ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – More than a half dozen sex offenders who committed their crimes in other states say they’re being treated unfairly in New Mexico. Now, eight out-of-state sex offenders now living in New Mexico, calling themselves John Does, are suing the Department of Public Safety and various sheriffs to get their fair shot at a hearing. Full Article
Read MoreMonth: October 2019
Kat’s Blog: Prisoners Fighting California Fires
The California fires were raging across the CNN newscast, firefighters in yellow and orange turnout coats braving the hellish lines of fires that roared up and down hillsides, valleys and canyons. But wait, according to Bill Weir, reporter for CNN, those firefighters in the orange coats aren’t really firefighters, they’re prisoners from jails or prisons that have volunteered and been specifically trained to assist in fighting these kinds of catastrophic fires. You would think this was a good thing right, prisoners stepping up, willing to help out the state in…
Read MoreCould GPS-Tracked Sex Offenders Go Unmonitored During Power Shutoffs?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Hundreds of thousands of Californians remain in the dark as another round of planned power outages hit California. Parts of 29 counties and nearly 600,000 customers are affected. And now the shutoffs are raising new concerns that violent offenders could take advantage of the outages. Victims rights groups say the fear is real. They want to make sure offenders using tracking devices are being monitored. Full Article
Read MoreGA: Federal Judge Stops Halloween Signs
A federal district court judge today granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that prohibits law enforcement in Butts County, Georgia from posting signs in the front yards of registrants’ homes on Halloween. In his ruling, the judge stated that requiring registrants to allow the signs to remain in their front yards violated their First Amendment rights. Also in his ruling, the judge explained that a state law that requires law enforcement to identify registrants “does not require or authorize sheriffs to post signs in front of sex offenders’ homes, nor…
Read MoreArmy sex offender argues that prison’s ban on contact with his children violated rights
A soldier convicted of a sex crime involving a child will argue in the military’s top court next week that a prison policy preventing him from contact with his own children violated his rights and unduly punished him. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Church pulls plug on sex offender’s wedding
[poststar.com – 10/22/19] …when word got out on social media in recent days that ______ was planning to get married days after his sentencing, and the invitation that was posted on Facebook talked of the “fairytale” relationship, the you-know-what hit the proverbial fan. The wedding was to be held Saturday at South Granville Congregational Church. Pastor Rick Backus said that he was aware _____ had been accused of child sexual abuse after the wedding was booked, but in light of the fact he hadn’t been convicted the wedding was going…
Read MoreLA: Teen beat up a stranger he recognized as a sex offender, now faces hate crime count, NOPD says
A 17-year-old boy who realized he was at the same convenience store as a man whose picture had appeared on a mailed sex-offender notice followed the man away from the shop and beat him up, New Orleans police said this week. Now, besides facing a count of misdemeanor battery, Tyrin Calloway stands accused of a hate crime, apparently on the theory that he targeted his alleged victim, a stranger, for being a registered sex offender, according to Criminal District Court records. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Don’t Miss Another Opportunity To Fix Sex Offender Registry
Last session, the state Legislature missed an opportunity to make major changes in Connecticut’s sex offender registry by failing to pass Senate Bill 1113 as proposed by the state Sentencing Commission. The Sentencing Commission was required by the Legislature to examine Connecticut’s sex offender registry and propose changes to the Legislature by 2018. Full Commentary
Read MoreKat’s Blog: The “Public List” That Remains Private
In 1963 the Supreme Court/ Brady v. Maryland, ruled that prosecutors must inform those accused of a crime about any evidence that might help their defense at trial and that includes sharing the information on something known as the “Brady List.” Counties across the country are, by law, required to keep a detailed list of police officers who have committed crimes, who have lied on the job or whose honesty is deemed “questionable”. We’re not talking about officers who have been fired either, these are officers that are still on…
Read MorePA: Over 400 Registered Sex Offenders In Erie Causes Halloween Concerns For Parents
[erienewsnow.com – 10/25/19] Trick-or-treating can be fun and exciting… But going door-to-door to different homes can be very dangerous. Parents aren’t just concerned about tainted candy this Halloween, they’re also worried that children may be trick or treating around sexual predators. Halloween is a week away but people have already begun to celebrate at Millcreek Mall’s annual Trail of Treats event. Trick-or-treating in the mall is going to be the only Halloween some children experience this year. The fear of a child being lured by sexual predators causes reluctance for…
Read MoreTX: Annual Sex Offenders Sweep begins Friday
[kristv.com – 10/24/19] CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Halloween naturally prompts youngsters to visit homes they aren’t familiar with. County law enforcement officials want them to be careful and are taking steps to make it safer for them. The Nueces County Community Supervision and Corrections Department will be conducting its 13th annual Sex Offender Sweep beginning Friday through Halloween Day. In conjunction with the approaching holiday, local law enforcement officials will be conducting home visits on registered sex offenders currently on probation within Nueces County. All District Judges have mandated that…
Read MoreGA: Sheriff defends Halloween sex-offender-warning signs
[bpnews.net – 10/24/19] orgia sheriff was in federal district court Thursday (Oct. 24) defending his decision to post signs in front of sex offenders’ homes warning trick-or-treaters not to approach. Three sex offenders have filed suit against Butts County, Ga., sheriff Gary Long because he posted signs in front of 200 registered sex offenders’ homes in 2018 warning trick-or-treaters not to approach the properties. The plaintiffs are trying to prevent Long from posting the signs again in 2019 and beyond. “Stop. Warning. No Trick-Or-Treat At This Address!!” the signs read,…
Read MoreKY: Louisville launches a registry for animal abusers
[wave3.com – 10/23/19] A new Animal Abuser Registry in Louisville is expected to prevent pets from falling into the hands of people with a history of animal abuse. Approved by Louisville Metro Council and administered by Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS), the registry is similar to a sex offender registry. Anyone who lives in the Louisville Metro and is guilty of animal cruelty is required to keep their name on a list for two years after a conviction. Pet stores, shelters or rescue groups are also required to check the…
Read MoreLA: Court sidesteps issue on juvenile sex offenders
Louisiana’s Supreme Court has sidestepped, for now, the question of whether juveniles convicted of sex crimes can be required to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. The case involved a man convicted of having molested his younger sister when he was 14 years old. He was ordered held in juvenile custody until age 21. After his release, he sought relief from the sex registration requirement. The high court on Tuesday ruled that because he was no longer in custody, he was ineligible to file for post-conviction…
Read MorePA: Internet dissemination provision of SORNA II violates the federal prohibition against ex post facto laws
Summary from FAC: A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has found that the dissemination of persons who have been convicted of sexual offenses’ information on the internet (Megan’s Law) violates the ex post facto clause of the Constitution for individuals whose offenses pre-date the ordinance. Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court had a prior landmark decision (Commonwealth v. Muniz, 164 A.3d 1189 (Pa.2017)) finding similarly, so this new opinion will not likely be groundbreaking, but it will show that the prior findings are being upheld and people in Pennsylvania DO have relief from the public…
Read MoreHalloween and the Sex Offender Myth: Part I (Updated with Part II)
Part II (October 23): https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/halloween-and-the-sex-offender-myth-part-ii/2019/10/23 Part I (October 19): I often wonder why we don’t dress our kids up as sex offenders. We dress them up as serial killers, witches, goblins, and other horrible monsters. We let our little girls dress up in fishnet stockings, short skirts, and heavy makeup. My own child wants to be a fallen angel. What is a fallen angel but a devil? At first, the sex offender comment makes me a big jerk, highly offensive, yet if one calms down and thinks about it, why…
Read MoreWI: Nonprofit trying to find homes for those living in ‘Tent City’
[wisn.com – 10/22/19] The homeless in Milwaukee’s Tent City have less than two weeks to clear out after the Wisconsin Department of Transportation ordered them out by Oct. 31 to make way for a construction project. A federally funded nonprofit is taking on the mission of finding everyone a home to avoid forcing people out at the end of the month. … ______ is a convicted sex offender and now no one will take him in. “It sucks. It’s cold. There’s help for people. But most of them, it’s help…
Read MoreIL: Orland Park 2019 Sex Offender Halloween Safety Map
[patch.com – 10/21/19] Before kids go out trick or treating on Halloween, fall is a good time to take an inventory of who is living in your neighborhood. … You may want to avoid trick or treating at these houses and apartments on Halloween, or merely be aware of who’s living in your neighborhood during the rest of the year. … Law enforcement officials and researchers caution that the registries can play only a limited role in preventing child sexual abuse and stress that most perpetrators are known to the…
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