Source: wfin.com 4/12/23 Texas authorities arrested eleven suspects who allegedly tried to have sex with minors last week. Fort Worth Police Department announced the sting operation and released mugshots on Friday. With cooperation of other agencies, they were able to make the arrests within three days. … “This release is intended to inform the public of the number of individuals arrested for attempting to solicit underage children online and the consequences that go with these actions,” the Fort Worth Police Department said. Read the full article
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AZ: Arizona Opinion: Sexual Offense Laws
Source: tucson.com 6/11/23 The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Meet Ryan, who, as a young man, had a caring and consensual relationship with his high school sweetheart. After months of dating, just before her 15th birthday and shortly after his 18th, their relationship became sexual. These young people were in love, hoping to build a life together, but because of their slight age difference, Ryan will spend the rest of his life on Arizona’s sexual offense registry and will carry the label of “child sexual predator”…
Read MoreFL: Weaponization of Florida’s Legal System Being Used Against People on the Sex Offender Registry
Source: tampabay.com 6/9/23 Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed that if he wins the presidency he will “excise political bias and end weaponization” of the U.S. Department of Justice “once and for all.” “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday night in response to news that former President Donald Trump has been federally indicted on charges related to mishandling classified documents. The tone was consistent with DeSantis’ portrayal of himself as fighting against liberal takeovers of powerful institutions.…
Read MoreFL: Republican prosecutor declined to pursue cases similar to those brought by DeSantis’ election police
Source: orlandosentinel.com 6/5/23 A Republican state attorney last May declined to prosecute six voter fraud cases that involved circumstances strikingly similar to the cases later brought against 20 ex-felons by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ election police unit and statewide prosecutors. The office of State Attorney Bill Gladson, whose district includes The Villages and five Republican counties, confirmed six convicted sex offenders in Lake County had voted in the 2020 general election, according to a determination letter obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Read the full article
Read MoreWI: Defense win! Multiple convictions in same case on same date don’t require lifetime sex offender registration
Source: wisconsinappeals.net 5/30/23 State v. Corey T. Rector, 2023 WI 41, 5/23/23 affirming a case certified by the court of appeals, 2020AP1213; case activity (including briefs) Rector pleaded to five counts of possessing child pornography in a single case. He’d never been convicted of anything before. The sentencing judge ordered that he be placed on the sex offender registry until 15 years after the end of his sentence or supervision. The Department of Corrections then wrote the judge to say that, in its view, any two or more convictions of…
Read MoreIA: Higher reimbursement rates now available for sex offender nursing home units
Source: radioiowa.com 6/6/34 A new law requires the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a formula to raise the Medicaid reimbursement rate for Iowa nursing homes that accept registered sex offenders. The higher reimbursement would only be available to nursing homes that establish a separate unit for sex offenders. “This is a growing need in our state,” Representative Joel Fry, a Republican from Osceola, said during House debate of the plan. “I’ve been working on this for a number of years, so we will hopefully…
Read MoreAZ: Maricopa Police Department to re-mail residents notifications of 52 sex offenders
Source: inmaricopa.com 6/5/23 Maricopa Police Department announced residents may find sex offender notifications in their mailbox later this month. In a press release issued Friday, MPD said it will re-release these notifications through June following an internal audit of offender registration notifications. … State law requires these notices be sent to residents living within 700 feet of an offender within 48 hours of their registration or change of address. However, MPD said it will send notifications again following the audit. The department stressed the people listed in the notifications are…
Read MoreFederal Judge Makes History in Holding That Border Searches of Cell Phones Require a Warrant
Source: eff.org 5/30/23 With United States v. Smith (S.D.N.Y. May 11, 2023), a district court judge in New York made history by being the first court to rule that a warrant is required for a cell phone search at the border, “absent exigent circumstances” (although other district courts have wanted to do so). EFF is thrilled about this decision, given that we have been advocating for a warrant for border searches of electronic devices in the courts and Congress for nearly a decade. If the case is appealed to the…
Read MoreFederal judge says inmate attacked by other prisoners cannot sue corrections officers
Source: coloradopolitics.com 5/31/23 Emanuel Pittman failed to show corrections officials knew there was not just a risk of an attack, but a ‘substantial’ risk An incarcerated man, allegedly attacked by other prisoners because of his status as a sex offender, cannot sue corrections officials for failing to protect him, a federal judge ruled last month. Even though Emanuel Pittman reportedly told multiple prison officials that other inmates were threatening his life, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix explained it was not enough that the defendants knew there was “merely” a…
Read MoreMI: Michigan sex offenders lose appeal to hold state officials liable for registry rules
Source: courthousenews.com 5/30/23 The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday ruled a class of registered sex offenders failed to establish supervisory liability against Michigan state officials for enforcement of unconstitutional registry laws. The group of anonymous plaintiffs went after current Governor Gretchen Whitmer and former Governor Rick Snyder, as well as Colonel Joseph Gaspar and Kriste Etue of the Michigan State Police, in their individual capacities and claimed they were liable for enforcement of the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act by lower-level law enforcement agencies. Two sets of amendments to SORA, passed…
Read MoreSentencing child sex abusers: When the victim becomes the offender
Source: phys.org 5/30/23 Child sex abuse is one of the most heinous criminal offenses, so when a victim becomes an offender, it’s evidence of a system failure. When a ‘victim-offender’ is sentenced in court, a University of South Australia researcher is recommending judges acknowledge the offender’s early trauma, in conjunction with the consequences for the crime, in their sentencing comments. The call for this to become best practice, follows new research that demonstrates multiple instances where judges implicitly or explicitly assumed knowledge that a victim-offender ‘should have known better.” UniSA…
Read MoreUT: Convicted sex offender says change is possible, but more treatments needed
Source: ksl.com 5/30/23 SALT LAKE CITY — Isaac knows that he served time in the Utah State Prison for a reason. He understands the public expects there to be consequences for his actions. But what Isaac would like the public, including policymakers, to also recognize is that there are many inmates who want to turn their lives around. However, unless more resources and support are provided — particularly for mental health counseling — some inmates will fall right back into their old habits once they are released. “Ultimately, (prison) is…
Read MoreCA: Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Underage Nude Scene in 1968 Film ‘Romeo and Juliet’
Source: news.yahoo.com/Rolling Stone 5/26/23 Los Angeles County judge Alison Mackenzie confirmed she would grant Paramount Pictures’ motion to throw out a lawsuit over a nude scene in the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, citing the First Amendment. Earlier this year, lead actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sued Paramount for sexual exploitation and child abuse over the use of nude footage in the movie, which was captured when they were 15 and 16, respectively. In the suit, the actors claimed that their consent was violated by the film’s director Franco Zeffirelli, who…
Read MoreAL: What to do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood
Source: cbs42.com 5/10/23 What do you do if a registered sex offender moves into your neighborhood? That was a question posed to CBS42 by neighbors in Shelby County after they received a flyer in the mail alerting them that a sex offender had recently moved in. Watch the video
Read MoreCO: Federal judge allows 2 men to sue over lack of access to sex offender treatment
Source: coloradopolitics.com 5/25/23 Incarceration without access to treatment ‘alters the conditions of an inmate’s confinement in a way that can only set back his rehabilitation,’ wrote Judge Nina Wang Two men incarcerated for sex offenses, who have been moved around to various facilities where they were unable to participate in legally required treatment, may sue Colorado corrections officials for violating their constitutional rights, a federal judge ruled this week. Gino ___ and Brian ___ filed suit last year, alleging the only thing preventing them from being paroled is their failure…
Read MoreMI: Michigan sex offenders seek individual liability for enforcement of vacated rules
5/30/23 UPDATE: MI: Michigan sex offenders lose appeal to hold state officials liable for registry rules Source: courthousenews.com 5/3/23 A lower court found state officials immune over their continued enforcement of unconstitutional sex offender registration requirements. CINCINNATI (CN) — A class of anonymous sex offenders urged the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse a judgment that granted several state officials immunity. The class had brought a federal lawsuit in 2021 over a series of amendments to Michigan’s Sex Offenders Registration Act, otherwise known as SORA. Importantly, the 2006 and…
Read MoreOR, WA: Housing restrictions are leaving more PNW sex offenders homeless
Source: crosscut.com 5/25/23 In his 15 years housing people coming out of prison, Mike Cross has had to turn many people away. Cross, director of Oregon City-based nonprofit Free on the Outside, which provides housing and recovery for formerly incarcerated individuals, knows what strings to pull to get people housed. While working in Hillsboro west of Portland, he successfully sheltered people of all criminal backgrounds. But those he turns away often have one thing in common: Their names are on Oregon’s Sex Offender Registry. “I got housing for guys that…
Read MoreCA: Former LAPD officer charged with sexually assaulting 4 children dies in custody
Source: ktla.com 5/22/23 A former officer with the Los Angeles Police Department who was charged with eight counts of lewd acts with a child after allegedly sexually assaulting four boys has died in custody, authorities announced Monday. Paul ___, who had been taken into custody less than two weeks ago, was transported to an L.A. County medical center on May 20 for a pre-existing medical condition. The 46-year-old died while receiving treatment, officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told KTLA. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office…
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