IL: Illinois Supreme Court strikes down social media ban for sex offenders

Illinois’ highest court ruled Thursday that it is unconstitutional to ban convicted sex offenders from social media sites. Conrad Allen Morger was convicted of sexually abusing a minor and sentenced to four years of probation by a court in McLean County. That came with a binding condition he not use specific internet sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. During oral arguments, held in September in Godfrey, Morger’s representative said the ban is a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment fundamental right to freedom of speech. Full Article…

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CA: CASOMB Reports Significant Increase in Number of Registrants

[ACSOL] The number of individuals required to register as a sex offender in the state of California continues to grow rapidly, according to the CA Sex Offender Management Board.  The current number of registrants in the state is 108,970, an increase of about one thousand people in only five months. “The rapid growth in the number of registrants in California must stop,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “A significant part of this growth is made up of individuals convicted of offenses involving unlawful images, including teens who are viewing…

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OH: Ohio state lawmaker re-introduces 18-and-under sexting bill

[cleveland.com – 11/20/19] COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio state lawmaker has proposed banning sexting for those 18 and under. Underage sexting is already illegal, but Senate Bill 239, introduced Wednesday, carves out a legal definition that makes it a less-serious offense than other crimes involving sexual images of minors. The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Nathan Manning, a North Ridgeville Republican, said his proposed law is meant to prevent minors from facing charges that would force them to register as a sex offender. Read more  

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Kat’s Blog: Registrants Left Out in the Cold, Again

Great News! Fremont, Ohio in Sandusky County has a homeless shelter. A homeless shelter that denies access to registrants, but a homeless shelter none the less. I can’t help but wonder what the “do-gooders” of this town were thinking when they set up what is basically an “emergency shelter” and then decided to be prejudiced against who they will take in. According to the local law enforcement of Fremont, there are approximately 6-8 homeless each night in the town.  Coincidently, the new shelter can hold 8 people. But if one…

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FL: Judge rules Pinellas detective, prosecutors lied in child porn case. Defendant could go free

[tampabay.com – 11/21/19] A 63-year-old man facing charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and possession of child pornography could go free after a judge found that Pinellas sheriff’s detectives and Pinellas-Pasco prosecutors lied to obtain a search warrant in the case. The Tampa Bay Times obtained a Nov. 1 order written by Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge William Burgess III in which he found law enforcement officials engaged in a “ruse” to obtain a search warrant for one crime that they used to obtain evidence to prosecute other crimes. “Had it not…

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