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Read MoreMonth: January 2020
NJ: Police Warn Residents Against Fake Sex Offender Notice
[jerseyshoreonline.com – 1/9/20] Howell Police are warning residents of a letter that is making the rounds falsely claiming to be a Megan’s Law notification naming a Howell resident/ business owner. Police shared a community awareness post to their Facebook page emphasizing that the letter is a fake. “The person named is this letter is NOT subject to any type of investigation, prosecution or conviction of any offense related to Megan’s Law. At first this letter may seem real however upon examination it is poorly written and constructed,” stated police. The…
Read MoreFL: Florida House bill would require background checks for delivery workers
[orlandoweekly.com – 1/9/20] Background checks would be required for delivery employees after the murder of a 75-year-old Boca Raton woman in August, under a bill filed Tuesday by Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach. Caruso’s proposal (HB 1129) would require all home-delivery workers to undergo background checks that include a search of a multistate criminal database and a search of the National Sex Offender Public Website, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice. The checks would be required “regardless of whether such person, employee, or agent intends to enter…
Read MoreNM: New Mexico rethinks sex-offender registry eluded by Epstein
[sfchronicle.com – 1/9/20] Legislators will consider changes to the state’s sex offender registration policies in response to revelations that deceased financier and New Mexico ranch owner Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to avoid registering locally as a sex offender following a guilty plea a decade ago in Florida Epstein was accused of abusing young women at his desert ranch outside the community of Stanley before his death last year behind bars. Democratic New Mexico state Rep. Matthew McQueen of Galisteo said Thursday that he has filed a bill that would automatically…
Read MoreWhen a sex offender calls, she’s there to listen
Vicki Henry sits at the desk in her two-bedroom duplex on a recent Sunday morning and adjusts her phone headset, which she has nestled on hair with a deep magenta tinge, a rare bit of pizazz for the 72-year-old grandmother of three. Everyone else in Henry’s working-class neighborhood of Arnold, a southern suburb of St. Louis, is probably at church or finishing up a pancake breakfast with the family. But Henry is on the clock for a job that pays her nothing. She wears a baggy red T-shirt with “Women…
Read MoreUK: More travel restrictions ‘should be imposed on UK sex offenders’
More foreign travel restrictions should be imposed on known British sex offenders and more suspects prosecuted in the UK for crimes committed overseas, the government has been told. In a 73-page report on protecting children in other countries from exploitation, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) has called for legislation formalising use of international child protection certificates for those working and volunteering abroad. Full Article
Read MoreWhy Re-Arrest Doesn’t Mean You’re a Failure
[thecrimereport.org – 1/7/20] The justice system traditionally uses a simple metric to determine whether an individual continues to be a threat to public safety after leaving prison: has the person been arrested for another crime? Recidivism rates are also used as criteria for judging the success of intervention programs and policy reforms. But a University of Wisconsin Law School professor argues that in both cases, the system too often gets it wrong. Prof. Cecilia M. Klingele. Photo courtesy University of Wisconsin In a recent essay for the Journal of Criminal…
Read MoreParticipate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime
[Note from Janice: I recommend this. Emily is a part of ACSOL] Dear Veterans, There is still time to participate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime. Thank you to those who have already participated in this research project. As of January 8, 2020, we have received 164 completed surveys; however, we still need more veterans on the registry to complete the survey. Our goal is to have a minimum of 250-300 completed surveys by the end of the month. If you have yet…
Read MoreCA DOJ Releases New Information About Tiered Registry Law
The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) has released new information regarding the Tiered Registry Law in the form of Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. A similar document was issued by the agency about two years ago. A link to a copy of the new document is below and can also be found on the website of the Office of the California Attorney General. According to the new information, registrants will be able to request their “tier notification letters” from the local law enforcement agency where they register after January…
Read MoreCT: Divided Appeals Panel Slaps Federal Judge for Allowing Jury Nullification Defense
It’s not news that most judges balk at the prospect of jury nullification—the right and power of juries to bring “not guilty” verdicts when defendants violate laws that jurors consider unjust or wrongly applied. It is news when judges take a high-profile slap at a colleague who endorsed jury nullification in his own courtroom. And it’s an even bigger deal when they barely assemble a majority to join in the public shaming. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Cuomo plans to ban sex offenders from MTA transit system
[pix11.com – 1/7/20] Repeat and high-risk sex offenders would be banned from the MTA tranist system under a new law proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The NYPD announced support for the ban when Cuomo suggested it in March of 2019. The ban would apply to offenders for three years and blocks them from the subway, bus and rail systems. “MTA riders deserve to feel safe, and we have an obligation to ensure they will not be targeted by sex offenders,” Gov. Cuomo said Tuesday. “Enough is enough. If we want…
Read MoreSacramento Lobby Day (Feb 11) Details Revealed
ACSOL will conduct Lobby Day on Tuesday, February 11, in Sacramento. The day will begin with training at 9 a.m. at a “new” address, 500 Capitol Mall, and will end about 5 p.m. All participants are invited to attend a group dinner, funded by ACSOL, following at 5:30 p.m. “The primary focus of this year’s Lobby Day will be proposed changes to the Tiered Registry Law,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “There is a lack of logic and reason to the assignment of individuals convicted of non-contact, non-violent offenses…
Read MoreTX: Family says they’re being targeted due to criminal past
[kens5.com – 1/6/20] Obscene symbols and hateful words fill the walls outside a San Antonio home. The messages are directed at the registered sex offender who lives in the house. Watch the video
Read MorePA: Five Cases Could Significantly Reform Pennsylvania’s Sex Offense Registry. The State’s Attorney General Is Pushing Back
[theappeal.org – 1/7/20] Josh Shapiro has warned that changing the state’s sex offense registry requirements threatens public safety. But experts say his fears are unfounded and the registry provides little to no public safety benefit. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is expected to rule on five cases this year that could change how the state treats people convicted of sex offenses, and could ease the state’s sex offense registry restrictions, commonly referred to as Megan’s Law. But in a December opinion piece, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned that if the…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in San Diego on Saturday, Jan 11
ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in San Diego is as follows Saturday, January 11 10 am 350 Cedar Street Lecture Hall #2 San Diego, CA 92101 Registrants, friends and family and interested service providers are invited to attend these free meetings. There will be no law enforcement or media present in order to protect everyone’s privacy. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Polygraphs and Integrity
Watching one of those forensic tv shows, a police officer was accused of murdering his wife. All the evidence pointed to him as the killer. He took a polygraph and passed. He still went to jail. Later, re-creation of the murder scene and testimony by expert witnesses on the angles of gunshots found the officer not guilty, the murder was instead, a suicide. Passing a polygraph in this case, as in many cases, didn’t really seem to matter. Failing a polygraph is what gets the fingers pointing and tongues wagging,…
Read MoreCA: Court of Appeal to Hear Prop. 57 Case on January 22
The California Court of Appeal, Third District, will hear oral arguments from attorneys representing both the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) and the plaintiff on January 22 at 2 p.m. The court is located in Sacramento at 914 Capitol Mall on the fourth floor and the public is welcome to attend the hearing. Oral arguments in the appeal are being heard at the request of CDCR despite a letter from the court stating oral arguments in this case were not necessary. CDCR filed an appeal after a Superior Court determined…
Read MoreWI: WISCONSIN CAME CLOSE TO CHANGING A RULE THAT OFTEN LEAVES PEOPLE ON SEX OFFENSE REGISTRIES HOMELESS
Republicans are leading an effort to get rid of blanket restrictions on where some people with sex-offense records can live. A Democratic governor is blocking them. Full Article
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