[azmirror.com – 4/22/19] House Speaker Rusty Bowers’ bill to allow some people to petition to stop registering as a sex offender is back on track after his counterpart in the Senate gave it a chance to pass a key legislative roadblock. For several weeks, Senate President Karen Fann had kept House Bill 2613 from getting a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, which she chairs. Fann, a Prescott Republican, held the bill after details became public about sex crimes charges that former Rep. David Stringer had faced in Maryland in…
Read MoreYear: 2019
Kat’s Blog: A Time to Reflect
Easter, a holiday with candy, decorations, family visits and children participating in Easter egg hunts. A holiday that so far, is fine for registrants to celebrate. Halloween, candy, decorations and children, yet it’s outlawed for registrants. I don’t get it, it doesn’t make any sense. We could say that there’s the religious element to Easter therefore they can’t take that away from us. But, there are those whose Wiccan religious beliefs include celebrating Oct.31st, Halloween, is their right to celebrate their religion denied them? I’m not certain how one religious…
Read MoreME: Sanford sex offender residency ordinance would cite landlords, property owners
The Sanford City Council is considering a sex offender residency restriction ordinance that would cite landlords and property owners for violations. … Sanford Police Chief Thomas Connolly said is was his understanding that the ordinance would fall under licensing and permitting as a zoning issue, and so would be enforced against the property, rather than the sex offender. He said the police department would have little to do with the ordinance unless there was a problem at the location. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Researchers Say Consensual Sexting Between Teens Should Be Decriminalized
[wfmynews2.com – 4/18/19] In North Carolina, if a teen is caught sexting they face jail time and could have to register as a sex offender. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sexting in many states is an act that could get your teenager into a lot of trouble. The problem is it most likely won’t go away. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 in 4 teens admits to sexting. Sexting is sending or receiving sexual explicit photos or videos, like a naked selfie. Greensboro Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mary Ann Garcia says…
Read MoreFL: Oppose HB 987: Public Lodging Establishments
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 4/17/19] On April 10th, The Florida House of Representatives amended House Bill 987: Public Lodging Establishments, to require Persons required to register as sex offenders report to the Sheriff’s office where they will be staying, 48 hours before an intended stay at a Public Lodging Establishment, regardless of how long they will stay at the location! In addition, operators of a Public Lodging Establishment who have a Person required to register as a sex offender staying at or within 1000 feet of their establishment, must notify all…
Read MoreNY: Despite Executive Order, Jamestown Public Schools Will Turn Away Registered Sex Offenders During Election
Governor Andrew Cuomo may have signed an executive order that gives voting rights to registered sex offenders, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be showing up and voting at Jamestown Public Schools anytime soon. Full Article
Read More1 in 4 chance your teen has gotten a sext
[news4jax.com – 4/15/19] As if parents don’t have enough to deal with once their teens’ hormones start kicking in. Apparently, “sexting” is the new flirting, according to some experts. Research compiled in a new article in Pediatrics found that texting sexual images has become increasingly common among teenagers in the United States. That’s not completely surprising, considering teens are using cellphones more than ever. But in 39 studies featuring more than 110,000 teens, researchers found that more than a quarter of teens (27.4%) have received a sext and 14.8% have…
Read MoreIN: County considers sex offender fee
The Jackson County Commissioners plan to discuss creating an annual fee for work associated with maintaining the county’s sex offender registry. … Commissioners were receptive to the idea. Commissioner Drew Markel said he would like to see offenders pay their fees like those who serve sentences on probation. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Low-risk sex offenders could come off CT registry
HARTFORD — The Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that would allow some low-risk offenders to come off the state’s public sex offender registry — a move that proponents said would make it easier for law enforcement to focus on high-risk offenders. Full Article
Read MoreKat’s Blog: TN HB407 Smells of Genocide
As I watched the TN General Assembly video/April 10th/Finance, Ways & Means Committee/ Vote on part two of HB407, I couldn’t help flashing back to a definition I had learned in a World History class. Genocide: In 1948 the UN approved its Convention on the Prevention & Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), which defined genocide as any of a number of acts “committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethical, racial or religious group”. This includes causing seriously bodily or mental harm…
Read MoreThe sex offender registry should assess risk, otherwise it is purely punishment
A not-so-uncommon story: The sexual assault victim — a girl of 16. She’s now 37 years old, happily married to the love of her life, and the mother of three children. That’s right — the victim and her attacker got married soon after the girl’s mother, learning of the couple’s romance, reported the “assault” to prosecutors. Although he has a master’s degree, the attacker couldn’t find a teaching job because he was listed in the sex offender registry for life. His wife had to work multiple jobs to help support the…
Read MoreACSOL Phone Meeting on April 20
Please join Janice Bellucci and ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, a criminal defense attorney, for our next phone meeting. The conference call will be on Saturday, April 20 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. Topics of conversation will include information about the domestic and overseas travel, the Tiered Registry, residency restrictions and other current topics as well as pending legal action throughout the nation. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up! Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 To ask a question,…
Read MoreAZ: Stringer fallout halts sex offender registry reform
[eacourier.com – 4/11/19] Legislation that would make more people eligible to have their names removed from Arizona’s sex offender registry may end up being an inadvertent casualty of the recent revelations of decades-old sex crime allegations that led David Stringer to resign from the Arizona House of Representatives. House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, sponsored House Bill 2613, which he crafted with assistance from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The bill would expand the list of crimes for which sex offenders could petition to be removed from the registry, while…
Read MoreWA: Washington Sexting Bill Aims to Shield Teens From Adult Law
[usnews.com – 4/11/19] Legislation aimed at keeping youth who send sexually explicit texts from being charged under adult sex crime laws has cleared the Legislature in Washington state. The bill , which passed late Wednesday night, would create a new group of crimes reserved specifically for minors who are caught with explicit images of other minors, attempting to solve what lawmakers described as a paradox in current law, where even youth who report a sexual picture or video can themselves be potentially charged with a felony — and even forced…
Read MoreCA: Appeals court strikes down state law that banned early parole for youthful violent sex offenders
[sfchronicle.com – 4/10/19] Two men who received life sentences for a brutal sexual assault and robbery in Oakland when they were 19 must be given parole hearings during their 25th year in prison, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, striking down a state law that made them ineligible. A California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, one of a series of laws reducing mandatory penalties for youthful offenders, allowed those serving potential life terms for crimes committed when they were 25 or under to be considered for…
Read MorePA: Constitutional right or crime? Case of alleged harassment of sex offender’s family heads to court
[lehighvalleylive.com – 4/9/19] A father and son from Freemansburg accused of harassing the family of a sex offender are headed to Northampton County Court on their respective criminal charges. James Forte Sr. and James Forte Jr., who both live in 200 block of Juniata Street in the borough, had their preliminary hearings Tuesday in front of District Judge Nicholas Englesson. Following testimony from the victim and a borough police officer, Englesson sent all the charges to county court, where the pair now face possible trial. false Father and son accused…
Read MoreEarly Bird Discount for ACSOL Conference Ends April 15
The early bird discount for tickets to the two-day ACSOL conference ends on April 15. That means the cost of a ticket will increase from $90 to $100. It’s easy to take advantage of this bargain online or by mailing payment to ACSOL at its Sacramento address — 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. The third annual ACSOL conference will feature both national and local experts who will provide solid recommendations regarding how to improve your life on the registry with regard to employment, housing, travel and social…
Read MorePublic Safety Committees Stop AB 884, Pass SB 145
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today, by a vote of 3 to 4, stopped Assembly Bill 884. Due to the committee’s vote, AB 884 will not receive further consideration. “This is a great victory for more than 40,000 people who would have been moved from Tier 2, which requires 20 years of registration, to Tier 3, which requires lifetime registration, when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This positive result came about because more than 75 people testified today in opposition to the bill.”…
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