[Miami Law Explainer on soundcloud.com – 10/28/19] In the decade since the national shame of a colony of sex offenders made homeless by draconian residency restrictions, how far has the city and nation moved in finding humane and successful rehabilitation? Miami Law’s director of Tenants’ Rights Jeffrey Hearne parses the depressing lack of progress. Recorded October 28, 2019. Listen to the recording
Read MoreYear: 2019
Janice’s Journal: The Best Defense is a Good Offense
Have you noticed? The winds are shifting for the registrant community. One solid example of that is the recent federal court decision in Georgia that determined that the three registrant plaintiffs have paid their debt to society and are both rehabilitated and leading productive lives. In that decision, the court went on to assist registrants by shifting the burden of proof to the government to show that the registrants pose a current danger to society. And then the court found that the government failed to meet that burden. In fact,…
Read MoreCanada: SCC to rule if sex offender registry unfair to mentally ill
[advocatedaily.com] Sex offenders who have been found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder (NCRMD), and received an absolute discharge from the Ontario Review Board (ORB), may soon be permitted to have themselves removed from sex offender registries, says Toronto criminal lawyer John Fennel. Fennel, an associate with Hicks Adams LLP, says the issue is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in the spring. In a decision released in April, the Ontario Court of Appeal (OCA) called for the federal and Ontario sex-offender…
Read MoreHalloween and Stranger Danger
[bostonreview.net – 10/31/19] Do you believe in the boogeyman? This is the pivotal question of the Halloween movie franchise. The tension around naming the movies’ antagonist foregrounds the problem of seeing him: “it” or “him,” “thing” or “human,” “The Shape” or “Michael Myers”? Even if you have never seen the original 1978 movie, you know the plot. On Halloween 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers kills his older sister after she has sex with her boyfriend. Cut to 1978, and Myers, after being locked in an asylum for fifteen years, escapes back…
Read MoreIN: Justices reject Fifth Amendment appeal of sex offender treatment
[theindianalawyer.com – 10/31/19] The Indiana Supreme Court has found no constitutional violation against a father who refused to participate in a sex offender treatment program that he argued would violate his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Read more
Read MoreNM: Sex offenders suing New Mexico sheriffs, DPS
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 MoreKat’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 More