canada. Chapman, 71, has been in prison for more than 40…
Read MoreYou Just Discovered You Hired a Sex Offender. Now What?
A reader sent me the following question. I worked for a grocery store. Can a child molester be employed by the grocery store? I reported it to the manager, and showed proof and nothing was done about it. There’s a lot going on here. What does the law require an employer to do (if anything) under these circumstances? And what should an employer do when it discovers it is employing a sex offender? Legal Advice Column
Read MoreCA: Sex Offender Law – Fight or Punt? City Choices Limited
Rock. Santa Clarita. Hard Place. That about sums up the situation the Santa Clarita City Council was in this past week, when council members faced a staff recommendation to repeal a city ordinance restricting the residency of registered sex offenders. Full Editorial Also see Sex Offender Case Posed Dilemma for City Council by Santa Clarita Mayer Pro Tem Related Santa Clarita City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions CA: Santa Clarita City Council To Consider Repeal Of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions
Read MoreAUS: Child Sex Offender Register Could Become Reality After Coalition’s Shock Win
Following Coalition’s shock election victory, a public sex offender register posited by the political alliance in Australia could soon become reality. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton suggested in a January news release that information about the crimes of pedophiles be added to a national child sex offender registry—including the perpetrators’ names, aliases, and photos. “It would have a strong deterrent effect on offenders and ensure that parents are not in the dark about whether a registered sex offender has access to their children,” Dutton said at the time. Full Article
Read MoreACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting Alert in L.A. on Sat, May 25
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, May 25, 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. There is also a second Emotional Support Group meeting on the phone most months. If you want to attend this conference call, the group leader wants to talk with you first to ensure we don’t get inappropriate callers. He will tell you the date…
Read MoreWhat things did you like about past ACSOL conferences?
Our ACSOL conferences have given attendees hope, practical solutions, and motivation in our fight for justice. We’d love to hear what you liked best about your past attendance at an ACSOL conference, and why you are going to our next one June 14-15. People who are considering attending would like to hear your thoughts too.
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Pornography: A Public Health Crisis?
They are at it again- Lawmakers across the country declaring pornography a “”public health crisis”. This isn’t new by any means, several years ago lawmakers were calling pornography an “epidemic”. This week lawmakers in the Arizona state government approved a measure urging the state to prevent “exposure & addiction” to porn. 15 other states legislative chambers have adopted similar measures. Is it true? Is pornography an epidemic, a public health crisis? I thought those scare tactics were supposed to be used for real “population panic” like the plague. According to…
Read MoreMA: State’s Highest Court Orders Release Of Sex Offender Held Since 1970s
Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Thursday that a 71-year-old convicted sex offender held for more than 40 years as a sexually dangerous person can be released, after two mental health professionals ruled that he was no longer a risk. The court essentially upheld an earlier decision from 2009 in ruling that ___ ___ can’t continue to be held at the Massachusetts Treatment Center. Full Article Related Calling for change before offender ____ is free Tough on sex offender legislation not refiled
Read MoreUT: Lawmaker calls for study in taking some convicts off sex offender registry
It’s a sensitive issues at the Utah Capitol — maybe close to alcohol policy, marijuana and Medicaid expansion — who goes off Utah’s Sex Offender Registry. Depending on the sex crime, convicts now can stay on for ten years, or for the rest of their lives. “We tend to kind of group those sex offenders together in the same broad brush category,“ said Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Davis County, who maintained Wednesday during a legislative committee hearing, the circumstances of the criminal acts are often very different. “Sometimes with these controversial…
Read MoreSanta Clarita City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Santa Clarita City Council voted unanimously to repeal the city’s residency restrictions during its May 14 meeting. Because the issue was placed on the consent calendar, the vote took place without discussion or debate. A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on February 25, 2019, challenging the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living within 2,000 feet from schools, parks, public libraries and child care centers. The effect of this restriction was to place off limits virtually all of the city, including hotels, on either a…
Read MoreACSOL 2019 Conference is just weeks away! Reserve your seat
ACSOL’s annual conference is just weeks away on June 14 and 15. Our theme is “Together, One Voice: Show up, Stand up, Speak up!”! Our speakers will teach you how to do that, plus a lot of other useful information. You will feel hope as you talk with other registrants and supporters. Click here to sign up now to make sure you get a seat! We aren’t just saying that, because we really were given a limit to the number of people who can be seated comfortably in the beautiful…
Read MoreMA: Harvard professor loses post for defending an unpopular client
[theappeal.org – 5/14/19] As soon as it was revealed earlier this year that a house faculty dean at Harvard University, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., had decided to join the legal team of Harvey Weinstein, students spoke out. Two undergraduates wrote an op-ed in The Crimson, calling on Harvard to “remove” Sullivan, because he chose to defend Weinstein, “the man whose infamous sexual misconduct and assault of over a dozen women initiated the #MeToo movement.” The students say that they “condemn Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein” while serving as dean, and…
Read MoreSingapore: Suspended sentences: Sex offenders should undergo psychological evaluation, treatment
[singaporelawwatch.sg – 5/14/19] In dealing with sex offenders with mental illness, the best solution may not be rehabilitation, says the writer. Assistant Professor Benjamin Joshua Ong’s idea of imposing suspended sentences on voyeurs is a good one (“NUS case: Suspended sentence in place of police warning will have added benefit of judicial oversight”; May 9). These include jail sentences passed by a court that do not take effect if offenders comply with conditions, such as refraining from re-offending, attending counselling sessions, or staying away from certain areas or persons. The…
Read MoreGuam: Mandatory rather than optional chemical castration for sex offenders sought
[guampdn.com – 5/14/19] A new bill seeks to make chemical castration among Guam’s sex offenders released on parole mandatory, rather than optional or voluntary, under a 2015 law that’s never been enforced. “The intent of the legislation is to add more teeth to an existing mandate,” Sen. James Moylan, R-Tumon, said in introducing Bill 137 on Tuesday. The objectives are not only to reduce recidivism among convicted sex offenders, but also to keep the community safe, the senator said. Moylan’s bill would make the hormone or anti-androgen treatment program, also…
Read MoreCA: ______ Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life
[theappeal.org – 5/13/19] California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Search for _____ California’s online database of registered sex offenders and you’ll see a snapshot of his offenses. You’ll learn that he was convicted of “rape in concert with force or violence” and “assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense.” You’ll also see his photo, his home address, and his birthdate, showing that he’s now 38. But you won’t learn that ___was labeled a sex offender for an assault that someone…
Read MoreNJ: Gov. Murphy Vetoes 12 Bills, Signs Law Protecting Sex Victims
[patch.com – 5/13/19] New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to help protect sex-abuse victims while also vetoing 12 bills on Monday. Murphy signed legislation (S477) extending the statute of limitations in civil actions for sexual abuse claims. The signing comes just days after a law firm released the names of more than 100 people who allegedly committed sexual abuse while serving in the Catholic church’s clergy. The law also creates a two-year window for parties to bring lawsuits based on sexual abuse that would be time-barred even with the…
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