[chicagotribune.com – 1/21/20] The child sex offenders living at Wayside Cross in Aurora can remain at the ministry for at least a while longer, after a judge again delayed ruling on their request to temporarily block enforcement of a sex offender residency law pending the outcome of a lawsuit. The Wayside Cross residents are seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, which would allow them to remain at the ministry until their lawsuit challenging enforcement of a sex offender residency law is resolved. Kane County Circuit Court Judge Kevin…
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WI: Fond du Lac council mulls ordinance to restrict sex offender placement near parks, schools
[fdlreporter.com – 1/23/20] FOND DU LAC – Should the city regulate the distance from which sex offenders can reside from parks, schools and child-care facilities? Fond du Lac City Council members considered this possibility during its meeting Wednesday night, receiving input from Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb and City Attorney Deborah Hoffman about the need for such an ordinance and its legality. Council member Daniel Degner presented the issue to council, stating it was one of the reasons he ran in 2019 for the seat. In 2018, Degner circulated a petition…
Read MoreCA: San Diego Officially Rescinds Sex Offender Law
[nbcsandiego.com – 1/22/20] The city of San Diego has agreed to remove a law that restricted potential living locations for registered sex offenders who are no longer on parole for their crimes. The decision was part of a legal settlement that officially puts an end to the city’s Child Protection Act of 2008. The law prohibited all registered sex offenders regardless of parole status from living less than a half-mile from schools, parks, and other public places. In 2009 the city decided to no longer enforce the Child Protection Act…
Read MoreACSOL Argues Prop. 57 Case Before Appellate Court
ACSOL argued in support of Prop. 57 yesterday before the Third Court Court of Appeals in Sacramento. At issue in the case are regulations issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that exclude everyone convicted of a sex offense from receiving the benefits of that ballot proposition. A trial court decided in favor of ACSOL’s position in March 2018 and declared that CDCR’s regulations were invalid because they impermissibly alter and amend the terms of Prop. 57. CDCR appealed that decision and the trial court’s decision was…
Read MoreCA: 2nd California child molester dies after beating with cane
[sfgate.com – 1/22/20] [Note: This information is important because it demonstrates the dangers of CDCR placing registrants in the general population. ] CORCORAN, Calif. (AP) — A second convicted child molester has died after he was beaten with a walking cane by another inmate last week at a central California prison, officials said Wednesday. Graham De Luis-Conti, 62, was pronounced dead on Sunday at a hospital, three days after authorities said he was attacked at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in the small central city of…
Read MoreNJ: Police Warn Residents Against Fake Sex Offender Notice
[jerseyshoreonline.com – 1/9/20] Howell Police are warning residents of a letter that is making the rounds falsely claiming to be a Megan’s Law notification naming a Howell resident/ business owner. Police shared a community awareness post to their Facebook page emphasizing that the letter is a fake. “The person named is this letter is NOT subject to any type of investigation, prosecution or conviction of any offense related to Megan’s Law. At first this letter may seem real however upon examination it is poorly written and constructed,” stated police. The…
Read MoreFL: Florida House bill would require background checks for delivery workers
[orlandoweekly.com – 1/9/20] Background checks would be required for delivery employees after the murder of a 75-year-old Boca Raton woman in August, under a bill filed Tuesday by Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach. Caruso’s proposal (HB 1129) would require all home-delivery workers to undergo background checks that include a search of a multistate criminal database and a search of the National Sex Offender Public Website, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice. The checks would be required “regardless of whether such person, employee, or agent intends to enter…
Read MoreNM: New Mexico rethinks sex-offender registry eluded by Epstein
[sfchronicle.com – 1/9/20] Legislators will consider changes to the state’s sex offender registration policies in response to revelations that deceased financier and New Mexico ranch owner Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to avoid registering locally as a sex offender following a guilty plea a decade ago in Florida Epstein was accused of abusing young women at his desert ranch outside the community of Stanley before his death last year behind bars. Democratic New Mexico state Rep. Matthew McQueen of Galisteo said Thursday that he has filed a bill that would automatically…
Read MoreWhy Re-Arrest Doesn’t Mean You’re a Failure
[thecrimereport.org – 1/7/20] The justice system traditionally uses a simple metric to determine whether an individual continues to be a threat to public safety after leaving prison: has the person been arrested for another crime? Recidivism rates are also used as criteria for judging the success of intervention programs and policy reforms. But a University of Wisconsin Law School professor argues that in both cases, the system too often gets it wrong. Prof. Cecilia M. Klingele. Photo courtesy University of Wisconsin In a recent essay for the Journal of Criminal…
Read MoreParticipate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime
[Note from Janice: I recommend this. Emily is a part of ACSOL] Dear Veterans, There is still time to participate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime. Thank you to those who have already participated in this research project. As of January 8, 2020, we have received 164 completed surveys; however, we still need more veterans on the registry to complete the survey. Our goal is to have a minimum of 250-300 completed surveys by the end of the month. If you have yet…
Read MoreNY: Cuomo plans to ban sex offenders from MTA transit system
[pix11.com – 1/7/20] Repeat and high-risk sex offenders would be banned from the MTA tranist system under a new law proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The NYPD announced support for the ban when Cuomo suggested it in March of 2019. The ban would apply to offenders for three years and blocks them from the subway, bus and rail systems. “MTA riders deserve to feel safe, and we have an obligation to ensure they will not be targeted by sex offenders,” Gov. Cuomo said Tuesday. “Enough is enough. If we want…
Read MoreTX: Family says they’re being targeted due to criminal past
[kens5.com – 1/6/20] Obscene symbols and hateful words fill the walls outside a San Antonio home. The messages are directed at the registered sex offender who lives in the house. Watch the video
Read MorePA: Five Cases Could Significantly Reform Pennsylvania’s Sex Offense Registry. The State’s Attorney General Is Pushing Back
[theappeal.org – 1/7/20] Josh Shapiro has warned that changing the state’s sex offense registry requirements threatens public safety. But experts say his fears are unfounded and the registry provides little to no public safety benefit. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is expected to rule on five cases this year that could change how the state treats people convicted of sex offenses, and could ease the state’s sex offense registry restrictions, commonly referred to as Megan’s Law. But in a December opinion piece, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned that if the…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in San Diego on Saturday, Jan 11
ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in San Diego is as follows Saturday, January 11 10 am 350 Cedar Street Lecture Hall #2 San Diego, CA 92101 Registrants, friends and family and interested service providers are invited to attend these free meetings. There will be no law enforcement or media present in order to protect everyone’s privacy. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Polygraphs and Integrity
Watching one of those forensic tv shows, a police officer was accused of murdering his wife. All the evidence pointed to him as the killer. He took a polygraph and passed. He still went to jail. Later, re-creation of the murder scene and testimony by expert witnesses on the angles of gunshots found the officer not guilty, the murder was instead, a suicide. Passing a polygraph in this case, as in many cases, didn’t really seem to matter. Failing a polygraph is what gets the fingers pointing and tongues wagging,…
Read MoreBreaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration
[brennancenter.org – 1/3/20] NYU law professor and author Rachel Barkow offers solutions for tackling America’s criminal justice crisis. The forces that created and perpetuate mass incarceration have been entrenched for decades. In her book, Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration, New York University law professor Rachel Barkow details solutions for fixing the system’s myriad problems. She talked to the Brennan Center’s Ruth Sangree about some of them. What is the best-case scenario for criminal justice reform in the coming years? It involves reform at the state and federal level. It gives…
Read MoreTN: Tennessee Lawmaker Bruce Griffey Files Bill To Chemically Castrate Convicted Sex Offenders
[inquisitr.com – 1/3/20] A Tennessee lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require anyone convicted of a sexual offense against a child under the age of 13 to be chemically castrated, The Tennesseean reports. Bruce Griffey, a Republican from the rural community of Paris, introduced the bill which, should it be passed, would become effective in July. Under the language of the bill, which is nearly identical to that of a similar law approved last year in Alabama, those sentenced for the crime would undergo a chemical injection that “reduces,…
Read MoreIreland: Laws to protect sex offenders’ identities must be considered, says outgoing probation chief
[irishtimes.com – 1/1/20] Ireland should consider introducing privacy laws to protect the identities of sex offenders being released back into the community, the outgoing director of the Probation Service believes. Such laws, which are in place in several other countries, would prevent the public naming of offenders in the media and would aid in their rehabilitation and therefore reduce the risk of re-offending, Vivian Geiran said. “I certainly think there is a case to be made for that,” Mr Geiran said in an interview ahead of his retirement after seven…
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