Month: June 2021

Compliance checks conducted of 620 people with a sex offense conviction, [only] 18 arrests made

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Source: msn.com 6/18/21 A recent  compliance check of people convicted of a sex offense was conducted in the valley during the week of June 7-11, 2021. The LVMPD’s “Sex Offender Apprehension Team”, in conjunction with the United States Marshals Service “Sex Offender Predator Apprehension Team” and Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, reached out to over 620 registered people. Fifteen arrests were made for Failure to Obey Sex Offense Registration Laws and an additional three arrests were made for outstanding arrest warrants related to current alledged sex crime investigations. People…

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NJ: Murphy signs historic law banning landlords from asking renters about criminal records (except…)

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In a step toward racial equity and ending housing discrimination, Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed the Fair Chance in Housing Act, barring landlords in New Jersey from asking about criminal history on housing applications. At the state’s first commemoration of Juneteenth as an official holiday, Murphy signed the historic “ban the box” bill (A1919), which advocates say is the most sweeping form of the law in the nation. “With today’s action, Governor Murphy has put New Jersey at the forefront of criminal justice reform by helping to dismantle the…

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How a suicidal pizza man found himself ensnared in an FBI sting

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This isn’t a story about the police stings that we are all too familiar with. But it is another example of how the FBI goes too far with sting operations. This is based on a story on CNN.com back in 2017 Every day was the same for Rayyan, 21, a depressed pizza delivery man from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Working for a pizzeria in Detroit, he’d drive late nights on desolate inner city streets, smoking pot hoping to keep boredom at bay. He carried a pistol to protect himself from robbers.…

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CO: Supreme Court exempts people listed on registry from key 2019 decision

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Ruling in 2019 prohibits sentencing defendants to prison followed by probation in same criminal case The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday exempted people with a sex offense conviction from a key 2019 decision that prohibited defendants from being sentenced to prison followed by probation in the same criminal case. People with a sex offense conviction in Colorado can face such punishment in some circumstances, the justices found in a pair of opinions that examined how the state’s sentencing laws for sex offenses drastically differ from sentencing for other crimes. The…

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The Punishment Economy: Winners and Losers in the Business of Mass Incarceration

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Source: prisonlegalnews.org 5/1/21 by Daniel A. Rosen “This is an industry that profits from human suffering.” —David Fathi, Director, ACLU’s National Prison Project Starting with math may be a bad idea, but numbers help tell this story: In Virginia, keeping the average prisoner behind bars costs taxpayers about $30,000 per year; in some states like New York or California it’s twice that much. Prisoners over 50 years old with chronic health problems cost taxpayers as much as $150,000 a year. Yet experts have long agreed that most criminals “age out”…

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MD: Who is Meredith Martin? Ex-teacher acquitted of sex abuse after student lied

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Source: meaww.com 6/15/21 ARUNDEL COUNTY, MARYLAND: A former Arundel County, Maryland, high school teacher, has been acquitted of charges of having sex with a student after it was found that the victim who made the allegations lied years ago while under oath in court. Meredith Susan Barry Martin, 39, who was also a former biology teacher at South River High School, was found not guilty of five counts of having intercourse while in a position of authority, one count of unnatural or perverted practice, and sex abuse of a minor. She was also found…

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Trinidad and Tobago: AG proposes two registries for people with a sex offense

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UPDATED 6/16/21: T&T Senate approves law to allow public to access sex offender website [radiojamaicanewsonline.com – 6/16/21] Source: newsday.co.tt 6/16/21 The Attorney General has proposed 22 amendments to the Act to amend the Sexual Offences Act, Chap. 11:28. Chief among these are the creation of two registers of people with a sexual offense. Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, AG Faris Al-Rawi said the bill intended to create two registers: the National Sex Offense Register, which would be private and for the use of law enforcement only, and the Public…

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MT: Advocates not thrilled with new law to compensate wrongfully imprisoned

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Source: kbzk.com 6/15/21 HELENA — Montanans who spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit now have a new path to get compensation for being wrongfully locked away – but those who fought for the law are less-than-thrilled about the final product. “I really feel like it got stolen away at the end,” said Cody Marble of Conrad, who was exonerated in 2017 after spending multiple years in prison on a rape conviction. Marble is talking about House Bill 92, which created a process through which the wrongfully convicted…

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NARSOL – Advocacy Tool Kit on June 19

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NARSOL‘s educational and inspiring webcast will be this Saturday, June 19th, from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST). Be sure to sign up today and take advantage of this opportunity to learn about building your advocacy toolkit from experienced civil rights advocates. Then hear from two seasoned state legislators who will help us better understand the lawmaking process and which lobbying strategies work best to get our message heard. It is easy to join the webcast. Instructions will be provided before the start time and people will be standing by,…

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CA: Root and Rebound Re-Entry Events June-July

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Source (sign up here): Root and Rebound 6/15/21 Root and Rebound is offering these useful events in California: FREE Virtual Reentry Legal Clinics July 13 – 15th, 2021 | 2 – 7 p.m. PT Open to Merced, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Mendocino, Lake, Del Norte, and Humboldt county residents Voices for Justice: On Tribal Justice See below for a recording of our most recent Tribal Justice event Liberation Celebration: A Juneteenth Community Forum Wednesday, June 23rd | 12 – 1 p.m. PT via Zoom RSVP for our webinar celebrating Juneteenth Know Your Rights Training Monday, June 28th | 12 – 2 p.m. PT via Zoom…

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LA: Special IDs for people with a sex offense conviction: Safety Measures or Scarlet Letters?

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Source: nytimes.com 6/15/21 Judge Patrick L. Michot, of the 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette, La., said the notation was “not the least restrictive way to further the state’s legitimate interest of notifying law enforcement.” “It could be accomplished in the same way that some other states utilize,” he said. “Louisiana could use more discreet labels in the form of codes that are known to law enforcement.” Of the nine states that call for some sort of disclosure of sex-offense status on state ID cards, Louisiana and four others require…

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CA: Public Defender Offices Available to Assist Registrants Petition for Removal

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Twenty public defender offices have made resources available to help registrants petition for removal from the registry.  Below is a link to a list of those offices.  Missing from the list is Los Angeles County, however, both San Diego and San Francisco counties are included on the list. Click here to see the list. This will also be available in the Resources menu  

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Emily Horowitz on the Failure of the Sex Offense Registry (Audio)

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The Unspeakable Podcast w/Meghan Daum 6/13/2021 One sure way to lose a popularity contest is to fight for the rights of people convicted of a sex offense. But The National Sex Offense Registry, which was established during an era of panic over crime and child danger, has come with a host of unintended consequences. Sociologist Emily Horowitz is one of a handful of academics and researchers who speaking out against the registry, showing how it’s yet another blunt instrument of “tough on crime” 1990s legislation and ultimately does more to…

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CT: New CT Laws: Weapons, Underwater Farms And The ‘Clean Slate’ Bill

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Source: patch.com 6/13/21 CONNECTICUT —The state’s General Assembly 2021 Regular Session adjourned June 9, but promised to convene a special session before the end of the month to tackle the legal marijuana bill. Will it pass? That’s still a coin-toss, but a number of bills have made their way out of the House and Senate and onto Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, where they were signed into law in the past few weeks. Senate Bill 1019, the so-called “clean slate bill” is arguably the most life-changing of the latest batch of…

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ACSOL Phone Meeting July 10, 2021

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Please join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci as well as ACSOL President and criminal defense attorney Chance Oberstein for our next phone meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, July 10, beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time and will last at least two hours. This meeting will be recorded and then posted as an audio recording within 24 hours. A link to the recording will be at the top of our pages. Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code:  983459 If you have problems calling this phone…

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TX: Man sentenced to 40 years in prison for failing to register

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[Source: click2houston.com – 6/10/21] GALVESTON, Texas – A man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a Galveston County jury after he failed to register on the sex offense registry, according to the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney. Thomas Lee Alexander, III was required to register with local law enforcement because of a 1995 conviction for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in Harris County, according to the DA’s Office. In 2017, Alexander moved from Galveston to Indiana without notifying local authorities, and in 2019, the Galveston Police Department…

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CA: 25 suspected child predators arrested in Riverside following month-long operation

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[Source: foxla.com – 6/9/21] RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Twenty-five suspected child predators were arrested in Riverside County following a month-long operation combatting human trafficking. “Operation Intercept,” conducted by the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET) in partnership with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking, was a proactive undercover enforcement operation with the intent to locate possible sexual predators who actively look for minors on social media platforms for the purpose of committing lewd acts. The operation was meant to reduce the number of internet child predators throughout Riverside County. By using covert…

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Retired Army major general demoted for sex crime conviction

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[Source: wtop.com – 6/8/21] WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secretary of Defense has reduced a retired Army major general to the rank of second lieutenant after his guilty plea in Virginia in 2020 to charges of rape and incest. The Army Times reports Pentagon spokeswoman Lisa Lawrence says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demoted Maj. Gen. James J. Grazioplene to second lieutenant after determining that second lieutenant was the highest grade in which he served on active duty satisfactorily. Grazioplene initially called the charges against him “false and incorrect.” Lawrence says the…

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