Month: May 2021

MT: Judge Blocks Requirement for ‘Gay Sex’ Offender Registration

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[usnews.com – 5/12/21] The state of Montana has no valid reason to require a man to register as a sex offender based on his conviction for having gay sex in Idaho in 1993, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen on Tuesday prevented the state from requiring Randall Menges of Butte to register as a sex offender under Idaho’s Crimes Against Nature law. “None of the governmental interests in maintaining a sexual offender registry are served by Menges’ inclusion,” Christensen wrote. “Engagement in intimate sexual contact with…

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LA: House committee rejects Louisiana sex offender ID bill due to legal concerns

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[theadvocate.com – 5/11/21] A bill that would require the driver’s license or identification card of sex offenders to carry a special designation was narrowly rejected Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee. State Rep. Larry Bagley, R-Stonewall, said his proposal was aimed at protecting citizens while also complying with a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court. The court last year struck down a state law that said IDs for sex offenders had to include the words “SEX OFFENDER” printed in orange. The measure failed 6-7 after a lengthy discussion. Critics…

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New Friends Outside Publication – Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Sex Offenses

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[friendsoutsidela.org – 5/11/21] Friends Outside Los Angeles County is pleased to announce the release of its publication, “Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Sex Offenses.”  Written in partnership with two researchers, Luis Barrera Castanon, Ph.D., and Marco Murillo, Ph.D., the publication is our final report that to the project funder, the California Workforce Development Board.   We undertook the project because of the dearth of information about persons with sex offenses (“registrants”), the myths surrounding them, the stigma against them, and the facts about them.  (For example, did you know that this…

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MI: Bill to create child abuse offenders registry heads to the Michigan House [Updated 4/29/22]

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4/29/22 UPDATE: Child Abuse registry bill awaits action from Governor Whitmer [fox47news.com – 5/11/21] Parents don’t always know just who is caring for or spending time with their children. … “I believe strongly that parents have a right to know if someone who is living with their children or if someone’s taking care of their children that they’ve had a history of child abuse,” said State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing) who created new legislation called Wyatt’s Law alongside his brother Rep. Kevin Hertel (D-18). The law which passed…

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What makes school zones “safe” for children?

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[floridaactioncommittee.org – 5/11/21] Dear Members and Advocates, What makes school zones “safe” for children? Residency restrictions and proximity ordinances preventing persons required to register as sex offenders from living or even entering within thousands of feet of a school somehow create the illusion that once inside the exclusion zone, our children will be safe from sexual assault. Nothing can be further from the truth. We see this example over and over again, most recently in the case of a Tampa, Florida teacher who was sentenced to 15 years in prison…

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WI: State Supreme Court to hear transgender sex offender registry case

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[wsaw.com – 2/10/21] MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a Shawano County transgender woman who has been prohibited from changing her male name due to her listing on the state sex offender registry. … She argues that requiring her to register as a sex offender violates her First Amendment rights and forces her to identify herself as a male anytime she is required to present her legal name. Read the full article  

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OR: Senate Bill 499 should become law

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[eastoregonian.com – 5/8/21] Earl Bain was wrongfully convicted in Malheur County in 2009 and spent six years in prison. After the complaining witness in his case recanted her story, with the help of the Oregon Innocence Project he was pardoned on the grounds of innocence by Gov. Kate Brown in August 2020. For over six years of my life, I was wrongfully incarcerated in an Oregon prison. I was convicted in Malheur County of a crime I did not commit and falsely labeled as having abused my own child. I…

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Seventh Circuit: Indiana’s Sex Offender Registration Act’s ‘Other Jurisdiction Requirement’ Unconstitutional Violation of Right to Travel

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by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana’s opinion that found a provision of Indiana’s Sex Offender Registration Act (“SORA”) requiring registration of Plaintiffs who relocated to Indiana after SORA’s enactment violated their right to travel because the provision wouldn’t have required them to register if they had committed their offenses while residents of Indiana. Plaintiffs Brian Hope, Gary Snider, Joseph Standish, Patrick Rice, Adam Bash, and Scott Rush (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) filed suit against the Commissioner…

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Uganda: Convicted homosexuals to be included in Uganda sex offender registry

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[76crimes.com – 5/7/21] Ugandans convicted of having sex with people of the same sex would be included in a new sex offender registry, following the passage by Parliament of a new anti-gay bill May 4. If the bill is signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni, people convicted under provisions of the Sexual Offences Bill, 2019 would be entered for life into a publicly accessible sex offenders registry. The database would be hosted by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and would be accessible by security agencies, health insurance…

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NY: Endicott Sex Offender Fails to Register Email Accounts

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[wnbf.com – 5/7/21] An Endicott man is facing up to ten years in prison after he admitted failing to register his email accounts as a convicted sex offender. 72-year-old Thomas ____ was convicted in 2004 of child pornography and crossing a state line to engage in sex with a child under the age of 12. He was required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and report personal identifying information, including email accounts. Officials with the U-S Attorney Northern District say ____ failed to register…

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‘In the Valley of Sin’: The real story behind the fake sex ring that changed Wenatchee forever

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[foxnews.com/ – 5/6/21] Wenatchee, Washington – also know as “Happy Valley” – is nestled in the middle of Washington state, with beautiful mountain views and crisp, juicy apples. But Wenatchee’s quiet aura – and reputation – all began to change once the Doggett family moved in. Fox Nation explores why in the new special, ‘In the Valley of Sin.’ In December 1994, Mark and Carol Doggett had been accused of raping one of their children after moving to Wenatchee, and were each consequently sentenced with ten years in state prison.…

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South Africa: Warning against making register for sex offenders public

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[www.iol.co.za – 5/7/21] Pretoria – The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has warned against calls to make public the national register for sex offenders. It is believed that making the register public would curb sexual offences against children, but according to the department, this would fuel mob justice against perpetrators. … Department spokesperson Steve Mahlangu said publicising the register could not be done without violating the right to privacy of an individual, as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. “There are also dangers of the register being used unjustifiably…

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CA: Unanimous Opposition Expressed to Re-sentencing Regulations

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[ACSOL] During a telephonic hearing marked by significant technical difficulties, more than 20 members of the public expressed their opposition to regulations proposed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that would exclude groups of people, including those required to register as well as those sentenced to Life Without Parole, from re-sentencing opportunities.  A total of 43 members of the public participated in today’s hearing. “If the current version of these regulations is made final, we will challenge the regulations in court,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. …

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CA: Supervisors approve better public notification of people listed on the registry

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[10news.com – 5/5/21] The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved methods intended to increase public notification about people listed on the registry and placement of people labeled as “sexually violent predators”. One way, according to Supervisor Joel Anderson’s office, would be advance notification of the district attorney, supervisors and other community leaders before people convicted of a sex offense are placed in or move into a neighborhood. Based on a recommendation by Supervisor Jim Desmond, the board also approved better notification for Native American tribes, if people…

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CA: Registrant Gains Access to Section 8 Housing

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A registrant in California has gained access to Section 8 housing.  This is a significant change because in the past all California registrants were denied access to Section 8 housing because they were required by state law to register for life. “This is a significant milestone,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “With the help of ACSOL, a registrant was able to persuade the federal government that he is no longer a lifetime registrant.” The registrant, who wishes to remain anonymous, applied to live with his fiance in Section 8…

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Uganda: Stiff penalties for sexual offenders as Uganda moves to create directory

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[monitor.co.ug – 5/5/21] Persons convicted of sexual offences will have their data registered with the National Identification and Registration Authority (Nira), according to the Sexual Offences Bill, 2019 that Parliament passed on Monday night. The Legal and Parliamentary Committee chairperson, Mr Jacob Oboth Oboth (NRM, West Budama South) presented the Bill in Parliament on Monday afternoon. He asked the House to create a sex offender’s register, which will be linked to the Nira system and information shared within 10 days on conviction of the offenders. “The register shall be managed…

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WA: Sex offender sentenced to more than 12 years for extortion scheme

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[kitsapsun.com – 5/4/21] Saying she would sentence him longer if she could, a Kitsap County Superior Court judge gave a sex offender 12 ½ years in prison for an online extortion scheme targeting gay men in which he assumed the identity of a prior victim. Judge Jennifer Forbes told Christopher Malik Longmire, 25, the 152-month maxim sentence was “not enough.” “I’ve come to the conclusion that our society needs to be protected from you as long as the law will allow,” Forbes said. Kitsap County sheriff’s detectives started unraveling the…

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MA: High court takes up whistleblower claim that Sex Offender Registry Board violated law

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[gloucestertimes.com – 5/4/21] SALEM — Lawyers for the state will be back in front of the state’s highest court this week, this time trying to convince the court to find that the state’s whistleblower protection law does not apply in the case of the former sex offender board chairwoman ousted by then-Governor Deval Patrick over her handling of his brother-in-law’s case. The hearing Wednesday before the Supreme Judicial Court stems from the long-running lawsuit brought by the former head of the Sex Offender Registry Board, who sued Patrick and the…

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