[kake.com – 8/3/18] SALINA, Kan. (KAKE) – The SPARK Artist Resource Exchange was supposed to be an organization of artists who worked on projects across Salina. Instead, it’s become a controversy after a Facebook posts about one of its directors who is also a sex offender. The resource center is in the heart of downtown Salina. In the last several days, posts on Facebook revealed that program director ______ is a convicted sex offender. Parents were worried that he had contact with children. ______ was convicted in 2012 of possessing…
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CA: Did California Authorities Suppress Research on Sexually Violent Predators?
[thecrimereport.org – 8/3/18] State laws that allow sexually violent predators to be locked up even after they have served their sentences are based on questionable assumptions that they continue to pose a danger to society, according to a study published in the American Criminal Law Review. The study focused on California where, according to the authors, research indicating that sexually violent predators (SVPs) are less likely to re-commit crimes than other offenders was suppressed because it challenged the constitutional legitimacy of the state’s SVP laws. The research in the mid-2000s…
Read MoreMA: Court: Board needs proof in sex offender reclassification
[thesunchronicle.com – 8/1/18] BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board has the burden of proof when determining whether a sex offender should not be moved to a less dangerous classification, the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday. The Supreme Judicial Court also ruled in separate cases that indigent sex offenders have a right to legal counsel in reclassification hearings, and that those hearings must be held within a “reasonable” period of time. The board already is required to provide “clear and convincing evidence” when initially determining which of three…
Read MoreSingapore: Unofficial sex-offender registry raises risk of vigilantism
[straitstimes.com – 7/26/18] The unofficial registry of convicted sex offenders is nothing more than harassment and more punishment for former offenders who have already served their time (Unofficial registry of sex offenders draws mixed views; July 15). It needs to be removed so that people who have this stigma attached to their name can have a hope of living a normal, law-abiding life, just like other released offenders. Unless they are recalcitrant and violent offenders, why should they be forced to wear the scarlet letter even after they have served…
Read MoreNY: Critics say pardons will give sex offenders access to schools
[timesunion.com – 7/24/18] ALBANY — Schools are generally off-limits for sex offenders, but not when it comes times to vote. A carveout in the state’s criminal trespass laws allows sex offenders to enter a school for the specific purpose of voting, including school district votes and other government elections, where the school is the polling site. The issue has jumped into the public’s consciousness as the result of outcry by some Republicans about conditional pardons recently issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that could speed up the restoration of voting…
Read MoreICE arrests 2K child predators, skit compares it to ISIS
[onenewsnow.com – 7/23/18] ICE arrests 2After comedian Michelle Wolf compared the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS on a parody video, former ICE Director Thomas Homan condemned the skit and pointed out how the agency has “arrested over 2,000 child predators,” along with thousands of other depraved criminals. Joining the ICE attack bandwagon Wolff – who hosts her weekly Netflix show The Break with Michelle Wolf – mocked ICE while impersonating the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in the mock recruiting…
Read MoreHouse Judiciary Committee Falsely Claims Credit For Stopping 90% Of All Sex Trafficking Because Of FOSTA
[techdirt.com – 7/24/18] For no clear reason at all, the Republicans* on the House Judiciary Committee released a video on YouTube earlier this week praising themselves for stopping online sex trafficking via FOSTA/SESTA. It’s… quite something. The video makes a number of blatantly false claims from various members of the House Judiciary, but let’s focus mainly on the claims of Ann Wagner, whose original bill kicked off the process that became FOSTA/SESTA. She’s been spreading moral panic nonsense about sex trafficking and the internet for ages, so it’s no surprise…
Read MoreMA: Board wants Cosby deemed a sexually violent predator
[bostonherald.com – 7/25/18] Disgraced comic icon Bill Cosby will have to register as a sex offender in Massachusetts if he returns to his sprawling Shelburne Falls estate — and state and local authorities say they will be watching for him, the Herald has learned. Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board recommended to a judge yesterday that Cosby be declared a “sexually violent predator.” But the 81-year-old comedian’s conviction April 26 on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in Philadelphia is sufficient for Massachusetts authorities to require him to register here if…
Read MoreME: Strong board grapples with sex-offender housing limits
[sunjournal.com – 7/21/18] STRONG — Selectmen are facing a request from townspeople to prohibit registered sex offenders from living in specific areas of town. The request was made after a group of people alerted town officials that a resident at Valley Brook housing on Main Street is a lifetime registrant on the Sex Offender Registry. The housing complex is next to Strong Elementary School. “I had some members of the public with some concerns that there’s no sex offenders ordinance here in town,” Selectman Rodney Spiller said at a recent…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group Meetings in 2018
Emotional Support Group meetings will be held on the following dates–usually the fourth Saturday of each month–for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. Meetings are based upon 12-step principles and are led by a mental health professional. Meetings are held at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles There is free underground parking. Meetings start promptly at 10 a.m. and anyone who arrives after that time may not be able to participate due to the logistics of that location. There is no charge to attend…
Read MoreACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting in L.A. on July 28
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones. They are usually held the fourth Saturday of each month, so this year they are planned for: July 28, Aug 24, Sep 22, Oct 27, Nov 24, Dec 22 The next meeting is Saturday, July 28, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide…
Read MoreCA: Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators: Doctor Padilla’s Dangerous Data [Paper]
[ssrn.com – 7/16/18] Abstract This Article uses internal memoranda and emails to describe the efforts of the California Department of Mental Health to suppress a serious and well-designed study that showed just 6.5% of untreated sexually violent predators were arrested for a new sex crime within 4.8 years of release from a locked mental facility. The Article begins by historically situating sexually violent predator laws and then explains the constitutionally critical role that prospective sexual dangerousness plays in justifying these laws. The Article next explains how the U.S. Supreme Court…
Read MoreAR: Convicted Sex Offenders: Serving Full Sentences Rather Than Getting Out Early on Parole
[nwahomepage.com – 7/17/18] BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KFTA) — Benton County detectives say more convicted sex offenders are choosing to serve their entire sentences than get out early on parole. “We have more people going flat now in prison than coming out so they’re not on paper,” said Detective Paul Newell. Two detectives at the Benton County Sheriff’s office dedicate their time solely to tracking and checking up with sex offenders. Detective Newell says many sex offenders are eligible for parole after serving 1/6 of their time in jail, but now many…
Read MoreSex, Race, and the Law: Considering America ‘In the Dark’
[thenation.com – 7/18/18] If Childish Gambino’s song “This is America” and Boots Riley’s film Sorry to Bother You perfectly distill the absurd comedy and violent hell of the United States circa 2018, then Madeleine Baran’s In the Dark does the same in podcast form. The audio-documentary series dropped the haunting final episode of its second season earlier this month, and, like Donald Glover’s and Riley’s works, Baran’s opus lays bare the nexus of racial anxiety, guns, criminal “justice,” and capitalism in our nation. In the Dark is produced by APM…
Read MoreWI: Here’s why it’s time to reconsider sex offender residency restrictions
[kenoshanews.com – 7/12/18] Nicholas Fitzpatrick is now homeless. After serving time for sexual assault — he pleaded guilty to having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend when he was 17 — Fitzpatrick hoped to move into a home in Trevor. However, that home is less than 1,000 feet from a tiny park known as Jason’s Pond, and that runs afoul of Salem Lakes’ sex offender residency rules. So he appealed to the Village Board for an exemption. Several relatives and residents spoke on his behalf. Fitzpatrick told the board he earned…
Read MoreOH: Ohio House bill offers 2nd chance to teenagers caught sexting
[wcpo.com – 7/14/18] CINCINNATI — The punishment for teenagers caught sharing sexually explicit images could be lessened in Ohio. A House bill would allow first-time offenders who are 18 or younger a chance to have their charges dismissed upon completion of a program that explains the impact of sexting. Through the program, teens would review relevant laws, examine how sharing explicit material affects personal relationships and learn about the longevity of content posted online. Such diversion programs already are in use in some counties, but the proposed legislation would require…
Read MoreConference Call Audio for July 2018 Monthly Meeting uploaded
Please join me and ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, a criminal defense attorney, for our “monthly” meeting to be held telephonically. The conference call will be on Saturday, July 14 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. Topics of conversation will include information about the domestic and overseas travel, the Tiered Registry, residency restrictions and other current topics as well as pending legal action throughout the nation. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up! Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 Listen to…
Read MoreCA: Maywood City Council Begins Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The Maywood City Council began a two-step process aimed at repealing its residency restrictions during a regularly scheduled meeting on July 11. The second step is expected to take place during the Council’s next meeting on July 25. As currently drafted, the Maywood residency restrictions prohibit individuals convicted of a sex offense from living in virtually all of the city. A lawsuit challenging the restrictions was filed in Norwalk Superior Court on March 15. The City of Maywood originally refused to repeal the ordinance, however, the city’s position changed after…
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