NY: Sex Offenders Sue City, State

____ ____ needed to satisfy his crack habit. So he grabbed a sawed-off shotgun and robbed two women in the elevators of Brooklyn apartment buildings. During one of the 1985 holdups, he reached into a woman’s bra looking for cash, he said. Last June, Mr. Griffin was paroled after serving nearly 30 years in prison for robbery, grand larceny and sexual abuse. He wanted to move back home, to New York City. “I have brothers and sisters that have apartments, and nieces and nephews in Brownsville,” said Mr. Griffin, now 52…

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AZ: Sex offenders might be released by appeals court ruling

Over 500 accused sex offenders could be released due to a ruling by the Arizona Appeals Court. This is a move that has shaken up the state’s prosecutor’s offices. The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled a state law passed in 2002 which automatically denies bail for accused sex offenders while the await trial is illegal. “Right now, we have a pending public safety disaster. There is a potential.. over 500 sex offenders who could be released,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Full Article

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NV: Amended lawsuit challenges Nevada law governing registration of sex offenders (UPDATED)

CARSON CITY — An amended lawsuit has been filed challenging a 2007 Nevada law governing registration and community notification of sex offenders and seeking to block its implementation next month. The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in Clark County District Court on behalf of unnamed plaintiffs identified as Does 1-17, argues Assembly Bill 579 is vague and overbroad in its application, and that the state is applying the law unequally and has no procedures for people to challenge their inclusion on the registry. Full Article Update 6/28 LAST-MINUTE HEARING CALLED TO…

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AR: School Checking Home School Residents Against Sex Offender List

For the first time any home in the Booneville School District where children are being home schooled is undergoing a check to verify no sex offenders live in the home. Though the Arkansas civil code 6-15-508, homeschooling is prohibited in a home where a sex offender lives. As a result Booneville Schools student resource officer Norman Wilder is using the legally required forms turned in at the administration building to check to see if any of the residents are registered sex offenders. Full Article

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City of Arcadia Repeals Residency Restrictions

The Arcadia City Council unanimously voted on June 21 to repeal its residency restrictions. This action was the second and final step needed to permanently rid the city of restrictions that prohibited registered citizens from living within 2,000 feet of “residential exclusion zones”, which includes schools, parks, swimming pools and hotels. The repeal will take effect on July 31. “This is a significant victory for registered citizens and their loved ones,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “No longer will families in Arcadia be torn apart.” Residency restrictions in the…

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CT: Connecticut Is Rethinking Its Policies Toward Jobs and Housing for Sex Offenders

Before she started work at New Haven’s Columbus House as senior manager of housing services, Cathleen Meaden’s job was housing people whose crimes were seemingly unforgivable. Her charges were people on the state’s sex offender registry, and when she’d talk to people about her job, the reaction was often not-very-hidden disgust that she worked in close proximity with people who’d committed such heinous crimes. Full Article

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Public Safety Committee Approves Internet Identifier Bill (SB 448)

The Assembly Public Safety Committee today approved Senate Bill 448, which would require some registered citizens to reveal their internet identifiers to local law enforcement. Included within the bill are registered citizens convicted of possessing child pornography on January 1, 2017, or later. The Committee passed the bill unanimously despite testimony in opposition to the bill from six representatives of California RSOL and the Public Defenders Association. The ACLU, which previously opposed the bill, stated during the hearing that they no longer opposed the bill, but did not give a…

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Hundreds of child molesters arrested: ‘Operation Broken Heart’

We don’t have all the details yet, but one thing was certain Saturday: Hundreds of child molesters are off Southland streets after a massive federal and local law enforcement crackdown. “Operation Broken Heart III” nabbed 238 suspected child predators during a two-month drive, according to officials. Participating law enforcement agencies will provide the full story to the public Monday. Full Article

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Janice’s Journal: A Man Committed Suicide

After being arrested for possession of child pornography, a man committed suicide yesterday.  We can only speculate why he would commit such a desperate act. Was it because he was also charged with “exchanging sexually explicit messages with a teen in California”?  Was it because he was a member of law enforcement, a deputy sheriff in Florida? It is likely that we will never know his reason why. What we do know, however, is that many others have chosen the same path.  That is, many men have committed suicide because…

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