WI: Sex offenders can seek exemptions from rural residency restrictions

[kenoshanews.com – 11/30/20] Despite a series of residency exemption requests by sex offenders over the last several years, rural town and village officials believe they have ordinances in place to both protect the public and provide areas for offenders to live. Towns and villages west of I-94 in Kenosha County amended their ordinances after rules in Pleasant Prairie were deemed by a court to be too restrictive. They create “safety zones” around areas where children congregate, such as parks, schools, and churches. “We feel that our in place Register Sex…

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FAC: Dr. Phil to feature Police ICAC proactive stings

[floridaactioncommittee.org – 11/30/20] The Dr. Phil Show airing on CBS will air an episode featuring Sex Stings next Monday, December 7, 2020. The show will feature an FAC member whose son was targeted in one of these stings who has been fighting to expose them since. Also featured is Florida attorney Peter Aiken of Aiken, O’Halloran and Associates, who defends people caught up in these stings. Read the full article and a link to the schedule  

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Indonesia: Teen rapist collapses after public whipping punishment sees him suffer 150 lashes

[dailystar.co.uk – 11/28/20] A teenager in Indonesia was sentenced to 146 lashes after being arrested for molesting and raping a minor earlier this year. Whipping was paused when the teen collapsed – but soon resumed. A teenager convicted of raping a child was lashed almost 150 times for violating Islamic law – and collapsed during his punishment. The unidentified 19-year-old was lashed by a masked official in front of witnesses in the town of Idi Rayeuk in East Aceh, Indonesia, on Thursday. The teen is reported to have collapsed during…

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South Africa: Cape Town GBV Protest: Call for Sex Offender List to be Made Public

[sapeople.com – 11/28/20] “I will not be next”, “We’re done being afraid” and “Femicide is the real pandemic” were some of the many banners on display on Saturday morning during a protest against gender based violence (GBV) outside Parliament in Cape Town. “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” chanted some of the protesters in unison as cars driving by hooted in support. Read the full article  

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Canada: Baranyai: How should Ontario’s sex offender registry work?

[lfpress.com – 11/29/20] Ontario’s sex offender registry has some soul searching to do. Does it exist to punish offenders, or protect communities? And how can the framework for who goes on the list, which the Supreme Court has ruled discriminatory, support this core objective? The government has one year to amend Christopher’s Law, named for 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson, who in 1988 was tragically abducted, assaulted and murdered by a known pedophile. A coroner’s jury recommended creating an electronic registry of sex offenders to help police target their neighbourhood searches during…

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IN: WATCH NOW: Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Kersey conducts sex offender checks

[kenoshanews.com – 11/20/20] Ride Shotgun with Lake County, Indiana sheriff’s Sgt. Bryan Kersey as he checks to ensure convicted Northwest Indiana sex offenders are complying with state sex-offender registry laws. This special episode of “Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops” was filmed recently in conjunction with a Midwest reporting project titled, “Out of the Shadows: Spotlight on Sex Crimes.” The special report will span multiple newspapers throughout Lee Enterprises’ Midwest news agencies and will be taking a deep look at sex crimes, the offenders, their victims and the effectiveness of state…

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WI: Wisconsin’s sex offender registry born of twin tragedies

[kenoshanews.com – 11/28/20] On any given day, anyone in Wisconsin can look up the name, address, photo, age and other identifying information on sex offenders in their area who have been placed on the state’s sex offender registry. Established in 1997, the registry was created with the aim of making communities safer, said Sarah Wescott, corrections services supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Wescott also manages the registry with other DOC staff. … The registry includes all sex offenders who live in the state, even those who were convicted…

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Sex Offender Registries in Europe and Around the world

[ccresourcecenter.org – 11/24/20] We are pleased to publish new research by Stephen Schulhofer about the treatment of sex offense registration in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the EU. The research, presented here with an introduction by Alessandro Corda, comes from material prepared for inclusion in an upcoming draft of the Model Penal Code: Sexual Assault and Related Offenses (full citation and disclaimer below). Introduction: An Important Look at Foreign Policy and Practices Regarding Sex-Offense Collateral Consequences By Alessandro Corda, Lecturer in Law, Queen’s University Belfast School of Law…

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ID: Local woman gets jail time for sexual relations with teen boy

[eastidahonews.com – 11/15/20] ARCO — A Soda Springs woman will spend time in jail after an illegal sexual relationship with a teenage boy in 2016. Amanda Katherine Steele, 35, was ordered on Tuesday by District Judge Darren Simpson to spend 90-days in jail followed by seven years on felony probation. Simpson suspended a three to 10-year prison sentence that could be served if Steele is not successful on probation. … Because Steele was not charged with a sex crime, she does not have to register as a sex offender. Read…

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IL: A timeline of how Illinois registered sex offender database was created

[pantagraph.com – 11/25/20] When Terry Parke, a state representative from Pittsfield, the chief sponsor of the Habitual Child Sex Offender Registration Act, discusses his 1986 bill, he describes it as “one of the most important laws the Legislature would consider that year.” The law requires habitual child sex offenders to register with police within 30 days of release from prison and remain registered for 10 years. “We are having an epidemic in Illinois … of sex crimes against our children,” Parke said. But state Rep. Larry Hicks, a Democrat from…

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CA: How to Seek a Job with a Conviction History: A Fair Chance Hiring Webinar on Dec. 3

[prisonerswithchildren.org] How to Seek a Job with a Conviction History: A Fair Chance Hiring Webinar (online) Thursday, December 3 • 5:00 to 6:30 pm (PST) REGISTER HERE Please join us for a step-by-step training in how to take advantage of the Fair Chance Act, which restricts employers from denying jobs on the basis of job applicants’ conviction histories. Speakers: Tawney Jeffries Directly impacted job seeker who successfully got a job under the Fair Chance Act Nicole James Westcare Navigator and directly impacted job seeker Felicia Espinosa Root & Rebound, Fresno Site Director…

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Canada: Sex-offender provision unconstitutional in not criminally responsible cases: court

[ca.news.yahoo.com – 11/20/20] OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed that Ontario’s sex-offender registry regime violates the constitutional rights of people found not criminally responsible for their actions by reason of mental disorder. The decision came Friday in the case of an Ontario man who was found not criminally responsible in June 2002 for sexually assaulting his then-wife, and other charges, due to a manic episode. Read the full article  

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NY: Federal District Court limits ban on social media for registrants

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK [Excerpt from page 1:] While the Court appreciates the State’s compelling interest and laudable efforts to protect children from sex offender recidivists on the internet, New York’s attempt to advance this interest via blanket restrictions cannot be squared with the significant freedom of speech rights at stake. For the following reasons, Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction is GRANTED. While parole officers remain free to impose individualized restrictions on supervisees based on the Registrant’s specific circumstances and risk of recidivating using…

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ACSOL Phone Meeting Nov 21

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 phone meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, Nov 21, beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time and will last at least two hours. Discussion topics will include: proposed SORNA regulations in-person registration during the COVID-19 pandemic the upcoming Tiered Registry residency restrictions overseas and domestic travel other current topics and pending legal action throughout the nation. Please Show Up, Stand Up and Speak Up!…

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Community supervision, once intended to help offenders, contributes more to mass incarceration

[usatoday.com – 11/19/20] Justice officials are recognizing that community supervision can be a tripwire that perpetuates incarceration based on crimeless technical violations Miriam Aroni Krinsky and Vincent Schiraldi Opinion contributors One of the first people to die of COVID-19 in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail system was Raymond Rivera — a 55-year-old father and husband who lost his life in April. The “offense” that ultimately resulted in a death sentence for Rivera? Leaving a drug program without permission — a minor technical violation of the parole he was on for stealing a motorcycle…

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CA: District Attorney to push 85% of cases to next year [potential petition delays]

[thesungazette.com – 11/18/20] VISALIA – Prosecutors are hard to come by in Tulare County nowadays, and the work is beginning to pile up. … Coming down the pike are petitions asking to change an offenders sex registration status. For decades those convicted of sex crimes with a minor were forced to register as a sex offender for life. Beginning Jan. 1, 2021 convicted adults will be handed a tier of 10 years, 20 years or life on the sex registration list. And which tier a person falls into will be…

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KY: A third Louisville police officer has pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Explorer program

[wdrb.com – 11/16/20] LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A third Louisville Metro Police officer has pleaded guilty to sexual abusing a minor while serving as a mentor in the department’s youth Explorer program. Former Officer Brad ____ faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court on Monday to a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse. ____ , who resigned from the department earlier this month, will be sentenced March 10, and prosecutors indicated they would recommend six months incarceration. The judge will…

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