Joe Biden promised us an FDR-sized presidency—starting with bold action to halt the spread of COVID-19, end the worst economic downturn in decades, and stop the climate crisis. Biden could use regulation and executive action to move quickly to decarbonize the economy, cancel student loan debt, and raise wages. But a Biden administration has an even bigger problem than two long-shot special elections in Georgia: the new 6–3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court may soon burn down the federal government’s regulatory powers. … But last year, in a case…
Read MoreYear: 2020
ME: Maine Supreme Court: SORNA Ruled Ex Post Facto Punishment for Defendant
[criminallegalnews.org – 11/15/20] In a decision issued August. 13, 2020, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court held that the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 1999 (“SORNA of 1999”) was unconstitutionally applied to a defendant in violation of the Maine and U.S. Constitutions’ ex post facto provisions. Read the full article
Read MoreCalifornia Fair Chance Toolkit – A Toolkit for Job Seekers with Criminal Records
[legalaidatwork.org – Nov 2020] Approximately 7 million Californians — nearly one in three adults in California — have an arrest or conviction record. In this toolkit, you will find information about laws in California that protect job seekers with criminal records and sample letters and materials you can use to exercise those rights. Literally thousands of formerly-incarcerated people around California, their family members, and a wide variety of social and racial justice organizations — most notably All of Us or None — worked together to pass the laws discussed in…
Read MoreCA: California Prison Guards Keep Jobs After Aiding Attacks on Sex Offenders
[prisonlegalnews.org – 11/1/20] A series of assaults by a group of prisoners on convicted sex offenders was carried out with the consent and assistance of 10 officers at an unnamed California correctional facility. After an investigation, the prison’s warden determined that the actions of six of the guards involved were egregious enough for them to be fired, yet only four were let go before attorneys for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) halted the proceedings. The attorneys argued that the allegations against the officers were substantiated only by…
Read MoreGeneral Comments December 2020
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of December 2020. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
Read MoreWI: Out of the Shadows: After leaving prison sex offenders face a maze of rules and restrictions
[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 MoreNew 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 More