[foglightstrategies.org] PREFACE Nick Dubin, PsyD, is a consultant who helps with Foglight Strategies’ mitigation efforts. Nick has a Doctorate in Psychology and Masters in Special Education. He also has an Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is characterized in part by a difficulty in intuiting why certain courses of behavior are inappropriate. Nick, like many others before and after his case, had his life shattered when he was federally charged with the possession of child pornography. Nick was evaluated to be a low re-offense risk. Despite this, federal prosecutors went forward with…
Read MoreAuthor: R H
An Open Letter to My Colleagues in Law Enforcement: Ending the Abusive Policy of Putting Children on Sex Offender Registries
[linkedin.com] by Robert Shilling Retired – Former Head of Crimes against Children at INTERPOL Dear Colleagues, Just like you, helping victims has been a passion for me. We do our job to prevent victimization, but we also do our job to “solve problems.” Too often we see solutions that are nothing more than “whack-a-mole” in their design and outcomes, chasing the problem from one area to another. This does not solve the problem. It exacerbates it. But in too many states, we are repeating this kind of negative cycle with the…
Read MoreCA: Judge Issues Final Ruling in Prop. 57 Case
[ACSOL] Emergency regulations, intended to implement Proposition 57 and issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), must be set aside, according to a final ruling released today by a Sacramento Superior Court judge. The ruling specifically stated that “CDCR cannot substitute its judgment for what it wishes the drafters of Proposition 57 had said. Nor may CDCR’s…regulations override a clear directive in the Constitution. “Due to this ruling, CDCR’s emergency regulations issued in March 2017 cannot be enforced and new regulations must be issued. The new regulation…
Read MoreTherapists’ Perceptions of Their Encounter With Sex Offenders [paper]
[researchgate.net] Haneen Elias and Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia February 2016 Abstract Despite the increasing interest in therapists’ responses to their encounter with sex offenders, there is a lack of research on their subjective perceptions of this encounter and on their experience working with this client population. The study presented in this article is part of a larger qualitative research project conducted among 19 social workers (12 were women and 7 were men; their ages ranged from 30 to 66 years; 15 of them were Jewish and 4 were Arab). In-depth semi-structured…
Read MoreCA: NARSOL opposes CA Dep’t of Corrections’ blanket exclusion of sex offenders
[narsol.org] NARSOL is a national advocacy organization that defends and protects the interests of citizens convicted of a sex offense. We are acutely aware that this is a very serious subject and in no way condone sexual abuse. But we are also aware that culture, politics and policy over-react when creating proportional sanctions for these offenses. A large portion of our membership is comprised of family members of those convicted of a sex offense. They have seen first-hand the brutal and unfair treatment of their loved ones. It is clear…
Read MoreSD: Fixing South Dakota’s offender registries
[rstreet.org] My name is Eli Lehrer and I’m here to testify on H.B. 1244. I am president of the R Street Institute, a conservative think tank headquartered in Washington. I also serve as adviser to the Criminal Justice Task Force of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). My comments on this bill represent only my personal views and are not necessarily those of ALEC or of R Street. I have worked in association with the justice system for almost two decades and have written widely on corrections and policing issues…
Read MoreND: N. D. Supreme Court destroys some electronics, returns others to family
[narsol.org] By Andrea Johnson . . . The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled [Feb. 22] that the state can destroy convicted sex offender______’s laptop and portable hard drive, but must return his X-Box and PlayStation to his family. ______, 38, of Minot, is serving 10 years in prison for child porn possession. He had appealed North Central District Court Judge Doug Mattson’s decision ordering his electronics be destroyed. He argued that the old Xbox and PlayStation 2 were not used in his crimes and are not forfeitable property. The Supreme…
Read MoreFL: Urgent call to action – Stop Senate Bill 1226 and House Bill 1301
[UPDATED 3/10/18] H1301/SB1226 Passes by Florida Action Committee Sadly, but not surprisingly, the Florida Legislature passed another stupid, punitive and unnecessary sex offender bill that will only enrich those in private prisons, the GPS vendors and the Books. Read more [floridaactioncommittee.org] THE TIME IS NOW! ITS OUR LAST SHOT AT TRYING TO STOP THIS! WE NEED 100’s of calls to each of these legislators! There are 120 Representatives in the House and 40 Senators in the Senate!! WE MUST CALL THEM ALL! GET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO CALL…
Read MoreKS: Kansas bill would reveal names of juvenile sex offenders
[kake.com] TOPEKA, Kan. (KAKE) – The family of a Newton mother and daughter who were killed last year is pushing for a new law that would reveal the names of child sex offenders. Keith Hawkins was sentenced this month to life without the possibility of parole for the deaths of 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and 4-year-old Zaylynn Paz. In a letter to Runyon’s family, Hawkins said he harmed the child first. When Hawkins was 12 years old, he was convicted of indecent liberties with a 5-year-old girl. But because he was…
Read MoreTN: Suspect in sex offender slaying turns himself in, daughter safe
[theleafchronicle.com] A man who was shot to death in his home on Paradise Hill Road Tuesday night was a registered sex offender, and a friend of his daughter’s was arrested Wednesday and charged with his slaying. At about 10:23 p.m., Tuesday officers were called to 1232 Paradise Hill Road for a shooting in progress, according to a news release from Clarksville Police spokesman Jim Knoll. Officers found a 40-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Tennova Health Care, where he was pronounced dead. Read more
Read MoreMI: Bohacek-authored sex offender bill passes house
[thenewsdispatch.com] INDIANAPOLIS — Senate Bill 12, authored by State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, recently passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 91-0. SB 12 would make it unlawful for a sex offender to intentionally establish residence within one mile of their victim. According to a press release from Bohacek’s office, this law currently only applies to sex offenders whose victims are minors. SB 12 would extend the protection to all victims regardless of age. Read more
Read MorePA: Pennsylvania community leaders deserve appreciation for giving second chances
[floridaactioncommittee.org] Recently, the Spartansburg, Pennsylvania community made national headlines by re-electing their fire chief, who happened to be a registered sex offender. Sadly, the newly re-elected chief resigned over the publicity, but many have stood behind him even in the wake of the negative publicity. A local news station, WJAC, featured another Pennsylvania community that had a similar situation, but chose to handle it in a more humane, compassionate way, that will undoubtedly benefit their entire community. Chief Paul Demi of the Spangler Fire Company said of one of their…
Read MoreAL: Bill would change school reporting, enrollment for juvenile sex offenders
[decaturdaily.com] MONTGOMERY — Juvenile sex offenders who are considered high or moderate risks for repeating such crimes would not be allowed to attend traditional public schools under proposed legislation in the Statehouse. Senate Bill 26 also would require the State Board of Education to develop by next year a policy for the supervision and monitoring of juvenile sex offender students considered by courts to be low risk for offending again. “Essentially, we’re trying to give those who are responsible for the care of children all the information that they need,”…
Read MoreMI: Legislation approved to prevent sex offenders to go to same school as their victims
[fox47news.com] The House Law and Justice Committee approved legislation on Tuesday that better protects underage students and victims of sexual-based crimes. The legislation was introduced by Representative Lana Theis, State Rep. from Brighton. The three-bill package was prompted by a recent Livingston County case where a 16-year-old was convicted of criminal sexual conduct against multiple victims as young as 12. Two of the underage victims joined Theis for testimony before the committee on Feb. 20. “These bills are needed to ensure we better protect victims of criminal sexual conduct. No…
Read MoreHouse passes anti-online sex trafficking bill, allows targeting of websites like Backpage.com
[UPDATED links 2/28/18] [floridaactioncommittee.org and The Washington Post] The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that gives prosecutors, state attorneys general and sex trafficking victims a clearer route to pursue legal action against websites hosting advertisements for prostitutes, which advocates have long argued are a hive for trafficking children. The bill now goes to the Senate, which already has passed a similar version out of committee. If approved, it would go to the White House, where supporters are hopeful that President Trump will sign it. His daughter, Ivanka Trump,…
Read MoreCA: Keep violent sex offenders locked up (opinion by Jim Cooper, CA Assembly)
[sacbee.com] Two years ago, California voters were promised that violent sex offenders wouldn’t be released from prison early if they passed Proposition 57, the sweeping ballot initiative allowing the early release of inmates convicted of non-serious and non-violent crimes. But this month, a Superior Court judge tentatively ruled that sex offenders must be considered for early release under Prop. 57. If the ruling is made final, more than half of the 20,000 inmates now serving time for violent sex offenses could be back on the street. That was the hidden…
Read MoreNew lawsuit may provide access to social media
[floridaactioncommittee.org] Although the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that States cannot restrict a registered sex offender’s access to social media (Packingham v. North Carolina, 582 U.S. ___ (2017)), nothing has stopped social media companies, such as Facebook or Twitter, from restricting sex offenders from their platforms. A lawsuit filed last week may change that! Jared Taylor is the founder of the Virginia-based New Century Foundation – a white supremacist organization that was banned from Twitter because of new rules aimed at reducing abusive content. Although we don’t agree…
Read MorePA: Names being removed from sex offender registry
[theintell.com] Pennsylvania State Police have started the process for removing as many as 5,000 ex-offenders from the Megan’s Law registry under a state supreme court mandate and a new law. Shaquana Green appeared at a Pennsylvania State Police barracks last month to update her information as a registered sex offender. It’s an annual chore she has done for the last five years, having landed on the Megan’s Law list after disappearing with her daughter for three hours in violation of a custody order. As of this month, though, the name…
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