Source: thecentersquare.com 9/28/23 (The Center Square) – Earlier this year, a decision to house convicted sex offenders in cities such as Enumclaw without notifying the community drew outrage from local residents. Now, the State Sex Offender Policy Board is considering recommendations to the Legislature that could include making it illegal to notify communities when a sex offender moves into the area on the grounds that such policies undermine public safety. Created in 2008, the Sex Offender Policy Board is composed of 13 members appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee. Its role…
Read MoreMonth: September 2023
Exceptional Punishments No one should be made to give up their rights in exchange for being spared from prison.
By Kate Weisburd The same scene unfolds in criminal courtrooms across the country every day. After someone has been found guilty by a jury or pled guilty, a judge imposes a sentence. The judge sometimes sentences them to prison, but often the judge sends them to a halfway house, treatment program, or other form of court supervision outside of prison. As punishments, these non-prison sentences involve a litany of rules and restrictions that strip people of basic constitutional rights. Over the years, I have collected and analyzed hundreds of public records containing…
Read MoreThe Evolving Landscape of Administrative Law [including SORNA]
Source: jdsupra.com 9/25/23 Shay Dvoretzky, Emily Kennedy Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP+ Follow Contact Key Points The U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2023 term may bring fundamental changes to administrative law, including by possibly overruling Chevron. Decisions in recent years demonstrate the Court’s skepticism of administrative power and increasing willingness to question government regulation. New limits on agency power may create opportunities for businesses to challenge unfavorable regulations, but they also may open the door to attacks on long-standing rules that businesses find helpful and predictable. One of the…
Read MoreFL: Death penalty in child rapes among new Florida laws soon to take effect
Source: orlandosentinel.com 9/26/23 A new law that could lead to imposing the death penalty on people who rape children under age 12 will take effect Sunday, along with other laws passed during the 2023 legislative session. Other measures taking effect could lead to putting local governments on the hook for attorney fees when ordinances are deemed “arbitrary or unreasonable;” increase penalties on fans who interfere with sporting events; and require teens to at least have learner’s permits to drive golf carts on public roads. The laws passed during the legislative…
Read MoreEdinburgh, Scotland: Man who raped girl, 13, appeals conviction
A rapist given community service after attacking a 13-year-old girl says he is the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Lawyers for Sean Hogg, 21, told the appeal court that the judge misdirected the jury during his trial and the conviction should be quashed. Hogg was found guilty of attacking his young victim multiple times in Dalkeith Country Park in 2018, when he was 17. He avoided prison after judge Lord Lake consulted Scotland’s new sentencing guidelines for people aged under 25. Donald Findlay KC told the Court of Criminal Appeal…
Read MoreUtah judge orders trial for registered sex offender charged with failing to disclose HOA presidency
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Utah County judge ordered a convicted child sex offender who is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life to stand trial on charges he failed to disclose he was president of his homeowner’s association. 2News Investigates has been reporting on Paul Bryant for almost two years now. In 2016 Bryant took a plea deal and was convicted of three first-degree felonies for attempted aggravated sexual abuse of his adopted children. A few years after he was released from jail…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Florida man subject to lifetime sex-offender registration requirements argues that he is “in custody” for purposes of federal post-conviction laws
By Kalvis Golde The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here. A person held in state prison can challenge the constitutionality of their criminal conviction in federal court through a legal tool known as a writ of habeas corpus. Habeas relief is available to anyone “in custody,” which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean not only physical confinement but also other restrictions such as parole and release pending trial. This week, we…
Read MoreCharleston sex offender sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison after sting arrest
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A Charleston man has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison following a fall 2020 arrest for explicit conservations with an undercover police officer he thought was a teenage boy. Therence Jamison, 58, was sentenced after pleading guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. According to prosecutors, Jamison — who is a registered sex offender — exchanged sexually explicit messages with whom he believed to be a 14-year-old boy on an online dating app. In November 2020, Jamison arranged to meet the boy at…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: The Glass Is Half Full
Is the glass half empty or is the glass half full? It’s a question many have asked when they believe not all of their needs or desires have been met. The answer to that question often depends upon whether the person who asked it is an optimist or a pessimist. I am an optimist and I declare that the glass is half full. That is, the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) has approved two proposed changes identified by the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) and CASOMB plans…
Read MoreCASOMB Recommends Tier Reductions!
The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) today approved two tier reductions that would benefit thousands of individuals convicted of either felony possession of child pornography or lewd or lascivious acts with a person 14 or 15 years old. CASOMB is expected to share the news of its approvals with the state legislature later this calendar year. The changes will not become law, however, until the legislature passes a bill that includes CASOMB’s approvals. Specifically, CASOMB today approved the reduction from Tier 3, the highest tier, to Tier 1, the…
Read MoreOH: 2 police officers being investigated after telling a father his 11-year-old daughter could face child porn charges for sending images to a man online
Source: cnn.com 9/21/23 The police chief in Columbus, Ohio, is condemning an incident in which two officers told a father his 11-year-old daughter could face child porn charges for sending images to a man online. Chief Elaine Bryant said as soon as the department learned of the incident, captured on doorbell camera video, it “immediately reached out to the father to apologize, and to assure him that this matter was being fully investigated – both the actions of this officer, and more importantly, any crime committed against his child.” Bryant…
Read MoreVA: Parents demand removal of Chesapeake PTA president, citing sex-offender spouse
Source: 13newsnow.com 9/20/23 CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Concerned parents in Chesapeake are sounding the alarm about a registered sex offender they say is married to a local PTA president and has attended at least one school-related event. In an email sent to 13News Now and an online petition signed by more than 200 people, parents of students at Greenbrier primary and intermediate schools are lobbying for the removal of their Parent Teacher Association president. The petition, which was created on Change.org September 12, alleges the PTA president is married to a…
Read MoreCA: Gavin Newsom Can Sign a Bill to End Price-Gouging in California Prisons
Source: theappeal.org 9/18/23 California prison canteens currently sell essential items—such as snacks and medication—at a markup of between 65 and 200 percent. With just one signature, California Governor Gavin Newsom can significantly curtail the state’s long-standing practice of price-gouging imprisoned people for vital items like toothbrushes or deodorant. Last week, the Basic Affordable Supplies for Incarcerated Californians Act, or the BASIC Act, overwhelmingly passed the state Senate and Assembly. The bill is now with the governor, who has until October 14 to sign it. If signed into law, the…
Read MoreID: Predictable hysteria when three registered sex offenders are given permission to drop off and pick up their own children
Source: magicvalley.com 9/19/23 The Cassia County School District amended a 15-year-old board policy over the summer to create a ‘community’ committee with an eye on opening its governing process to parents, among others. It didn’t last the summer, and here’s why. The Cassia County School District, following a 15-year-old board policy and Idaho Code, voted last month to approve applications from three registered sex offenders who requested permission to drop off and pick up their own children, and attend academic conferences and extracurricular activities involving their own children. It’s a…
Read MoreFL: City voted to prevent any sex offender prospectively from living in the City of Crestview
Source: Florida Action Committee 9/17 23 City voted to prevent any sex offender prospectively from living in the City of Crestview. This was done via a 1500 feet ordinance. The comment from city council member Ryan Bullard is one of the most ignorant and shocking comments we’ve ever heard in a public meeting. Watch the video
Read MorePA: Testimony on House Hearing on HB 77: Megan’s Law Residence Restrictions
Source: aclupa.org 9/12/23 Session: 2023-2024 Hearing: House Judiciary Committee | Hearing on HB 77: Megan’s Law residence restrictions September 12, 2023 | 1:00 p.m. Veronica Miller, Senior Policy Counsel for Criminal Legal Reform, testified on behalf of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. To watch the hearing or read testimonies of all participants, click here. Bill summary: House Bill 77 would prohibit an individual classified as a sexually violent predator (SVP) from residing within 2,500 feet of a public school, private school, parochial school or daycare center for the duration of their required registration period.…
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting in October 2023 is canceled due to ACSOL Conference
ACSOL will not have an online Meeting in October 2023 due to two events. The big event is our ACSOL Conference on October 14 and 15. If you have not yet registered, click here to sign up. The second event is our ACSOL In-Person Meeting November 4 in Berkeley, CA We look forward to you joining us at both these events!
Read MorePatty Wetterling–advocate for a federal sex offender registry–speaks on Ted Talk
Source: knsiradio.com 9/14/23 (KNSI) – TEDx St. Cloud is set for Thursday, October 12th, inside the Paramount Theatre. The program runs from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and will feature talks from six presenters. … Patty Wetterling will deliver what is sure to be an emotional address. She became an advocate for a federal sex offender registry and other child safety measures after her 11-year-old son was abducted and eventually killed in October 1989. Read the full article
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