(Reuters) – The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether the government can require a former federal sex offender to register a change of address even after he had served his sentence and been unconditionally freed from custody. In a brief order, the court agreed to hear the government’s appeal of a July 2012 decision overturning the conviction of Air Force veteran ____ ____ for violating the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006. Full Article Update April 18 Timeline Summary and Review – of Oral Argument April…
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[UPDATED] RIVERSIDE: RCC student president, a sex offender, seeks re-election
[Updated with reelection – May 2013] Riverside City College’s student body president, a registered sex offender on probation, is running for re-election. As ___ ____ prepares for the May 1 election, college district officials await a legal opinion from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office about whether the student government can or should change its bylaws to prevent candidates with criminal records from running in the future. Full Article Update from May 2013: Figueroa reelected RCC student body president Update: http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130418-riverside-rccs-student-president-says-sex-offender-past-irrelevant-to-re-election.ece
Read MoreAB 702 Passes First Test
The Public Safety Committee approved by a vote of 4 to 2 Assembly Bill 702 (AB 702), which would create a tiered registry for sex offenders in California. The vote took place after testimony from three representatives of California RSOL as well as oral support from organizations including but not limited to the ACLU and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Additional support came from registrants and family members who attended the hearing. “The committee’s passage of AB 702 is a vital first step leading to the creation of a tiered…
Read MoreCalifornia college student body president is sex offender
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – When flyers appeared at Riverside City College on April Fool’s Day saying the student body president was a sex offender, students were stunned by the cruel prank. They were even more stunned when they learned it was true. “I was flabbergasted,” said Amanda Waring, a theater arts major who works for the school newspaper. “At first people thought it was a joke.” ___ ___ ___, 40, who was elected to a one-year term as student body president in May, pleaded guilty in 2005 to kidnapping and lewd…
Read MoreNJ: Modernizing Megan’s Law: Kanka family seeks updates to exclude sexting between children, increase failure to register penalities
HAMILTON — After her 7-year-old daughter, Megan, was sexually assaulted and murdered by a neighbor, Maureen Kanka made it her mission that no other family would experience a similar tragedy. Working with local legislators, Kanka oversaw the creation of Megan’s Law in 1994. It required sex offenders to register with local law enforcement agencies so residents could be notified of a sex offender’s intention to move into their community. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Complex sex offender system isn’t working, say lawmakers and lawyers
When he was 22 years old in 2003, ____ ____ met a girl online. She was two months away from her 15th birthday, and he knew it. Both were living in Colorado Springs, and after two months of chatting online, they met and had sex. The girl told ____ that she had been sexually involved with men his age before, so he thought it was no big deal, he said. “I kind of got myself into feeling I was her friend,” ____ said. “If I said no, she was going…
Read MoreFullerton Parks Ordinance preempts State Law
On April 11 a panel of 3 Superior Court Judges found the Fullerton municipal ordinance prohibiting 290 registrants from entering and being near public parks to be preempting state law and thus unlawful. This decision is not published, so it only effects the Fullerton ordinance in this very case. It is is similar to the ruling regarding the County of Orange ordinance from last November. The Court of Appeal’s published opinion regarding the County Ordinance is expected late spring / early summer. Fullerton Parks Ordinance – Appellate Court Decision (April 2013) COURT…
Read MoreSeeking smarter rules for sex offenders
Janice Bellucci is a mother of two, the wife of a pastor and a former Girl Scout leader active in volunteer work. She lives in a gated community an hour’s drive north of Santa Barbara, with needlepoint pillows on the sofa and a vegetable garden in the backyard. She is also the public face of an organization advocating for the closest thing to an untouchable caste in our society: California’s 88,000 registered sex offenders. A former aerospace lawyer, Bellucci is the president of the California chapter of Reform Sex Offender…
Read MoreCalifornia to Host National RSOL Conference
Sign up now: Conference Registration – More Details: Conference Information – National RSOL The 5th Annual Reform Sex Offender Laws Conference, “Justice For All”, will be held in Los Angeles during Labor Day weekend. The conference will begin on Thursday, August 29, with an evening social gathering and continue through noon on Sunday, September 1. The conference will be held at the Westin Hotel near LAX airport. “This is an excellent opportunity for registrants and family members of registrants to learn about the laws and policies that affect their daily lives,” stated…
Read MoreFL: Sex predators in Bradford County will see signs at their homes
STARKE, Fla. — Convicted sexual predators in Bradford County are being outed with red reflective signs posted outside their homes. Sheriff Gordon Smith said it is all about making sure the community knows where they live. “If it prevents one more victim in my community, I’ve done my job as sheriff,” said Smith. Full Article
Read MoreGA: Commercial mug shot bill clears Georgia Senate
ATLANTA — They’ve become popular viewing on the Internet, but pretty soon those online arrest mug shot websites could get some handcuffs of their own from Georgia’s state legislature. Monday evening, the State Senate overwhelmingly passed HB150 by a vote of 53 to 0. Sponsored by Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta), the bill would force those mug shot websites to take down photos of those who’ve been cleared without charging them for it. Full Article
Read MoreReport outlines extreme abuses by California prison staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California parole agent was accused of soliciting one of his parolees to kill another. Numerous corrections department employees allegedly had sex with inmates, including juveniles. Full Article
Read MoreTiered Registry Bill Introduced
A tiered registry bill, which would end the state’s lifetime registry, has been introduced in the state Assembly. The Public Safety Committee will conduct a public hearing on the bill (AB 702) on April 16 in Sacramento. If passed, the bill would create three tiers in which some registrants would be removed from the registry after 10 or 20 years. The language in the bill is similar to AB 625 which was defeated in 2012. “Passage of a tiered registry bill is the highest priority of California RSOL and the…
Read MoreResidency Restrictions Removed in L.A. County
Residency restrictions for most registrants residing in Los Angeles County have been removed, according to a Superior Court decision. The decision, in the form of a blanket stay of enforcement, was issued by Judge Peter Espinoza on March 18. The stay of enforcement applies to all registrants currently on parole who are unable to find compliant housing. The decision allows the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) an opportunity to request from the court, on a case-by-case basis, an exemption “upon a showing of cause why a parolee is…
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting in San Diego on April 13
California RSOL will hold its monthly meeting for April in San Diego, on April 13. It will be held at 1155 Island Avenue, Room 229, in downtown San Diego, 92101 at 10 am. As always, topics will include issues of importance to registrants, including updates on current litigation. Only registrants, their friends and families and supporters are invited to attend. No media or government officials are allowed. There is no charge to attend the meeting.
Read MoreCertificate of Rehabilitation
The first comment below is a very detailed description of the Road to a Certificate of Rehabilitation. We believe it deserves its own post. Thanks to the poster for taking the time to share. Although this unfortunately is not an option for many (PC 290.5), hopefully it will help someone.
Read MoreGeneral Comments April 2013
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2013. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it ‘professional’.
Read MoreTests found major flaws in parolee GPS monitoring devices
A little more than a year ago, California quietly began conducting tests on the GPS monitoring devices that track the movements of thousands of sex offenders. The results were alarming. Corrections officials found the devices used in half the state were so inaccurate and unreliable that the public was “in imminent danger.” Full Article Also on Huffington Post
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