[newsok.com 4/10/18] The Oklahoman Editorial Board by The Oklahoman Editorial Board Published: April 10, 2018 LAST year, a federal court judge ruled that Colorado’s sex offender registry was unconstitutional because, basically, citizens might use it. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter wants that decision overturned, and is using arguments grounded in legal and practical reality. Hunter, joined by officials from several states, has filed an amicus brief with the 10th U.S. Court of Appeals urging reversal of the decision handed down by District Court Judge Richard Matsch, who said the Colorado…
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CA: Neighbors concerned after registered sex offender moves feet away from elementary school
[10news.com] Neighbors concerned after registered sex offender moves feet away from elementary school SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Neighbors are concerned after they say a registered sex offender moved into their Rancho Bernardo community, just feet away from an elementary school playground. ____________, 32, was convicted of possession of child pornography and lewd and lascivious acts with a child in Tennessee in 2013. Neighbors say they became concerned after ____ moved into a townhouse in their neighborhood weeks ago. According to records on the Megan’s Law website, ____ lives on the…
Read MoreOR: Retired social worker writes about pioneering work with sex offenders
[statesmanjournal.com] Conversations at the dinner table were different growing up in the Callahan home. When your mother is best known for her work with sex offenders, that’s to be expected. “Some of my earliest memories were of dropping her off at a prison and picking her up,” said Barbara Baer, the oldest of Marilyn Callahan’s three grown children. “I didn’t know anything different. That was her profession, just like other families had parents who were attorneys and doctors.” Callahan is a retired licensed clinical social worker, renowned locally as a…
Read MoreWI: ‘I paid my debt:’ Sex offender allowed to visit sick son at CHW; but fight for visitation isn’t over
[fox6now.com] MILWAUKEE — A registered sex offender will be allowed to see his son at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, but the fight for visitation isn’t over yet. Suffering in pain and severely ill, Kahlil Yates, 9, wants nothing more than to be comforted. “He can’t understand why I can’t be there all the time,” said Stuart Yates. Stuart Yates, 49, was forced to leave his sick son’s bedside on March 6 after he was kicked out of Children’s Hospital — told he had to leave because he was…
Read MoreFL: Florida registry gets a new look
[floridaactioncommittee.org] The FDLE sex offender database has gotten a new look. The homepage of its sex offender search has a nautical feel, with a lighthouse logo and a ship-wheel icon. Aside from the design change, the ability to search by status (absconded, deceased, deported, etc.) appears to be gone from the new search query, though the results still appear. Another notable change is that vehicle and vessel information is no longer on a separate page, but appears below the registrant listing. The vehicle information, which is supplied by the DMV…
Read MorePA: Philadephia’s New DA Wants Prosecutors To Talk Cost Of Incarceration While In Court
[npr.org] Every day, judges around the country are deciding the fate of criminal defendants by trying to strike the right balance between public safety and fairness. In Philadelphia, the new progressive district attorney has launched an experiment. He’s asking his prosecutors to raise another factor with judges: the cost of incarceration. The move has ignited a debate about whether the pricetag of punishment belongs in courtrooms. Do a little math: “Fiscal responsibility is a justice issue, and it is an urgent justice issue,” Larry Krasner said at a press conference…
Read MoreWI: Wisconsin Act 174: Underage Sexual Activity better than Sexual Assault of Child but still a crime
[narsol.org] By The Registry Trap . . . Yesterday, Governor Scott Walker signed 2017 Assembly Bill 414 (now 2017 Wisconsin Act 174), creating the brand new crime of Underage Sexual Activity. In a saner world, a statute specifically criminalizing consensual sex between teenagers wouldn’t be good news, but that’s not the world we live in. As you already know if you’ve read Robert’s story, his conviction for that very same act carries a much uglier name: 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. It’s also a registry offense. In addition,…
Read MoreWA: New legislation makes our community safer [stop unconditional SVP release]
[tacomaweekly.com] Flanked by Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, State Representative Dick Muri, and others, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 2271 into law on March 27. The new law will help prevent the release of sexually violent predators (SVP) into our community. The bill was prompted by a recent Washington State Supreme Court case, in regards to the detention of John Marcum, which potentially entitled SVPs to a new unconditional release trial each time an annual review found a less restrictive placement or conditional release was appropriate even if the…
Read MoreAustralia: Overhaul of suppression order laws could see sex offenders identified
[theage.com.au] The identity of some of the most dangerous sex offenders could be revealed under reforms to the state’s suppression order laws being considered by the Victorian government. An independent review of Victoria’s Open Courts Act has recommended that courts should be restricted from making suppression orders concealing the identity or whereabouts of sex offenders living in the community under supervision. Safety of the individuals would still need to be considered, it said. The Victorian government has given its support “in full or in principle” to 17 of the 18…
Read MoreFL: Jackson County Proposes 2500 feet Sex Offender Residency Restriction
[floridaactioncommittee.org] Jackson County, Florida is considering enacting a Sex Offender Residency Restriction (SORR). According to this article, the county currently has a 1000 foot ordinance, which they are looking to increase to 2500 feet. “Our whole goal is not to punish anyone, it’s just to make our community safer,” Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Quinton Hollis said. In fact, studies have shown that residency restrictions DO NOT make the communities safer and may even increase recidivism by destabilizing former offenders. SORRs were just declared to be punitive in the City…
Read MoreAL: Juvenile sex offender notification bill passes
[montgomeryadvertiser.com] A bill changing the way schools deal with juvenile sex offenders in the classroom is headed to the governor’s desk. State Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, sponsored the legislation. The Senate on Tuesday afternoon concurred with amendments added in the House version, clearing the way for the bill to get the governor’s signature making it law. Chambliss’ bill expands the pool of people notified of low risk juvenile sex offenders to include the superintendent of education and each individual board of education member. It also addresses enrollment of convicted juvenile…
Read MoreNY: Congress passes bill giving NY youth groups access to FBI sex offender database
[syracuse.com] WASHINGTON — Sex offenders who move to New York state will no longer be able to exploit an FBI loophole when they apply for jobs at summer camps and other organizations that work with children, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. A bill passed by Congress authorizes the FBI to make its full database available for employer background checks, regardless of where an individual had to register as a sex offender. Schumer, D-N.Y., had tried for almost eight years to pass legislation that allows the FBI to release all…
Read MoreAL: Colbert County Sheriff issues apology following “miscommunication” in sex offender notification
[whnt.com] Tuscumbia, Ala. – Colbert County’s top law enforcement officer issued an apology first thing Monday morning. A lack of communication with other law enforcement agencies in the county led to a delay in residents being notified of a sex offender registration. There are 122 registered sex offenders in Colbert County. It’s part of Sheriff Frank Williamson’s job to keep up with them. Recently, however, one registration slipped through the cracks. “I want to apologize for my part in that miscommunication,” stated Williamson. Read more
Read MoreCT: Mother of victims wants schools to know if students are sex offenders
[theday.com] A New Fairfield mother who said her daughters were sexually assaulted by a family friend is pushing for a law that would require the state to notify a school superintendent when a juvenile who lives in the district and will enroll in school there is a convicted sexual offender. “We have all seen the horrible and tragic events that are unfolding too often in school settings, when children with mental health issues are not given the help and attention they need,” said the woman, whose name is being withheld…
Read MoreFL: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Sex Offender Residency Restriction Declared Unconstitutional
[floridaactioncommittee.org] The Ft Lauderdale Sex Offender Residency Restriction was declared unconstitutional. Wait… what?!?! A Florida SORR was declared unconstitutional? YES! The municipal ordinance in the City of Ft. Lauderdale that prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 1400 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds, school bus stops, etc. was found to violate the Ex Post Facto Clause of the Constitution! Hold on… what? Are you serious? YES! We’ve known for a while (since February 16th) but have been waiting to make the official announcement until we had an order back from…
Read MoreCongress Approves FY18 Funding Levels for Criminal Justice Programs
[csgjusticecenter.org] U.S. CapitolLast week, the U.S. Congress approved the $1.3 trillion Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill that would set government funding through Sep. 30, 2018. The bill provides $30.3 billion for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and includes $2.9 billion for various state and local law enforcement assistance grant programs. The bill increases funding for the Second Chance Act, from $68 million in FY17 to $85 million in FY18. The Second Chance Act, which was originally passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by President George W. Bush…
Read MoreNC: Abusing his authority, NC Sheriff goes “above and beyond” what the law allows
[narsol.org] By Robin Vander Wall . . . In June, 2017, a registered sex offender in Halifax County was visited by the sheriff’s office for his biannual verification check. Eight days later, and after successful verification of his address, the same registered sex offender was charged with kidnapping and attempting to rape a 1-year-old child. So much for the usefulness of verification checks, right? Predictably enough, Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison doesn’t see it that way. In a July interview with CBS17, and in response to the incident in Halifax…
Read MoreSupreme Court rule: (Other) justices shouldn’t conduct independent research
[washingtonpost.com] During last week’s Supreme Court arguments about crisis pregnancy centers, Justice Sonia Sotomayor introduced a long line of questions by saying she had recently visited the website of one of the clinics that is a party to the suit. Eventually, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy broke in to ask his own question, but not before tossing a grenade Sotomayor’s way. “Well, in this case I didn’t go beyond the record to look on the Internet because I don’t think we should do that, but I do have a hypothetical,” Kennedy…
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