Day: May 31, 2021

NY: Lawmakers wrestle with parole bills as session deadline nears

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[thedailystar.com – 5/31/21] ALBANY — Proposals aimed at giving a second chance to well-behaved prison inmates are gaining traction at the statehouse in the final days of the 2021 legislative session. Perhaps the most controversial bill would require parole consideration for inmates who have served at least 15 years of their sentence and are 55 years or older. … One other criminal justice bill getting attention would seal the criminal records of thousands of offenders once they complete their sentences, provided the individuals are not on probation or parole, or…

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South Africa: Adoption of two bills to curb gender-based violence in SA welcomed

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[www.iol.co.za – 5/31/21] Cape Town – Civil society organisations have welcomed the adoption of two pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening laws fighting gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). … He said the bill aimed to expand the scope of the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) to include the particulars of sex offenders and not only sex offenders against children and persons who were mentally disabled. Read the full article  

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NJ: N.J. bill would help people with criminal records find housing

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[inquirer.com – 5/31/21] A New Jersey single father of two convicted of drug offenses has been sober for almost two years and has been out of prison for about three. … New Jersey lawmakers are attempting to keep landlords from automatically disqualifying potential tenants who have criminal histories. Instead, bills under consideration encourage landlords to assess each applicant as an individual, taking into account factors such as severity of a crime and the amount of time since it occurred. … Exceptions include applicants who are on sex-offender registries for life.…

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