Source: reason.com 10-2024 Absolute immunity protects prosecutors even when they commit serious misconduct on the job. Consider the following hypothetical: You are jailed for two years as you await trial for murder. You are facing the death penalty. You have cancer, which had been in remission until you were incarcerated without proper treatment and monitoring. And, it turns out, you were charged based on a false witness statement, a fact that the local prosecutor allegedly encouraged the destruction of evidence to obscure. Now imagine suing that prosecutor and being told…
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The strange world of pedophile hunters
Source: thespectator.com Essex, England It’s a Wednesday evening, and I’m getting psyched up to go catch a pedophile with the boys. Playlist on, rocking down the A12 and chatting to my new mate, Nick, in his van. There’s a man not far from here who thinks he’s going to meet an underage girl tonight. He doesn’t know that we’ll be pulling up instead and that his sick fantasy — and his life as he knows it — will be over. Nick is a guy I met on Facebook who runs…
Read MorePorn addiction a serious mental health issue
Source: uintacountyherald.com 6/19/24 Most people recognize the harm and dangers of drugs, alcohol and nicotine addiction, but porn addiction is often overlooked and not recognized due to the taboo nature of the subject. Most people don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. Porn addiction often begins at a young age due to technology and the internet making it more available than ever before. Gary Wilson, teacher of anatomy and physiology in Scotland and author of “Your Brain on Porn,” wrote, “The neurological impact of frequent exposure…
Read MoreGet the Facts on Mass Incarceration
Source: sentencingproject.org 5/22/24 Report highlights the growth in state and federal prison populations since the early 1970s, and its far reaching effect on families, communities, and society as a whole. The United States is unparalleled historically and ranks among the highest worldwide in its dependence on incarceration.1 Over five million people in total are under supervision by the criminal legal system.2 Of these, nearly two million people, disproportionately Black, are living in prisons and jails instead of their communities. Compare this to the figures of the early 1970s when this…
Read MoreA Widely Used Criminal Justice Algorithm For Assessing Child Pornography Recidivism Is Flawed
Source: scientificamerican.com 5/20/24 The CPORT algorithm, commonly used to estimate the risk that a child pornography offender will offend again, hasn’t been validated for use in the U.S. In today’s criminal justice system, there are more than 400 algorithms on the market that inform important legal decisions like sentencing and parole. Much like insurance companies use algorithms to set premiums, judges use risk assessment algorithms to estimate the likelihood someone will become a repeat offender when they render prison sentences. Generally speaking, lower-risk offenders can and do receive shorter prison…
Read MoreSex Offender Registry Requirements Across the United States
Source: Probation Information probationinfo.org Can a registered sex offender go on vacation? Does a sex offender have to register if they visit a different state? It depends on the state, and how long the registrant will be there. Some jurisdictions require registrants to notify authorities immediately, while others allow limited stays without requiring registration. Registrants currently under supervision usually need permission from their Parole or Probation Officer before traveling and should always consult their supervising officer. This comparison chart is intended to be a quick reference guide to compare the…
Read MoreAn 18-Year-Old Had Consensual Sex With a 16-Year-Old. He Went to Jail for 6 Years
Source: yahoo.com 10/18/23 When Henry was 18, he had sex with a 16-year-old he met on a dating app who said they were 18 too. The 16-year-old’s parents found out, summoned the cops, and Henry was charged with a sex offense. He took a plea: no jail time, and seven years on the sex offense registry. Henry’s story is one of about 60 that appear in a new book by sociologist Emily Horowitz: From Rage to Reason: Why We Need Sex Crime Laws Based on Facts Not Fear. If you…
Read MorePatty Wetterling–advocate for a federal sex offender registry–speaks on Ted Talk
Source: knsiradio.com 9/14/23 (KNSI) – TEDx St. Cloud is set for Thursday, October 12th, inside the Paramount Theatre. The program runs from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and will feature talks from six presenters. … Patty Wetterling will deliver what is sure to be an emotional address. She became an advocate for a federal sex offender registry and other child safety measures after her 11-year-old son was abducted and eventually killed in October 1989. Read the full article
Read MoreInmates Need Internet to Prepare for Life After Prison
Source: wired.com 6/30/23 I’ve been in federal prison for 17 years. During that time, I have watched flip phones become iPhones, EVs become ubiquitous, and AI start to take over the world—albeit not quite the way Terminator envisioned it (yet). Still, I have been largely unable to use that technology myself. I could only read about it in magazines and newspapers, watching the 21st century unfold using 17th-century methods. I didn’t physically hold a smart device until the US Federal Bureau of Prisons started selling tablets—last year. This isn’t all…
Read MoreWhat is Megan’s Law? Hear how advocate pursued this 27 years ago [video]
Source: Channel KPRC 2 Click2Houston on YouTube 5/17/23 Watch the video
Read MoreHow Parole Conditions Trapped Me in Homelessness
Source: theappeal.org 5/9/23 The severe restrictions I face while on supervision effectively serve as a ban on stable housing. The terms of this arrangement have left me technically homeless, forced to live in a motel. … The terms of this arrangement have left me homeless—at least technically. I currently live in a Super 8 motel. It is a nuisance, but also a comfort. I get the comfort of a mattress, a room of my own, and a hot shower. It’s better than the alternatives of living on the street,…
Read MoreRob Rapley On His New PBS Doc and Demystifying The Lie Detector
Source: thecrimereport.org 1/10/23 As part of their American Experience series, PBS released the documentary, “The Lie Detector: A Truly Unbelievable Story,” last week. The film goes through the history of the lie detector from its conception in 1921 to the present day, and documents how well-meaning intentions to use the lie detector as a crime-fighting tool were twisted into its use as a gauge of morality or loyalty and as a tool of intimidation. Writer and director Rob Rapley produced the film with Emily Harrold through Rapley’s production company Apograph…
Read MoreWhy Some Sex Offenders Never Get Out Of Prison (video)
Source: youtube.com #VICENews Much of what our society considers common knowledge about sex offenders is currently under debate — from the efficacy of the registry, to housing restrictions, to what treatment, if any, works. One of the most controversial practices is “dead time” — where sex offenders stay in prison for years beyond their sentence, simply because there is no where else for them to go. VICE News’s Alice Hines reports on how our society’s efforts to protect the public from violence ended up backfiring. Help keep VICE News’ fearless…
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