We previously reported on the case Martin v. Houston, CASE NO. 2:14-CV-905-WKW [WO] (M.D. Alabama 2016), in which the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama considered a pastor’s religious discrimination claims involving the state legislature’s enactment and enforcement of a sex offender law that prevented the pastor’s transitional housing program. The law in question (Alabama Code § 45-11-82) (the “Act”) prohibited individuals whose names are listed on the Alabama sex offender list from living together in the same home, and further provides that offenders cannot live on…
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MA: Judge Critical of Sex-Offender Registry Confirmed to Massachusetts High Court
Making a mild criticism of sex offender registries looked like it could have hurt a Massachusetts judge in her bid to serve on the state’s Supreme Judicial Court. But on Wednesday the Governor’s Council, an eight-member elected body responsible for approving judicial nominees, voted unanimously in favor of Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd’s nomination to serve as an associate justice. During a grilling by the Governor’s Council last week, Budd had said the state Sex Offender Registry is too expansive, ensnaring people who are far from a threat to anyone.…
Read MoreOR: Calling all Sex Offenders
Are you a sexual deviant? Are you a serial rapist? A child molester? A sexual predator? Well welcome to Oregon, the government has got your back. Full Article
Read MoreIsrael: There Are No Warnings when Sex Offenders Move From Israel but We Can Fix That
Sex offenders, like smugglers, take advantage of borders to avoid paying for their crimes. Sometimes they hop borders one step ahead of the cops. Israel, unfortunately is a popular destination for our miscreants. But there is also a reverse flow where Israel’s flotsam washes up on America’s shores. Local communities are often clueless. This is true, even if there was a conviction in Israel because Israel does not have a public sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreThe U.S. Is Still Dealing With the Murder of Adam Walsh
On July 27, 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh went to a Sears in a Hollywood, Fla., mall with his mother. As she browsed, he played video games a few aisles away. When she returned, he was gone. Full Article
Read MoreFL: FAC Members Sue Florida Over Internet Identifier Law
Moments ago, The Florida Justice Institute, Inc. and the law firm of Weitzner & Jonas, P.A. filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to strike down the State of Florida’s requirement that registered citizen’s “Internet Identifiers” be reported. Full Article
Read MoreAUS: Man Fined $150,000 For Facebook Post August 8, 2016
An Australian man has been ordered to pay $150,000 in damages for a defamatory Facebook post. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Appeals Court overturns conviction of man accused of soliciting a minor for sex over the internet
In a decision unique to the digital era, a man’s conviction for soliciting a minor for sex over the internet was overturned because he wasn’t allowed to claim the child lied about her age. Full Article
Read MoreRemarks by USMS Deputy Director David L. Harlow on the 10-year Commemoration of Adam Walsh Act SMART Symposium July 27, 2016
I am so pleased to be here and to witness again firsthand the incredible work being done by many different, yet all vital, agencies and organizations. Through the continuous hard work of the Department of Justice’s Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office and this Symposium, progress continues to be made to obstruct the violent and destructive behavior of sexual predators worldwide. … 1. Research shows that sexual crimes reported to police decline by an average of 13% within a jurisdiction after enacting a registry. … 2. Research shows registrants are more…
Read MoreMA: Nominee’s comments make her unfit for Supreme Judicial Court
BOSTON (State House News Service) – Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd’s “ideological statements” have “no place on the Supreme Judicial Court and render her unfit to serve as a justice,” according to Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, a Taunton Republican. … Under questioning by Governor’s Councilor Robert Jubinville, Budd also said she thinks there are too many crimes included on the Sex Offender Registry, including people who don’t need to be on the listing. “Not from my professional experience, but just hearing about people who wind up on the registry that don’t…
Read MoreEven violent crime victims say our prisons are making crime worse
A first-of-its-kind national survey finds that victims of crime say they want to see shorter prison sentences, less spending on prisons and a greater focus on the rehabilitation of criminals. Full Article
Read MoreInjustice: How the Sex Offender Registry Destroys LGBT Rights
It’s hard to believe that until recently, there were still laws on the books that made it illegal to be gay. Our legal system may no longer explicitly prohibit same-sex relationships, but we have found new ways to criminalize queer kids. We label them as sex offenders. Across the country, children are put on sex-offense registries for behaviors that range from “playing doctor” to streaking to having consensual sex with peers a few years apart in age. The statistics are scary: out of 800,000 people on registries, one out…
Read MoreFL: Sex Offenders’ Fight for Rehabilitation
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) – For sex offenders living in Leon County, getting reintegrated into society means connecting with the right people. The Insiders team looked at why finding housing and employment is much more difficult than most think. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL is now Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws
California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL) has a new name Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL). The new name is significant in two ways: 1. it no longer uses the name of the state in which it was incorporated and 2. it uses the term “sex offense” instead of “sex offender”. The CA RSOL board of directors determined that these changes are necessary because the organization has outgrown the borders of the State of California. For example, individuals in many states utilize the organization’s website on a regular…
Read MoreIL: Inmate may have to register as sex offender for flashing guard
For the first time, a Cook County Jail inmate may be required to register as a sex offender for repeatedly exposing himself to correctional officers, a sheriff’s official said Thursday. ____ ____, who is awaiting trial in a 2015 murder in Humboldt Park, was held in contempt of court Thursday by Judge Vincent Gaughan for allegedly exposing himself to a female guard on Wednesday, said Cara Smith, policy chief for Sheriff Tom Dart. … Smith said she hopes the possibility of ____ becoming a registered sex offender sends a message…
Read MoreNY: Low-level sex offender monitoring by state coming to an end
A bill to extend supervision of low-level sex offenders for another decade failed to gain approval in the Legislature in 2016. Full Article
Read MoreInternational Megan’s Law IML Protest – Registered Sex Offender’s Passports – Metamora Films
More than 40 people participated in a peaceful protest held outside the federal district court in Oakland, CA. Participants included registrants and supporters from California as well as several other states. View on YouTube
Read MoreIN: Life parole lacks active monitoring
Earlier this year, 33-year-old ____ ____. was charged with molesting four local children. He recently agreed to plead guilty and to disclose details about even more victims. The Mishawaka man admitted to similar incidents before, in two other Indiana counties. He left prison in 2010, and as a sex offender on parole, he was subject to strict rules including no alcohol, drugs or pornography. He couldn’t be around children or change addresses without permission. That period of parole supervision, which included frequent contact with a parole officer and the possibility…
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