[nbcnews.com – 4/7/21] Nearly 20 years after the Supreme Court struck down laws criminalizing consensual same-sex activity, the legacy of sodomy bans is still felt across the United States. In 1993, then-18-year-old Randall Menges was charged under Idaho’s “crimes against nature” law for having sex with two 16-year-old males. All three worked and lived at Pratt Ranch, a cattle ranch in Gem County that doubled as a live-in foster program for troubled teenagers. Menges was convicted despite police reports indicating the activity was consensual, and the age of consent in…
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MN: Minnesota House committee hears sex offender program’s request for funding
[msn.com – 4/6/21] The Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee learned more Tuesday about the proposed $17.8 million contained in Gov. Tim Walz’s bonding request for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in St. Peter. The funding would renovate two buildings on the program’s campus, adding 30 beds to Community Preparation Services, as well as provide more programming and administrative space. Clients transferred to CPS continue treatment in a less restrictive setting that prepares them to integrate back into the community. Right now, all 89 beds at CPS are full, with about…
Read MoreBiden admin announces next steps in overhauling Betsy DeVos’ Title IX rules [including sexual misconduct cases]
[news.yahoo.com – 4/6/21] The Education Department announced plans Tuesday to hold a public hearing on how schools ought to handle sexual misconduct cases as the first step in a planned overhaul of Title IX regulations. In a letter released by the Education Department, the hearing is described as a chance for students, parents, school officials and advocates to weigh in before the Biden administration offers its proposal for how K-12 schools and colleges receiving public funding must respond to allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The department has not yet…
Read MoreAction Alert for Florida: CALL IMMEDIATELY to oppose April 6 hearing on SB 932 (Prohibits Parental Timesharing with their minor child)
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 4/5/21] Floridians, take immediate action: email or call the senators TONIGHT or early morning before 9:30 AM Eastern on April 6. Florida Senate Bill 932 is on the Agenda to go before the Rules Committee tomorrow 04/06/21 at 9:30 am. We are calling on all members to contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee by calling and emailing them via the information below, and asking them to OPPOSE SB 932. Please remember to be polite and professional. Remember, they (absent Senator Book) were not the one introducing…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA: Support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County by April 9
San Diego County residents are fighting the supervised release of Douglas Badger, a 78-year-old registrant designated as a sexually violent predator, to a community in that county. A judge previously granted Mr. Badger’s release from Coalinga State Hospital provided that he is able to find housing. “ACSOL requests that members of the registrant community state their support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The deadline for doing so is April 9.” San Diego County will conduct a public meeting on…
Read MoreUK: Shanklin sex offender had cartoon-porn depicting child sex abuse
[countypress.co.uk – 4/4/21] A REGISTERED sex offender who had cartoon-pornography depicting child abuse on his hard drive has appeared in court. Hilary _______, 79, of Grange Road, Shanklin, appeared before the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Thursday. At a previous hearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on February 9, he admitted possession of a prohibited image of a child. Prosecutor, Kelly Brocklehurst, told the court Hilary _______,’ case was an unusual one, in that the images found were cartoon-like — pseudo images. He said Hilary _______,, subject…
Read MoreCA: East County neighbors angered over plan to house sex offender
[fox5sandiego.com – 4/2/21] EL CAJON, Calif. – Residents in unincorporated El Cajon are pushing back ahead of a hearing this month that could place a man convicted of multiple sexual assaults in a supervised home in their neighborhood. A hearing will be held next month to determine whether to place Douglas ____, a 78-year-old man convicted of several sexual assaults, in a supervised home in unincorporated El Cajon. (Provided) The hearing is scheduled for April 20 after California’s Department of State Hospitals recommended 78-year-old Douglas ____placed in a home on…
Read MoreSOHO Forum Debates the Registry
[womenagainstregistry.org – 3/31/21; Forum was 2/12/2018] Professor Emily Horowitz argues against the registry when she debates Professor Marci Hamilton. Watch the video
Read MoreVolunteers needed for a study on the impacts of International Megan’s Law by April 30!
[Grace Lee – University of Utrecht, Netherlands – www.uu.nl] Has the International Megan’s Law impacted your life? Then please take part in this study. Why: The academic and policy literature on International Megan’s Law (IML) is missing the voices of those whose mobility is impacted. This study will add a qualitative analysis of lived experiences to the debate about disproportionate systems of punishment and their unintended consequences on citizens’ rights and livelihoods. Who: Seeking accounts of challenges with post-IML international travel from: Registered citizens Families of registered citizens Lawyers and…
Read MoreMN: Apple Valley settles lawsuit over sex offender residency
[hometownsource.com – 4/1/21] The city of Apple Valley has agreed to settle a class action federal lawsuit filed in 2020 that challenges the constitutionality of a 2017 city ordinance that limits where some sex offenders can live in the community. The Apple Valley City Council, without discussion, approved a settlement agreement as part of the consent agenda during its March 25 meeting. According to the agreement, one payment of $70,000 will be made to “resolve all claims for damages, fees and costs.” Of that total, two plaintiffs will reach receive…
Read MoreNY: Town of Rotterdam, police department face lawsuit over arrest
[dailygazette.com – 3/31/21] A man who was falsely arrested by the Rotterdam Police Department for improperly submitting a photo for the sex offender registry list is now suing the department and the town over the four days he spent in jail. William Harwood filed paperwork March 25 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York seeking a jury trial and damages after he said he suffered emotional distress from the incident. Harwood, who is representing himself, said in court documents that in 2018 he was required to provide…
Read MoreMN: What last week’s Supreme Court ruling actually said — and didn’t say — about sexual assault and drinking in Minnesota
[minnpost.com – 4/1/21] A 20-year-old woman was standing outside a Dinkytown bar in May 2017 when a man, along with his male cousin and another male friend, invited her and her friend to a party. They agreed, and the man drove them to a house. But when they arrived, there was no party. After arriving at the house, the woman — who had been denied entrance from the bar earlier for being overly intoxicated — passed out on a couch. She later woke up to the man, Francois Monulu Khalil,…
Read MoreStudy: When parole, probation officers choose empathy, returns to jail decline
[lakeconews.com – 4/1/21] Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders’ likelihood of landing back behind bars. On a more hopeful note, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-ordered supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and, arguably, better able to deter them from criminal backsliding. The findings, published March 29 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show, on average, a 13% decrease in…
Read MoreNY: 7-year-old charged with rape, lawyer calls it ‘absurd’
[wwnytv.com – 3/29/21] BRASHER FALLS, N.Y. (WWNY) – A 7-year-old boy from Brasher Falls has been charged with rape. State police didn’t release much information, but said the unidentified child was charged with third-degree rape on March 23. Troopers say the incident was reported on Thanksgiving. The child was cited and released. The case will be handled in Family Court. Police say the investigation is continuing. We spoke with a New York City attorney, who is with a group that handles youth defense cases. “Instinctually, it shouldn’t happen that a…
Read MoreCA: Sexually Violent Predator Must Move Out Of Napa, Court Rules
[patch.com – 3/30/21] NAPA COUNTY, CA — As a result of a hearing Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, a convicted sexually violent predator living in Napa County must be transferred to San Francisco County, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced in a news release. Charles Leroy _____, 76, was released in September 2020 to live at 4018 E. 3rd Ave. in Napa County, where for six months he lived in close proximity to two schools and within a one-mile radius of 62 children, the Napa County District Attorney’s…
Read MoreFL: Whatever happened to the “Solicitation for Prostitution Registry”?
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/29/21] in 2019, the Florida Legislature passed a Bill sponsored by Senator Lauren Book (SB 540) that was titled “Human Trafficking”. … The Bill passed and was signed into law, creating Florida Statute 943.0433, the “Solicitation for Prostitution Registry”. Individuals who committed the offense(s) on or after January 1, 2021 and are convicted (regardless of adjudication) on or after January 1, 2021 are currently being placed on the Soliciting for Prostitution Public Database. So far there are none. Read the full article and the see the empty registry…
Read MoreFL: Volusia County residents mistakenly get text alert about sex offender moving in nearby
[clickorlando.com – 3/30/21] Text should have only been sent to certain DeLand residents Parker Lee Sharpley (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office) VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Many Volusia County residents received a text alert Tuesday afternoon telling them that a sex offender had moved in nearby but for most of them, that wasn’t actually the case. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the message about Parker Lee _____, 37, should have only been sent to those who live within 1,000 feet of his new address, which is 1450 2nd Ave. in DeLand.…
Read MoreMT: Federal judge to rule on sex offender registration for ‘gay sex’ convictions
[kpvi.com – 3/30/21] The Montana Attorney General’s Office opposed removing a former Missoula man from the state’s sexual offender registry despite evidence he was designated a sex offender because he had consensual “gay sex” when he was 18 years old. At a trial held Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen, Assistant Attorney General Hannah Tokerud argued the case did not hinge on whether the man, Randall _____, was convicted for having consensual sex. “It hinges on whether he is required to register in Idaho,” Tokerud said. If…
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