[kenoshanews.com – 11/30/20] The list of potential restrictions is long and full of stumbling blocks. “You shall not gain nor attempt to gain access to the internet without prior agent approval.” “You shall not possess nor view any material that depicts any intimate parts of an adult.” “You shall not establish, pursue, nor maintain any dating, romantic or sexual relationship without prior agent approval.” “You shall not be present in any location frequented by minor children without prior agent approval.” The rules can be so strict that advocates worry that…
Read MoreMonth: November 2020
New Zealand: Sex offender on preventive detention comes round to ‘path to integration
[stuff.co.nz – 12/1/20] A prisoner serving the harshest available sentence for sexual offending against children is “open to a graduated path of reintegration” and has been encouraged to get all the experience he can working outside of prison. The Parole Board saw Ivan James Wilson at Tongariro Prison last month. Wilson, 39, was given the open-ended jail term of preventive detention in Gisborne, in August 2010, for sex offences against a young male. … Wilson’s security classification was low, but was about to be reduced to minimum shortly after the…
Read MoreFL: U.S. appeals court: Lifetime computer ban for sex offender doesn’t violate First Amendment
[floridaphoenix.com – 11/30/20] A federal appeals court has upheld a lifetime ban on computer use for a South Florida sex offender who used text messaging to send a naked picture of himself to a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl. ____ challenged his conviction on grounds including violation of the First Amendment, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously upheld the sanction in a ruling handed down on Monday. The sentence, which included nearly two years in prison and lifetime conditional…
Read MoreWI: Sex offenders can seek exemptions from rural residency restrictions
[kenoshanews.com – 11/30/20] Despite a series of residency exemption requests by sex offenders over the last several years, rural town and village officials believe they have ordinances in place to both protect the public and provide areas for offenders to live. Towns and villages west of I-94 in Kenosha County amended their ordinances after rules in Pleasant Prairie were deemed by a court to be too restrictive. They create “safety zones” around areas where children congregate, such as parks, schools, and churches. “We feel that our in place Register Sex…
Read MoreFAC: Dr. Phil to feature Police ICAC proactive stings
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 11/30/20] The Dr. Phil Show airing on CBS will air an episode featuring Sex Stings next Monday, December 7, 2020. The show will feature an FAC member whose son was targeted in one of these stings who has been fighting to expose them since. Also featured is Florida attorney Peter Aiken of Aiken, O’Halloran and Associates, who defends people caught up in these stings. Read the full article and a link to the schedule
Read MoreVT: Former high-ranking VTANG member pleads guilty in child pornography case
[mychamplainvalley.com – 11/28/20] A Shelburne man who was once a high-ranking member of the Vermont Air National Guard will avoid a federal child pornography trial by pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Read the full article
Read MoreIndonesia: Teen rapist collapses after public whipping punishment sees him suffer 150 lashes
[dailystar.co.uk – 11/28/20] A teenager in Indonesia was sentenced to 146 lashes after being arrested for molesting and raping a minor earlier this year. Whipping was paused when the teen collapsed – but soon resumed. A teenager convicted of raping a child was lashed almost 150 times for violating Islamic law – and collapsed during his punishment. The unidentified 19-year-old was lashed by a masked official in front of witnesses in the town of Idi Rayeuk in East Aceh, Indonesia, on Thursday. The teen is reported to have collapsed during…
Read MoreSouth Africa: Cape Town GBV Protest: Call for Sex Offender List to be Made Public
[sapeople.com – 11/28/20] “I will not be next”, “We’re done being afraid” and “Femicide is the real pandemic” were some of the many banners on display on Saturday morning during a protest against gender based violence (GBV) outside Parliament in Cape Town. “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” chanted some of the protesters in unison as cars driving by hooted in support. Read the full article
Read MoreCanada: Baranyai: How should Ontario’s sex offender registry work?
[lfpress.com – 11/29/20] Ontario’s sex offender registry has some soul searching to do. Does it exist to punish offenders, or protect communities? And how can the framework for who goes on the list, which the Supreme Court has ruled discriminatory, support this core objective? The government has one year to amend Christopher’s Law, named for 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson, who in 1988 was tragically abducted, assaulted and murdered by a known pedophile. A coroner’s jury recommended creating an electronic registry of sex offenders to help police target their neighbourhood searches during…
Read MoreIN: WATCH NOW: Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Kersey conducts sex offender checks
[kenoshanews.com – 11/20/20] Ride Shotgun with Lake County, Indiana sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Kersey as he checks to ensure convicted Northwest Indiana sex offenders are complying with state sex-offender registry laws. This special episode of “Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops” was filmed recently in conjunction with a Midwest reporting project titled, “Out of the Shadows: Spotlight on Sex Crimes.” The special report will span multiple newspapers throughout Lee Enterprises’ Midwest news agencies and will be taking a deep look at sex crimes, the offenders, their victims and the effectiveness of state…
Read MoreWI: Wisconsin’s sex offender registry born of twin tragedies
[kenoshanews.com – 11/28/20] On any given day, anyone in Wisconsin can look up the name, address, photo, age and other identifying information on sex offenders in their area who have been placed on the state’s sex offender registry. Established in 1997, the registry was created with the aim of making communities safer, said Sarah Wescott, corrections services supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Wescott also manages the registry with other DOC staff. … The registry includes all sex offenders who live in the state, even those who were convicted…
Read MoreSex Offender Registries in Europe and Around the world
[ccresourcecenter.org – 11/24/20] We are pleased to publish new research by Stephen Schulhofer about the treatment of sex offense registration in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the EU. The research, presented here with an introduction by Alessandro Corda, comes from material prepared for inclusion in an upcoming draft of the Model Penal Code: Sexual Assault and Related Offenses (full citation and disclaimer below). Introduction: An Important Look at Foreign Policy and Practices Regarding Sex-Offense Collateral Consequences By Alessandro Corda, Lecturer in Law, Queen’s University Belfast School of Law…
Read MoreComments Requested for New Tiered Registry Form
A committee of the CA Judicial Council released today a proposed form that could help registrants prove the date on which they mailed or hand delivered copies of their petition forms to their local registration office and District Attorney. According to the committee, the proposed form is optional as it is not specifically required by the Tiered Registry Law that will become effective next year. “The Tiered Registry Law first requires registration offices to determine a registrant’s eligibility to petition for removal from the registry within 60 days after receipt…
Read MoreID: Local woman gets jail time for sexual relations with teen boy
[eastidahonews.com – 11/15/20] ARCO — A Soda Springs woman will spend time in jail after an illegal sexual relationship with a teenage boy in 2016. Amanda Katherine Steele, 35, was ordered on Tuesday by District Judge Darren Simpson to spend 90-days in jail followed by seven years on felony probation. Simpson suspended a three to 10-year prison sentence that could be served if Steele is not successful on probation. … Because Steele was not charged with a sex crime, she does not have to register as a sex offender. Read…
Read MoreIL: A timeline of how Illinois registered sex offender database was created
[pantagraph.com – 11/25/20] When Terry Parke, a state representative from Pittsfield, the chief sponsor of the Habitual Child Sex Offender Registration Act, discusses his 1986 bill, he describes it as “one of the most important laws the Legislature would consider that year.” The law requires habitual child sex offenders to register with police within 30 days of release from prison and remain registered for 10 years. “We are having an epidemic in Illinois … of sex crimes against our children,” Parke said. But state Rep. Larry Hicks, a Democrat from…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Homeless for the Holidays
Thanksgiving is just a few days away, the first in a series of winter holidays followed by Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s Day. For many people, including some registrants, they will spend those holidays in a sleeping bag on a public sidewalk. In a tent under a bridge. Or in a car if they’re lucky. Although some of those registrants have a low-income job or government assistance, they cannot find a place to live. Why? Not because they can’t afford it, not because of COVID-19, but because of a different…
Read MoreNY: Sex offenders can be detained after sentences completed
New York’s top court upheld a law Monday that allows the state to keep sex offenders confined under some circumstances even after they have completed their sentences. In three decisions handed down Monday, the state Court of Appeals said the law didn’t violate due process guarantees, and did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Full Article
Read MoreCA: How to Seek a Job with a Conviction History: A Fair Chance Hiring Webinar on Dec. 3
[prisonerswithchildren.org] How to Seek a Job with a Conviction History: A Fair Chance Hiring Webinar (online) Thursday, December 3 • 5:00 to 6:30 pm (PST) REGISTER HERE Please join us for a step-by-step training in how to take advantage of the Fair Chance Act, which restricts employers from denying jobs on the basis of job applicants’ conviction histories. Speakers: Tawney Jeffries Directly impacted job seeker who successfully got a job under the Fair Chance Act Nicole James Westcare Navigator and directly impacted job seeker Felicia Espinosa Root & Rebound, Fresno Site Director…
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