Source: issa.house.gov 11/10/23 Poway – At a press conference in Poway, CA today, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) introduced The Stopping Sexually Violent Predators Act the most comprehensive legislation to date to reset the broken system that is currently forcing sexually violent predators (SVPs) into communities and near children and families. “In California, Governor Newsom has made our communities less safe by essentially compelling communities to accept the relocation of dozens of these violent predators into our neighborhoods,” said Rep. Issa. “But this issue is not unique to California, which is…
Read MoreDay: January 26, 2024
CA: A Constitutionally Dubious California Bill Would Ban Possession of AI-Generated Child Pornography
Source: reason.com 1/26/24 The proposal seems to conflict with a Supreme Court ruling against laws that criminalize mere possession of obscene material. Back in 2016, a study found that it was increasingly difficult for subjects to distinguish between actual photographs of people and computer-generated simulations of them. The researchers suggested that development would complicate prosecution of child pornography cases. That concern has been magnified by rapid improvements in artificial intelligence, prompting a California bill that would, among other things, make it a felony to possess virtual child pornography when it…
Read MoreIL: Seventh Circuit Slams Illinois Civil Commitment Program but Reverses Injunction
Source: prisonlegalnews.org 1/1/24 “Very weighty interests are at stake when a state institutes a program of civil commitment for sex offenders who, though never tried for or convicted of a crime, are found too dangerous for release.” So began a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on July 24, 2023, in a challenge to a lower court’s order mandating improvements in Illinois’ civil commitment program, operated under the state’s Sexually Dangerous Persons (SDP) Act. Unfortunately, those interests were not deemed weighty enough to convince the…
Read MoreCA: Appellate Court Overturns Trial Court’s Denial of Petition
Source: ACSOL The Second District Court of Appeals has issued a decision that overturns a decision by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denying a registrant’s petition for removal from the registry. According to today’s appellate court decision, the trial judge’s decision was improper because the District Attorney failed to prove that the registrant poses a current danger to public safety. “This decision is very important because it upholds a prior appellate court decision, People v. Thai, which ruled that the burden of proof is upon the District Attorney, not…
Read MoreUT: Ban polygraph tests for those who report sexual abuse, Utah lawmaker proposes
Source: sltrib.com 1/23/24 A recent investigation from The Tribune and ProPublica showed the damaging effects a polygraph test had on one Utahn who reported that his therapist had touched him inappropriately during sessions. Utah could soon ban government officials from asking alleged sexual assault victims to undergo a polygraph test — joining a growing list of states that bar the practice. Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said she has introduced legislation banning polygraph tests in hopes that it will remove a barrier that could prevent someone from reporting they…
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