The Marshall Project Wins an Edward R. Murrow Award [for “Banished”]

[themarshallproject.org – 6/19/19] “Banished,” The Marshall Project’s immersive multimedia story on the lives of sex offenders living in Miami-Dade County, Florida, who abide by some of the most restrictive housing policies in the country, has been awarded the national Edward R. Murrow Award for “Excellence in Video.” The organization was also awarded a regional Edward R. Murrow prize in the “News Documentary” category earlier in the year for “Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, Episode 9,” produced in collaboration with WNYC. Deftly integrating text and video, “Banished” revealed the day-to-day…

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CA: Number of Registrants Increases Significantly

The total number of CA residents required to register has grown to 108,128 according to a report today given by the CA Department of Justice (CA DOJ) to the CA Sex Offender Management Board. This total represents an increase of more than 4,000 people during the past six months. Of that total number, CA DOJ reported that there are 78,191 registrants who are not in custody but who are living in the community. That total number also includes 16,455 registrants who are “in violation” for failure to register as well…

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FL: Fort Lauderdale relaxes restrictions on where sex offenders can live

[sun-sentinel.com – 6/18/19] Fort Lauderdale city commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to relax the city’s residency restrictions on sex offenders. Offenders will now be allowed to live close to bus stops but they are still barred from living within 1,400 feet of a school, daycare and other places children gather. The change will expand the available housing for convicted offenders from 1.4% of the city to 15.3%. It also brings Fort Lauderdale more in line with Florida state law. Dr. Amy Miller praised the ordinance as “an absolutely phenomenal step,” to…

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SCOTUS: Gundy v. United States – Affirmed

Judgment: Affirmed, 5-3, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on June 20, 2019. Justice Kagan announced the judgment of the Court and delivered an opinion, in which Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor joined. Justice Alito filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice Gorsuch filed a dissenting opinion, in which Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Thomas joined. Justice Kavanaugh took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. Issue: Whether the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act’s delegation of authority to the attorney general to issue regulations…

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