Are Sex Offenders Categorically Unworthy Of Rights?

It’s bad enough, both for substantive as well as factual reasons, that the Supreme Court in Smith v. Doe held that sex offender registration was not punitive, but civil, and therefore beyond the reach of the Ex Post Facto Clause. Not only was it grounded in utterly baseless statistics of recidivism, but it indulged in the fantasy that rhetoric was an adequate substitute for inquiry before destroying the future of an entire class of people. Full Article

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OPINION: Responses to Sexual Violence, Part One

Sexual violence is a general term that includes any sexual activity inflicted or forced upon a person without his/her consent. In all cases, the victim would not rationally or willingly choose to participate in the activity or the person is unable to give valid consent due to physical, mental or age constraints. Sexual violence encompasses crimes such as child sexual abuse, sexual assault from intimate partners, or friends, dates, or from strangers; incest, sexual harassment, stalking, elder abuse, and rape among some of its categories. A key factor in determining…

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The ‘Frightening and High’ Factoid About Sex Offender Recidivism Still Stalks Courts Across the Land, Completely Untethered From Actual Numbers

Arizona Supreme Court overturned a state ban on bail for people accused of sexual assault “when the proof is evident or the presumption great,” concluding that the categorical exclusion violated the constitutional right to due process. Critics of that decision are urgingthe U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, Arizona v. Goodman, and their arguments highlight the continuing influence of misconceptions about the “frightening and high risk of recidivism” among sex offenders. Full Article

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Group that promotes ‘rational sex offense laws’ says it’ll open Halloween hotline (NARSOL)

A group that says it advocates for ‘rational sexual offense laws’ is organizing a nationwide Halloween hotline and vows to hold local governments, law enforcement agencies and parole/probation officers accountable if “the constitutional rights of law-abiding, registered sex offenders are violated under the pretext of protecting the public on Halloween.” Full Article NARSOL Announcment Halloween Marathon October 31st, 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. EDT Please join NARSOL for our second annual Halloween marathon/”Cop-watch” hot line session, beginning at 5 p.m. eastern time on October 31st. We will be live for five…

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The modern Leper: Sex Offender Law reform

Everyone who is reasonable admits (nowadays) that homosexuality is not a disease, nor should the LGBTQIA+ community be treated as irredeemable. However, there is a growing population of people, starting as low as age 7, that the law and society have decided to treat the way it used to treat the LGBT folks: “Sex Offenders.” The Sex Offender Registry (SOR) laws are one of the last bastions of righteous indignation and medieval bigotry. It seems that, despite studies and statistics to the contrary, SOR folks are thought to be highly…

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Discussion: How can registrants find a place to live?

This is an open discussion where you can share your ideas on how we registrants can find housing in a society that discriminates against us. For example: How to look for housing Available housing search resources Your success story If your information is specific to your state, please mention the state. WARNING: No advertisements for specific housing will be posted. We are discussing general concepts.  

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Overseas Registrant Wins Battle with Angel Watch Center

A registrant who has lived overseas for more than two years recently won a battle with the Angel Watch Center after the Center falsely notified the State Department that he was currently required to register as a sex offender. As a result of that notification, the registrant’s U.S. passport was revoked because it lacked a “unique identifier”. The registrant, who was traveling on business, learned that his passport had been revoked after a letter was sent to the home of a relative where he had previously resided prior to departing…

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Patch Publishes Completely Unnecessary Sex Offender Maps to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween

Every year around Halloween time, Patch, the news website specializing in local coverage around the country, publishes maps that show where sex offenders live. Patch claims this is some kind of public service, even though a thorough study of 67,000 cases of child molestation found zero increase in sex crimes against children on Halloween. Full Article

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States Can’t Make Up New Laws to Punish Old Conduct Just Because They Call Them “Civil”

Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution provides that “[n]o State shall … pass any … Ex Post Facto law.” The Ex Post Facto Clause was incorporated into the Constitution to prohibit states from enacting retrospective legislation, which the Framers believed to be inherently unfair and contrary to the principles of limited, constitutional government. Despite the Framers’ clear aversion to retrospective lawmaking, the Supreme Court has since adopted the view that states are uninhibited from enacting retroactive civil penalties. So long as a retrospective law contains a discernable legislative purpose…

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PSA Child Porn Warning

A public awareness campaign to educate our young people as to what constitutes child pornography must begin now. The lives of too many young adults are being ruined due to ignorance about the dangers of clicking on ANY porn site. Please consider taking time to watch this 3 min PSA: When is an adult not an adult? When a teen poses to look like an adult as part of the dark web of child pornography. More and more children, teens and young adults are looking at internet pornography out of…

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FL: Ex Post Facto Lawsuit Filed (FAC)

A lawsuit was filed in Federal Court challenging the Florida Sex Offender registry. The suit is a facial challenge, filed on behalf of persons required to register in the State of Florida. It argues that the registry violates the Ex Post Facto clause of the constitution, constitutes Cruel and Unusual Punishment, violates Procedural Due Process, violates Substantive Due Process, is unconstitutionally Vague, has no rational relationship to its purpose and asks the Court to permanently restrain and enjoin the FDLE from enforcing the registration statute. More from Florida Action Committee

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