Agencies have to interpret statutes to carry out the work of the administrative state. But in the hands of federal prosecutors, does interpretation amount to defining the crime itself? Herman Gundy believes that is what happened to him. In a case before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, Gundy v. United States, Gundy is challenging his conviction for failing to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act (SORNA). Failing to register is a federal felony. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: General News
General Comments December 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of December 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreCotton wields sex offender report to tank prisons bill
GOP Sen. Tom Cotton is locked in an awkward fight with fellow Republicans over their push to change federal prison sentencing guidelines. And now he has a new attack line intended to make his rivals squirm: warnings that sex offenders could get off easy. Full Article
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Lessons Learned
Our family member has been on the registry for a year. I know that in the grand scheme of things, that time is merely a drop in the bucket. We had no idea what we were in for. We educated and prepared ourselves as much anyone can before we started this seemingly endless road thru hell. Read what we could, talked to those willingly to share, asked questions when we finally figured out what questions to ask. Soon we realized that if we didn’t help ourselves no government or law…
Read MoreBelize Sex Offender Registry Launched
[sanpedrosun.com – 11/22/18] Belizeans authorized by the Ministry of National Security will soon be able to access the ministry’s new National Sex Offenders Registry. The Belize Crime Observatory introduced the new online portal to social workers, educators, law enforcement officials, civil rights groups, non-governmental agencies and other interested parties at a sensitization session at the Radisson Fort George Hotel Belize City on Tuesday morning, November 17. Chief Executive Officer George Lovell of the Ministry of National Security made haste to explain that the new website would not be an Open…
Read MoreWhen stealing LEGOs adds to a lifetime of consequences
A petition argues that people seeking to escape the sex offender registry, including those put on it as children, deserve more than a single shot. Full Article
Read MoreAre 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
Read MoreOPINION: 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…
Read MoreBlack Men Disproportionately Represented On Sex Offender Registries
Even though it’s unlikely that they commit sexual assault at higher rates than other ethnic or racial groups, nearly one of every 100 Black men is on a sex offender registry, a rate double that of white men. Full Article
Read MoreThe ‘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
Read MoreDavid Comes Out Against Sex Offender Registry [David Pakman Show on YouTube]
[YouTube – 11/4/18] After receiving a question from a viewer last week, David comes out against the sex offender registry. Watch the video
Read MoreGeneral Comments November 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreGroup 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…
Read MoreHalloween: When Sex Offenders Are the Scariest Ghosts
Why do we scare ourselves about how much our kids are at risk? Full Article
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Justices add three new cases to this term’s docket
In United States v. Haymond, the justices will weigh in on a challenge to the constitutionality of a federal law that requires additional prison time for sex offenders who violate the terms of their supervised release. Full Article
Read MoreDiscussion: 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.
Read MoreOverseas 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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