No one is above the law. Punish me for the crimes I committed, but obey the law yourselves in doing so. I was told they wanted to ask me some questions, just for basic information and said that I didn’t have to talk to them if I did not want to. I could go outside, but then I could not come back inside, because they couldn’t have me going out and coming in while they were working. This is their only pass at compliance with Miranda. From my own research,…
Read MoreAuthor: Admin
Living with 290: No More use of the term “Sex Offender”
I would like to ask and insist that we all stop, that is STOP using the words “sex offender.” It’s pejorative, demeaning, and keeps the idea that registrants keep “offending.” Word use is VERY IMPORTANT in our cause – and the words we choose to use make people either cringe or open their minds. Just like any other racial or otherwise de-humanizing words, and we know what those words are, continuing to use them keeps up the hate, the fear, and the political rhetoric. Let us choose BETTER words because…
Read MoreMN: Protracted Sex Offender Program suit comes to end
A long-running class-action lawsuit over the constitutionally of Minnesota’s civil commitment program for sex offenders effectively ended Thursday when a federal judge dismissed the remaining claims but stood by his earlier statements that some revelations during the six-week trial shock his conscience. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Educators, officials seek more housing limits on sex offenders
With classes across Long Island set to resume in the coming weeks, some Suffolk education leaders and elected officials are raising concerns that nearly two dozen of the highest-risk sex offenders are living close to schools. The officials are pushing for passage of legislation that would empower county officials to regulate where sex offenders live. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Sex offender’s rights not violated by registration extension
An Allen County sex offender’s constitutional rights were not violated when the period of time he was required to register as a sex offender was extended under a law amended after he was convicted of the sex crime, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. Full Article
Read MoreMO: New Law Expected To Reduce Missouri’s Sex Offender Registry Count
Missouri has about 19,300 people listed on its sex offender registry. That figure is expected to decline soon because of a law taking effect this month. St. Charles Republican State Rep. Kurt Bahr, who sponsored the provisions included in a Senate bill, tells Missourinet the changes will show three levels of sex offenders, instead of one, depending on the severity of the crime committed. “My goal wasn’t to recreate the wheel. It was simply to make sure that we are fully compliant with the federal law that is fully established…
Read MoreRegistration Influenced by Racial Bias, Ohio Study Claims
The classification of sex offenders based on the risks they pose to the community following their release from prison is subject to racial bias, according to a study published in the Criminal Justice Policy Review. Full Article
Read MoreOn America’s Civil Death Penalty: The Sexual Offense Registry
Oscar Wilde, writing from his cell in the Reading Gaol where he was imprisoned for homosexuality at the end of the nineteenth century, observed that “society reserves for itself the right to inflict appalling punishments on the individual, but it also has the supreme vice of shallowness, and fails to realise what it has done. When the man’s punishment is over, it leaves him to himself; that is to say, it abandons him at the very moment when its highest duty towards him begins.” In America, few aspects of law…
Read MoreWI: 10 things new data shows about sex offenses in central Wisconsin
Most victims of sex crimes in Wisconsin are teenagers. And most sex offenders are teens under 18, too. That’s according to recently released data from the Wisconsin Department of Justice on criminal sex offenses, broken down by county. The figures provide a detailed look into the frequency and nature of these crimes in our communities, as reported by local law enforcement. It’s important to remember, however, that not all sex crimes are reflected in these offenses — police crime statistics don’t represent all crime. Full Article
Read MoreAK: Court – Some sex offenders don’t have to register
In a decision that combined two cases pending before the court, justices said a strict reading of the 1994 Alaska Sex Offender Registration Act does not grant the Alaska Department of Public Safety leeway when determining whether an out-of-state sex crime matches an illegal act under state law. Until the decision, it was up to DPS to determine whether someone convicted of a sex crime outside Alaska would be required to enter their names into Alaska’s sex offender database if they moved here. Now, it’s not clear what standards will…
Read MoreNJ: Court Stops Retroactive Application of Lifetime Registration Law
An appellate court in New Jersey has ruled that the state government cannot retroactively apply a new law that requires life-time registration to registrants who had the possibility of relief from that registration at the time they pled guity. According to the Court, the restroactive application of the new law would be “manifestly unfair” to registrants. “Although the New Jersey court based its decision on the intent of the state legislature and not on the ex post facto clause of the U.S. Constitution, it reached the right decision when it…
Read MoreNC: Court Determines GPS Tracking Devices Unconstitutional
The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the state government’s requirement that registrants wear a GPS tracking device is an unreasonable search which violates the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Court’s decision is based upon the state government’s failure to prove that GPS tracking is “effective to serve the State’s interest in protecting the public against sex offenders.” “This is a courageous and wise decision,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Our hope is that courts throughout the nation will choose to follow it.” In its…
Read MoreMA: Court Recognizes Harm to Registrants, Rules in Their Favor
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Council, the state’s supreme court, has ruled in favor of registrants who were trying either to terminate their duty to register or to change the tier level on which they were situated. In doing so, the Court recognized that there are significant challenges facing registrants including stigma and legal restrictions that make it more difficult to find stable housing or employment. The Court also recognized that the effects of registration are “continuing, intrusive, and humiliating” and could lead to threats of physical harm. Further, the Court…
Read MoreCase Spotlight: International Travel Notification
In 2011, the Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification officially included in SORNA’s standards the obligation that jurisdictions require their registered sex offenders to provide 21 days’ notice of any international travel. However, before International Megan’s Law passed, it was difficult to federally prosecute sex offenders for failing to notify registration officials of intended international travel or relocation. For example, in Nichols v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 1113 (2016), the Supreme Court held that a sex offender could not be federally prosecuted for failure to register under…
Read MoreGeneral Comments August 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of August 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreFailure-to-Comply Arrests Reveal Flaws in Sex Offender Registries
In one Pennsylvania county, more than three times as many people on the registry were charged in 2016 with failing to follow registry requirements than were charged with a new sexual offense. Full Article
Read MorePA: Sex predator law challenged by Cosby to get court review
Pennsylvania’s highest court will consider whether the state can lawfully designate certain sex offenders as sexually violent predators, as it’s seeking to do in the case of Bill Cosby. Cosby’s attorneys also are challenging the constitutionality of the law. But the state Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to review the statute was made in response to an appeal by the state in a different case, not Cosby’s challenge. A lower court judge had found the process by which offenders are deemed predators unconstitutional. Full Article
Read MoreMD: State funding to go toward ensuring sex offender compliance
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office will soon receive over $24,000 from the state to help enforce Maryland sex offender registry and compliance laws. The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that it is giving about $700,000 to help local law enforcement agencies in their sex offender registration, compliance and enforcement efforts. Full Article
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