Author: R H

UT: Senator will not pursue sex offender registry amendment removing the term “sex offender” and some presence restrictions

R H

Source: kslnewsradio.com 1/6/22 SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would have proposed changes to the Sex Offender Registry in Utah will not move forward in the 2022 legislative session after all.  Sen. Michael Kennedy, R-Alpine, initially filed SB0052 late in 2021. It would have potentially allowed registered sex offenders to go to places like schools and parks, if they are with an adult. The bill would also have replaced the term “sex offender” with registrant. Read the full story  

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NY: Social media ban ends for some sex offenders in NYS

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 Source: news10.com 1/24/22 ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — People on the sex offender registry in New York State can now access the internet and social media platforms without restrictions, except in some cases. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Rutgers Law School Constitutional Rights Clinic, and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York secured a settlement on January 24 ending the ban. The original Jones et al. v. Stanford complaint was filed against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and New York Board of Parole in…

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ALI Leaders Delay Vote on Revised Model Penal Code

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Source: ACSOL According to early reports from ALI members, the leaders of the American Law Institute (ALI) have decided to delay their consideration of the revised Model Penal Code (MPC). This decision was made late last week during a two-day meeting of the ALI Council held on January 20 and 21. Members of the ALI overwhelmingly voted in support the revised MPC in June 2021 and approval by the ALI Council was expected.  However, opposition to the revised MPC was subsequently expressed by Attorneys General in 37 states as well…

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VA: Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam pardoned a state senator with a misdemeanor for his relationship with his 17-year-old assistant

R H

Source: businessinsider.com 1/23/22 On his way out of office, former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam pardoned a state senator who was convicted in 2014 for dating his 17-year-old law firm assistant who would later become his wife and the mother of his children.  Northam issued a simple pardon for State Sen. Joe Morrissey, a Democrat from Richmond, for a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.  “To say that I was extremely pleased with what the governor did would be, perhaps for me, the…

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Janice Bellucci and Vicki Henry Give Details on Jan 25 About March 2023 National Event – Join Us!

R H

On Tuesday, January 25th, Janice Bellucci and Vicki Henry will give details about our March 2023 Event in Washington DC, which includes a conference, hill visits and your opportunity to be part of a visibly huge event emphasizing the egregious error and their responsibility to correct it! Learn what we need your help with. We can’t do this without you! The Women Against Registry Zoom WAR Room meeting: Tuesday, January 25th 5 PM Pacific time, 7 PM Central You may be asking why you should you take part in the…

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CASOMB Reports More Registrants, Fewer Homeless Registrants

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Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) reported today that the total number of registrants continues to grow despite implementation of the petitioning process under the Tiered Registry Law.  Specifically, the total number of registrants increased to 108,725 which is 365 more than reported in November 2021.  Of that total, there are 19,479 registrants who are in violation for failure to register.  The number of people in violation is 333 more than reported in November 2021.  CASOMB also reported today that the total number of registrants on parole,…

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CA: Would-be child predator caught by YouTube channel

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Source: LA Times 1/19/22 Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 19. I’m Justin Ray. Warning: This story discusses child abuse. An activist behind a YouTube channel based in California is catching people in the state who are trying to meet kids for lewd acts. His followers have hailed his work and praised him for keeping kids safe, while others in law enforcement and legal experts say he’s putting himself in danger and jeopardizing potential criminal cases. The channel, called CC Unit, has 137,000 subscribers.…

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11th Circuit Declares Halloween Signs Violate First Amendment

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Source: ACSOL The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision today that declares Halloween signs posted in a registrant’s front yard violate the First Amendment.  Specifically, the Court ruled that the signs violated the registrant’s right to be free from being forced to host a government message on his private property.  At issue were signs posted by the sheriff in Butts County, Georgia. In its decision, the Court stated “that the Sheriff’s interest in protecting children from sexual abuse is compelling.  However, the yard signs are not narrowly tailored…

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ACSOL February 19, 2022 Meeting

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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 meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, February 19, on Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 PM Eastern, and will last at least two hours. You can use the Zoom app or call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. You can use the Zoom app to see Janice and Chance and choose to show…

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Cayman: Wealthy Cayman has no sex registry, but poorer countries have one

R H

Source: cayman.loopnews.com 1/16/22 According to the Belize Crime Observatory, the government of Belize — through the Ministry of Home Affairs — officially launched the Belize Crime Observatory on October 25, 2016, as part of the InfoSegura Project.  This puts Belize, a poorer country than Cayman (according to GDP per capita figures from the World Bank national accounts and OECD National Accounts data files) years ahead of Cayman.  This leads one to question whether it is a matter of resources or political will of previous government administrations in Cayman to get…

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MI: Trial in double murder of sex offenders in Adrian delayed until May

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Source: lenconnect.com 1/14/22 ADRIAN — A trial in the case of a Morenci man who is accused of shooting to death two registered sex offenders and committing other crimes almost a year ago has been delayed again.  This time, it is rising COVID-19 case numbers and his attorney’s health that are causing Christopher Lee-Ryan Carden to have to wait to go on trial in Lenawee County Circuit Court. The trial’s new start date is May 17.  … Carden is charged with open murder in the deaths of Samuel Compton, 82, and Robert Braman Sr., 67, both of…

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OR: Lawmakers, advocates retry passing bill that would compensate wrongfully-convicted Oregonians

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Source: statesmanjournal.com 1/15/22 Criminal justice reform advocates are taking another crack at passing a law that would compensate wrongfully convicted Oregonians — this time, with the Department of Justice’s support. … Plus, individuals would get up to $25,000 for years spent on parole, post-prison supervision or on the sex offender registry. Read the full article  

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IL: Illinois judge who reversed sex offender’s conviction is reassigned

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Source: nydailynews.com 1/15/22 The Illinois judge who sparked outrage after reversing a sex offender’s conviction has been reassigned. According to the Herald-Whig newspaper, on Thursday Adams County Judge Robert Adrian was removed from presiding criminal cases and reassigned to civil cases — including small claims, legal matters and probate dockets. Adrian first made headlines earlier this month, after he overturned the conviction of 18-year-old Drew Clinton, who had been found guilty in the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl last year. Read the full article  

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PA: Megan’s Law for nursing homes gaining traction in Harrisburg

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Source: triblive.com 1/15/22 A state lawmaker is making good on a promise to repair a flawed system that permits aging and ailing convicted sex offenders to quietly enter long-term care facilities — often unbeknownst to patients and staff — where some easily are finding their next victims. A bill set to be introduced next week by state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Ambridge, comes in response to a Tribune-Review investigation published last month detailing what experts termed a simmering crisis involving more than 900,000 sex offenders on Megan’s Law registries across the nation. After…

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ACSOL Files SORNA Regulations Complaint with DOJ’s Inspector General

R H

The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today filed a complaint regarding the new SORNA regulations with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice.  According to that complaint, the regulations are unlawful for several reasons. First, the regulations are not based on empirical evidence which demonstrate that most individuals required to register no longer pose a current risk to society.  This evidence includes studies conduct by and reports issued by both government and academic sources.  Second, the regulations create an unfunded mandate upon both state and local…

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Is the Sex Offender Registry Fair?

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Source: legalreader.com 1/11/22 Failure to Register, in most states, is a serious felony, punishable by jail or prison time. The 1990s saw a significant rise in horrific sex offenses directed towards children, prompting the federal and state governments to formulate laws to help deter offenders and ensure public safety. One of these laws was the 1994 Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, requiring convicted offenders to register with their local law enforcement after their release from prison. In 1996, Congress passed Meghan’s Law (a subsection…

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FL: Former Coral Springs Cop Sentenced For Soliciting Sex From Teen

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Source: coralspringstalk.com 1/10/22 A former Coral Springs Police officer has been sentenced to 14-and-a-half months in state prison after pleading guilty to two counts of using a computer to sexually exploit a child, court records show. Steven Daniello, 64, who was arrested in January 2021, will also serve nearly four years of probation after completing his prison term, according to documents filed in Broward County Circuit Court. As part of his sentence, issued Jan. 4, Daniello will register as a sex offender, forfeit his law enforcement officer certification, pay $10,680…

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LA: Vermilion Parish Sex Offenders Are Getting Scammed

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Source: katc.com 1/6/22 Louisiana deputies says [sic] sex offenders are the latest target in a recent phone scam going on in the area. In recent days, Vermilion’s Sheriffs office says scammers have been posing as deputies. They are doing so in order to get cash from registered sex offenders. Detectives say the perpetrates search the online database for offenders, then call and threaten them with jail time. After they convince the victims, they would make them pay with gift cards and through bitcoin to avoid going to prison. Eddie Langlinais…

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