TWO YOUNG attorneys have decided to work feverishly to change the sex offender registry policies within the Caribbean region. Inspired by the heart-breaking stories of victims and by their experiences in court, Gina Maharaj and Jonathan Bhagan have partnered with Zandoli International Foundation in North Carolina, USA to lead the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC). Full Article
Read MoreAuthor: Admin
MN: Well-meaning family takes in sex offender, inciting fear and outrage
The debate in Birchwood Village shows a problem that state leaders still have not figured out how to address: How to integrate sex offenders into a community. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments October 2016
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of October 2016. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreFormer Inmate Hosts Video Podcast On America’s Criminal Justice System
Already an established independent filmmaker with five film credits under his belt, Matt Duhamel has now set his sights on a weekly video podcast about America’s broken criminal justice system. ‘Solitary Nation’, which is available in both video and audio format on Google Play Music and Stichter, is an interview style show on important subjects such as sex offenders in the community, mass incarceration, collateral effects on family members, children of incarcerated parents and post prison success stories. Duhamel states that the main reason he decided to produce and host…
Read MoreCalifornia Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Toolkit
Root & Rebound is proud to announce the launch of the first-ever California Employers’ Fair Chance Hiring Toolkit, a critical resource for California employers, H.R. departments, corporate counsel, and business professionals on “Fair Chance” hiring! Full Article
Read MoreOH: Local Democrat slams GOP challenger for claiming he’s a ‘pedophile’
David Sparks, the Clayton Democrat running against State Rep. Jeff Rezabek, R-Clayton, says the Ohio Republican Party is putting him in personal danger with a new mailed campaign ad that Sparks says implies he is a pedophile. “I’m really upset that I’m being painted as a pedophile. It’s over the top. I’m afraid for my safety now,” said Sparks. “You know what society does to people they think are into kids. Full Article
Read MorePA: A deal is a deal – Supreme Court blocks retroactive registration boosts for sex offenders
Sex offender registration requirements can’t be increased for people who reached deals to plead guilty to sex crimes before Pennsylvania’s latest registration law took effect, the state Supreme Court has decided. The high court reached that conclusion in an opinion Justice Max Baer issued this week on three consolidated cases involving York County sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreSurvey – International Travel after IML
If you have traveled to a foreign country after President Obama signed HR 515 / International Megan’s Law into law on February 8, 2016, please complete this survey to help gather details about the effects of this legislation. We will also share this data with the RTAG group for incorporation into their travel matrix. Thank you. Go to International Travel Survey
Read MoreJudge Dismisses Challenge to Special Sex Offender Passports
Last week a federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a constitutional challenge to the so-called International Megan’s Law (IML), which requires special passports for sex offenders and authorizes notification of foreign governments when they travel. The lawsuit, filed last February by seven unnamed sex offenders who worry that the IML will impair their freedom to travel, argued that the law, which was enacted in February, violates the First Amendment by compelling speech, imposes retroactive punishment, violates procedural and substantive due process, and denies the plaintiffs equal protection. Phyllis Hamilton, chief…
Read MoreGovernor signs bill requiring tighter background checks by Uber, Lyft
SACRAMENTO >> Uber and Lyft will have to start taking a deeper look into their drivers’ criminal histories under a new law signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Starting Jan. 1, ride-hailing startups in California must look at violent convictions throughout a prospective driver’s entire record, instead of examining only those that occurred within the past seven years — as the companies do now. The new law requires Uber, Lyft and others to reject any driver who has been convicted of a violent felony or a terrorism-related offense, or is…
Read MoreCalifornia Changes Its Rape Laws
California has eliminated its statute of limitations for rape and other sexual-assault charges—in a major change to its criminal code. The measure, proposed by State Senator Connie Leyva, a Democrat from Chino, eliminated the state’s 10-year window on prosecuting a broad set of sex-related crimes. Governor Jerry Brown signed the measure into law Wednesday alongside dozens of other bills. Full Article Related http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gloria-allred-responds-bill-cosby-inspired-california-law-933596
Read MoreJustice Department Announces Almost $18 Million In Awards To Support Sex Offender Registration, Assessment, Intervention
Today the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded almost $18 million to implement and enhance sex offender programming throughout the United States. “We have made tremendous strides over the last decade toward building a comprehensive sex offender registration and notification system,” said Director Luis C. deBaca, Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART Office). “The new awards take our efforts to the next stage, giving our state, local and tribal partners evidence-based tools and technologies that will enhance their capacity to manage sex…
Read MoreSex offenders will have to disclose email addresses, user names under new law
Sex offenders will soon have to report their email addresses, user names and other Internet identifiers to police under a bill Governor Jerry Brown signed Wednesday. The bill, authored by state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), will apply to people convicted on or after Jan. 1, 2017 of Internet-related sex crimes. Full Article
Read MoreCampaign uses Mostly False specter of Brock Turner case to oppose Prop 57
“Brock Turner’s early release will be a regular occurrence if Prop. 57 passes,” claims the headline of a news release on the Stop57.com campaign website. Later in the press release, the campaign expanded on this claim saying Prop 57 “would make reduced sentences and early release for persons convicted of the same sex crimes committed by Turner a permanent part of California law.” We decided to fact check the bold claim in the headline, and to keep in mind the context included later in the press release. Full Article
Read MoreSex Offenders International
It would have taken enormous courage to say no because it was a shockingly awful idea that played well to the simplistic and ignorant. President Obama lacked that courage. Perhaps he’s too busy with his lame duck session. Perhaps he feared that a courageous move would have affected the chances of the Democratic candidate for president. Perhaps his talk of reform was just talk, and he’s every bit as good with bad criminal law policy as everyone else. No matter. He signed it. It’s now law. After months of hype…
Read MoreFL: Preliminary Injunction granted (Internet Identifiers)
The Judge’s Order was just filed in our Motion seeking to enjoin the enforcement of the Internet Identifier changes and WE WON!!! Source (FAC)
Read MoreFL: I’m an ex-sex offender. Florida should use fact, not emotion, to write laws
No matter how a person may have corrected his or her actions and paid for failures, in the state of Florida, it’s “once a felon, always a felon.” What is such a policy as this supposed to solve? Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreOR: ‘Incorrigible’ public masturbator shouldn’t be locked up for life, Supreme Court says
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday for the first time reversed a life prison sentence for an unstoppable public masturbator — saying Oregon’s three-strikes-you’re-out law for repeat sex offenders isn’t always constitutional. Full Article
Read More