[kpvi.com – 3/25/21] A man is taking Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen to federal court Tuesday for requiring people to register as sex offenders for past sodomy convictions. Randall _____ , 45, was convicted when he was 19 years old under an Idaho law that criminalized sex acts associated with homosexuality, according to the lawsuit he filed in December in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Because of that conviction, Randall was required to register as a sex offender with the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. “This case involves…
Read MoreYear: 2021
CO: Sex abuse bill SB 73 easily clears House committee following lengthy negotiations
[coloradopolitics.com – 3/23/21] A bill to give future survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other types of misconduct unlimited time to take their perpetrators to court passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 10-1 on Tuesday night, but only after a prolonged off-microphone conference to narrow the scope of the measure. As written, Senate Bill 73, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month, would take child sex abuse and a range of other sexual offenses against both adults and children and remove the civil statute…
Read MoreTrinidad: Public to know sex offenders if new law passed
[newsday.co.tt – 3/24/21] MEMBERS of the public will soon be able to learn the identities of any convicted sex offenders living amongst them, according to a new bill laid in the Senate on Tuesday in the name of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2021. The Commissioner of Police (CoP) shall maintain a Public Sex Offender Website, the bill mandates, which the public can access at the click of a mouse. Two years ago in February 2019 Al-Rawi had piloted the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2019 which…
Read MoreMyLife.com Faces Class Action for Falsely Implying Man Was a Sex Offender
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/24/21] A website that offers to show you someone’s “reputation” and criminal history for a fee must face class action claims, after it allegedly suggested a Minnesota man was a sex offender when he only has traffic tickets. In a Tuesday ruling, Minnesota federal Judge Susan Nelson rejected MyLife.com’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff Brion Finlay’s proposed class action against the public information company. Nelson said MyLife’s profiles and “Reputation Scores” amount to a consumer report, while MyLife operates as a consumer reporting agency, so it can also be…
Read MoreFL: Action News Jax Investigates: Homeless sex offenders become growing Florida problem
[actionnewsjax.com – 3/23/21] ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Residents listed on the sex offender registry in Florida must live in certain areas, but they are not required to have a permanent address. In one case, a predator in St. Johns County was listed as living in the woods behind a Winn Dixie. The individual has since moved, according to the Sheriff’s Office post. Action News Jax dug through the registry to find at least six St. Johns offenders on the registry, including two predators, who are listed as transient. “My concern…
Read MoreND: Shouldn’t we ask if ‘bias crime’ legislation actually works?
[thedickinsonpress.com – 3/23/21] Fargo-area politicians and activists will no doubt have a lot of success milking this issue for notoriety, and donations, but even if they’re successful in implementing a policy, and even if that local policy withstands legal scrutiny under state law, it isn’t likely to change much of anything. MINOT, N.D. — Bias crime laws, the new lingo for hate crime laws, are, from the perspective of public policy, not all that unlike policies the death penalty or sex offender laws. They’re all great for politicians who want…
Read MoreACSOL Phone Meeting April 17
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, April 17, 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 Discussion topics will include: the California Tiered…
Read MoreCA: Detainee who pleaded for release from California ICE immigration center dies from COVID-19
[eastbaytimes.com – 3/23/21] Less than a year ago, Martin Vargas Arellano pleaded with a U.S. Immigration Court judge for humanitarian parole from the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, saying his only wish was to “lead a quiet life and be at peace.” Suffering from myriad ailments — diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis C, cellulitis and gout — the 55-year-old San Bernardino man was among the most medically vulnerable of detainees at the private immigration detention facility, which in April 2020 was concerned about a potential outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Vargas was…
Read MoreCA: California May End Archaic ‘Spousal Rape’ Distinction in Punishment
[nbclosangeles.com – 3/22/21] California is one of 11 states that still distinguish between spousal rape and rape, after Minnesota most recently eliminated the exception in 2019, according to proponents. The law currently requires anyone convicted of rape to register, but those convicted of spousal rape must register only under certain circumstances such as if the spouse was sentenced to state prison. It wasn’t until 1979 that a husband was first prosecuted in the United States for raping his wife, Stanford University law professor and sociologist Michele Dauber said. Though all…
Read MoreAL: Sex offenders at a popular Huntsville homeless camp find it difficult to relocate
[waff.com – 3/22/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – One week ago, Huntsville City and non-profit leaders announced that people living in a large homeless camp known as “tent city” would have to move. It was located on Mill Street, and was inside of the Church Street construction zone. We went to the location today and there are still a lot of tents, clothes, and personal items scattered all around the camp, where dozens of people used to live. We’re told everyone has moved, but when it comes to sex offenders, several…
Read MoreTSA Precheck Available to Most Registrants
[ACSOL] TSA precheck is available to most people who have been convicted of a sex offense. In fact, the only registrants who are categorically excluded from the TSA precheck are those convicted of rape or aggravated assault. The list of those who are not eligible for TSA precheck includes, but is not limited to, individuals on a terrorist watchlist as well as those who have been convicted of espionage, sedition, treason, murder and transporting explosives. In addition, the TSA has a list of interim disqualifying criminal offenses including, but not…
Read MoreLiving with 290: How to make friends and meet people
I will be thirty five in about a month and a half. From time to time I reflect on my life so far. The good, bad, indifferent, mundane, thrilling, and horrifying moments alongside what I chose to do, what was chosen for me, and what I’ve not done. While I was looking forward to making some significant life changes in 2020 the pandemic has put many of those on hold. Last night at work during a zoom meeting one of my co-workers said he planned to go on an in…
Read MoreWI: Wisconsin judge charged with seven child pornography counts
[citynews1130.com – 3/17/21] MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin judge with multiple counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday. State Department of Justice attorneys filed seven felony counts against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Brett _____. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Brett _____, 38, was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in Dane County. His attorney, listed in online court records as Chris Van Wagner, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Read the full article
Read MoreACSOL Announces 2021 Conference Dates, Keynote Speaker Jill Levenson
ACSOL will conduct its annual conference on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18, 2021. Similar to its conference last year, this year’s conference will be held virtually using Zoom technology that will allow individuals to choose between audio only or audio and video participation. “We are pleased to announce that Jill Levenson, PhD, has agreed to make a keynote presentation at this year’s conference,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Dr. Levenson is a nationally acclaimed expert whose research has concluded that sex offender registries are ineffective and that…
Read MoreIL: Illinois House bill would change sex offender residence requirements
[wandtv.com – 3/18/21] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A bill moving through the Illinois House of Representatives would change how close a registered sex offender could live to a school, playground, or childcare facility. HB3913 would amend the Unified Code of Correction and allow a registered sex offender to reside within 250 feet of any the restricted facilities. State law currently requires they live 500 feet. The bill sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly and Rep. Kelly Cassidy would also remove a weekly requirement that a registered sex offender must register their address…
Read MoreNC: Pasquotank Co Sheriff’s Office partnered with U.S. Marshals to conduct sex offender operation
[wavy.com – 3/18/21] ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – On Monday the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the United States Marshals Service to conduct a Sex Offender Enforcement and Compliance Operation. According to authorities, the purpose of the operation was to ensure that the eighty registered sex offenders in Pasquotank County were in compliance with state laws, and the Adam Walsh Act. The Adam Walsh Act is intended to help to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime. The compliance investigations included confirming the residency of each registered sex offender,…
Read MoreIA: Iowa Capitol Digest: Lawmakers discuss the sex offender registry, traffic speed and housing
[nonpareilonline.com – 3/18/21] The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation that would require any individual on a sex offender registry in another state who moves to Iowa to be placed on Iowa’s sex offender registry for as long as they are required in the other state, or by Iowa law, whichever is longer. Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake, said state law enforcement officials expressed concern that some individuals may have moved to Iowa in order to avoid other states’ registry requirements. House File 201 already passed the House, 88-0, and is…
Read MoreFL: Florida Senate votes to close sex offender loophole
[sfchronicle.com – 3/18/21] TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A loophole in Florida’s sexual offender registration law would be closed under a Senate bill unanimously passed Thursday in response to a child molester who didn’t have to register because he didn’t pay a court-ordered fine. A judge ruled last year that Ray La Vel James of Tampa, who spent 12 years in prison after being convicted of molesting two girls at a public pool, didn’t have to register as a sex offender because the law states registration isn’t required until a sentence…
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