Colorado’s tough sex offender laws are supposed to keep predators under tight supervision. But a series of lawsuits claim that the system is violating even minor offenders’ rights to free speech and association, prohibiting contact with family members — and, in one particularly bizarre case, telling a 62-year-old man that a discussion with a stepdaughter about her pregnancy constitutes unlawful “third party contact with a child.”
Boulder civil rights attorney Alison Ruttenberg has filed at least three federal lawsuits in recent months challenging actions taken by probation officers and others responsible for enforcing the restrictions imposed by the state’s Sex Offender Management Board. She’s sued treatment providers and board members as well for what she considers over-the-top intrusions into her clients’ family lives, choice of reading material and thought processes. Full Article
This story is one of sheer madness – the lunatics are running the asylum! Third party contact with a child when talking to his pregnant step-daughter? I had to read thi several times just to be clear and found myself doing a Sam Kinison-style scream at the notion that such insanity is actually taking place.
Who is supervising the probation officer? The PO and the supervisor’s names should be included in this article so that they can be contacted with complaints by the people they work for: the public.
Someone needs to look into the lives of these over zealous public officials and see what motivates them toward such behavior. In fact, I suggest a registry to help protect the public from them.
On another note, I am happy to see that more and more of the comments in articles like this are increasingly sympathetic to our cause.
“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” — Tacitus, Roman senator
and historian (A.D. c.56-c.115)
It is time for a web site for constitutional violators exposing them for who they are and what danger they represent to the values the founding father’s envisioned.
Let lawmakers and anyone who is behind this insanity face scrutiny for their extreme views. What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Here in CA we can start it off with George and Sharon Runner.
The SOMB, SORNA, Colorado Assembly, are all in it together and frankly don’t care and don’t plan on fixing their unruly, unjust, civil rights violations, they are imposing on sex offenders. They have broken all the rules and will continue to do so. This is all about a money ploy, job security and they do not care if they ruin peoples lives in the process. God will not allow this type of behavior to continue. What they should have in place is a individualized risk assessments b/f requiring registration. They don’t realize nor do they even care of the affect the registering is causing and it’s a shame they put everyone in the same category. Who are they to say once a sex offender, always a sex offender? I am a parent & love kids & believe protection of our children is important but government statistics indicate that most sexual abuse of children is committed by family members or trusted authority figures, and by someone who has NOT previously been convicted of a sex offense. Authoritative studies also indicate that 3 out of 4 adult offenders do NOT reoffend. Politicians didn’t do their homework what so ever b/f they enacted these sex offender laws. They are using this as their quick way out of dealing with the complex realities of sexual violence against children. They are violating basic rights of former offenders and a public outcry to our state representatives needs to take place. If we the people allow this type of behavior from our state representatives, to break down our constitution and civil rights, what do we have left? Wake up America! YOU are not seeing the real picture here on your rights by allowing this. You are not getting the full picture. This is the beginning of breaking down the system. What is next? Why is an accused murderer not required to report his wear-a-bouts in your neighborhood?
Look out colorado ..there’s a civil rights HomeRun leader coming up in Allison Ruttenberg to wake people up from that brainwashing .
I’m a man convicted of a sex offense in the state of Colorado. I have nothing more than a misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement. The misdemeanor is not for what actually took place (an exchange of words and little more – this can get you life in prison in CO – so much for free speech for anyone), but I accepted the deal due to fears of being in a kangaroo court for trail. I took what I was advised by my counsel as the path of least resistance. I am finding out how there is no such thing when it comes to sex offenses. I am basically on house arrest after nearly a year on probation. I have few privileges, if any. I’m only allowed to go to the grocery store once a week for one hour. I have an early evening curfew to be home after work. I’m not allowed to go anywhere on the weekends if I’m not working. I’m forced to take polygraph tests under the pretense of ensuring I’m not violating my probation, but I’ve failed two in a row while telling the truth, and consequently my “risk” is elevated by them and I’m forced into more treatment sessions at a very high premium. At one point I was paying $1500/mo for treatment, polygraphs, UA’s (despite no history of drug or alcohol use), special landline phone just for curfew checks, monitoring software on computer and phone, and fines. Treatment alone has reached nearly $800/mo. Now, to add insult to injury, they have told me I am not allowed to even hear the word “child” from anyone, particularly my family members. My sister and her fiance recently had a baby, and I was told I am not allowed to even know of the existence, let alone that they were even pregnant for the same reasons in the story above; “3rd party contact with a child”. Most recently I was told that my family and friends are not allowed to have any dissenting opinions about treatment, the law, or to ever view me as a victim of injustice. It was all told me under the constant implied threat that I would be punished if their rhetoric does not change (they monitor my cell phone, and have talked on the phone with each of them). So not only are my civil rights utterly trampled upon, they are now attempting even further action by using me as a proxy to control the thoughts and beliefs of my family members as well. No one can really understand the fanatical lunacy of the sex offense system until you’re in it. What I am experiencing is the epitome of tyranny. There is no justice in the united states. I’m suffering horribly for being entrapped by trained professionals whilst breaking no laws. They manipulated and manuevered me for no other purpose than to provoke a violation with the sole purpose of harming me. I am suffering this while we have goverment officials across the nation poisoning our drinking water, burning land, homes and livestock, violently beating and murdering unarmed citizens, getting rich off insider trading, sharing national secrets, freely and publicly without charge or conviction…and the list goes on and on. This nation is diseased. “The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government” – Gaius Cornelius Tacitus
Having lived in Colorado as an RC, I will tell you that the problem you are dealing with is not the SO laws. The laws in Colorado dealing with SO’s are actually primarily based on Federal mandates and in many ways are fairly lenient. There are no residency or presence restrictions here. The process to get off the registry (once you meet the federal requirements) is relatively straightforward.
What you are dealing with is an out of control probation department. I have no idea which one you are dealing or if it is a state run probation office. If not, you might find life to be considerably easier if you relocate across a city or county border. I can almost guarantee that some departments will be easier to deal with than others.
Not that I am saying to not fight back against this type of abuse of power. These oversteps of authority need to be fought but if you are on probation, you are fighting back from a difficult position. If you choose to fight, I wish you all the best but make sure you identify who your worst enemy is in this case and narrow the battle.