The criminal justice reform bill, hopefully dubbed the First Step Act, represents a real accomplishment — a positive development in otherwise conservative times. It is all the more remarkable that a reactionary president, who ran a tough-on-crime campaign, is now poised to sign the bill. … Mass incarceration is no doubt the most glaring feature of the punitive turn. But the punitive state is not only about prison. Sex offenders represent a rapidly growing subset of the prison population, not doubt; their numbers help keep the system bloated. But sex…
Read MoreCategory: General News
Why Should Feminists Be Against the Sex Offender Registry?
In October, the Supreme Court heard a case that was painfully ironic, considering the Kavanaugh hearings the nation had just been subjected to: a challenge to the United States’ extremely restrictive sex offender registry laws. While opinions on the case Gundy v. United States, which challenges the Attorney General’s ability to retroactively impose registry requirements, have yet to come out, debate around sex offender registries is particularly important in the wake of #metoo. Established in the ‘90s following several high-profile rapes and murders of children, the sex offender registry used…
Read MoreInterpol Response re. Green Notices
Submitted by Steve: Some off you are aware that I sent in a inquiry to Interpol that questioned their standards for issuing green notices…well I got a response back from Interpol, Lyon Paris (Yes the mothership AJ) In my letter I stated that I have not yet had a green notice issued against me (haven’t travel abroad yet) but asked the question are they appealable. I pointed out to them that the US government does not assess any Registered Sex Offender for dangerousness they just send out blanket notices to Interpol.…
Read MoreOR: Dad who attacked sex offender in court won’t face charges
Charges have been dropped against the father who attacked a former pastor during a federal court proceeding. Full Article
Read MoreKat’s Blog: The Registry “Jingles” Away With Your Money
The holidays, a time of giving. But for registrants, that “giving”, goes on all year. Registrants fork over payment for all sorts of fees all year long. Registry fees, polygraphs fees, assessments, “sex offender” treatment fees, etc. These fees are not inexpensive and if you are unfortunate enough to have to register in December and take a polygraph in December and pay for treatment in December, you’re left with empty pockets come Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Here’s an approximate total of the yearly “giving” cost for new registrants on probation:…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Who Gets to Define the Crime?
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 MoreGeneral 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 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 More