According to a report from the Ministry of Justice, the number of jailed registered sex offenders in England and Wales rose 82 percent from 2007–2017. As the number of sex offenders continues to rise, maintaining a unified and accurate sex offender registry is an important issue to many residents. The largest sex offender registry network in the United States, OffenderWatch, recently announced a new international division devoted to helping countries across the globe maintain a sex offender registry database that is easily shared between law enforcement agencies and can help…
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Sex Offender Registries: Common Sense or Nonsense?
In October 1989, 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped at gunpoint and never seen again. When the boy’s mother, Patty Wetterling, learned that her home state of Minnesota did not have a database of possible suspects—notably convicted sex offenders—she set out to make a change. Wetterling’s efforts led to the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, which was signed into federal law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. Jacob’s Law was the first effort to establish a nationwide registry of convicted sex offenders,…
Read MoreChallenging the Punitiveness of ‘New-Generation’ SORN Laws (Paper)
Sex offender registration and notification (SORN) laws have been in effect nationwide since the 1990s, and publicly available registries today contain information on hundreds of thousands of individuals. To date, most courts, including the Supreme Court in 2003, have concluded that the laws are regulatory, not punitive, in nature, allowing them to be applied retroactively consistent with the Ex Post Facto Clause. Recently, however, several state supreme courts, as well as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, addressing challenges lodged against new-generation SORN laws of a considerably more onerous and…
Read MoreGeneral Comments June 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of June 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreSex Offender Ponzi Scheme
[dsdaughtry.wordpress.com – 5/28/18] Ponzi schemes are investment strategies where individuals help facilitate other like-minded individuals by purchasing or acquiring an idea or product with the hopes of an economic safety and security outcomes. These elaborate schemes take time to manifest and mature. Those that refuse or suspicious are usually labeled as missing an opportunity of a lifetime or misanthropic. Once the moment of collapse of Ponzi schemes unravels then does the distrust of those that invested harming families, security, public trust, and overall accountability. The most massive Ponzi scheme that…
Read MoreThe Dating Debacle for Registrants
[blog.womenagainstregistry.org – 5/30/18] Who do you tell, what do you say and when do you say it? That’s just one of the many dilemmas facing single registrants trying to reintegrate back into the dating world. Getting out there an socializing is risky business and it’s filled with many possible pitfalls. But this is what you are supposed to do isn’t it? Isn’t this what those prison lectures on “reintegration” were all about. How you’re supposed to get out there and resume your life, build a support network of friends and…
Read MoreIn a move once reserved for Nazis, sex offender from Grand Prairie loses citizenship and gets deported
A Grand Prairie immigrant was stripped of his U.S. citizenship and deported to Nigeria after a felony conviction for indecency with a minor this week. Full Article
Read MoreRegistry Matters Episode 25 – Why GPS monitoring should be 1 of the 7 deadly sins
[narsol.org – 5/22/18] Why GPS monitoring should be 1 of the 7 deadly sins A malfunction in the charging could land you in jail. No access to power? Could land you in jail. Poor cell signal? Could result in being detained while proof is obtained. You could spend a week or more in jail for an unspecified violation. Spending time in jail could lose you your job which can lead to loss of housing. The GPS.gov website cites a 16’ radius of accuracy in the best conditions. Read more and…
Read MoreWhat People Get Wrong About ‘Political Will’
[governing.com – May 2018] At a recent Governing roundtable, I heard once again that the failure to act on a serious public problem was due to a lack of “political will.” Hearing this from people who are wise and good public officials always leaves me a little annoyed. I agree with David Roberts of Vox, who wrote, “To me, it has always sounded like the political equivalent of the Force in the Star Wars movies. It explains everything and nothing.” When you hear a public official or pundit say that…
Read MoreCA: Tobin Resigns from CA Sex Offender Management Board
Tom Tobin, CEO of Sharper Future, has resigned from the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) where he served as Vice Chairman for more than two years. Although no reason was given for his resignation, a growing number of complaints had been made that his participation on the board was at least an appearance of a conflict of interest because the company he leads provides counseling services to registrants. Sharper Future is a subdivision of Pacific Forensic Psychology Associates, a California corporation, which Tobin also leads. Both organizations have been…
Read MoreTips on Writing to Your Elected Officials
[floridaactioncommittee.org 5/20/18] Letters and faxes are an extremely effective way of communicating with your elected officials. Many legislators believe that a letter represents not only the position of the writer but also many other constituents who did not take the time to write. These tips will help increase the effectiveness of your letter: Keep it brief: Letters should never be longer than one page, and should be limited to one issue. Legislative aides read many letters on many issues in a day, so your letter should be as concise as…
Read MoreSex offender registry: More harm than good?
In the 1990s, in response to a number of horrific and highly publicized crimes against children, states and the federal government created stringent penalties for sex offenders, notably registries where offenders’ names and addresses are available to the public. But now critics across the country are demanding review and revision of these policies, saying they are based on false assumptions, are a waste of money and do more harm than good. Full Article
Read MoreACSOL Conference: Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Fellow to Speak
Guy Hamilton-Smith, a fellow at the Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Research Institute, will speak at the ACSOL conference on both June 15 and June 16. As a speaker, he will address two issues — child pornography and how to success as a registrant. “Guy Hamilton-Smith is a leader in our community of registrants,” stated ACSOL President Chance Oberstein. “We welcome his participation in this year’s conference.” Hamilton-Smith, a law school graduate, is well known for his challenge to take the Kentucky bar exam in 2013. In a decision by…
Read MoreDear Gay
Ryan is the hardest part of my story to explain. We have never met, nor will we, and yet he radically changed the course of my life. The path that I’ve walked since law school was not one that I intended. I did not go to law school advocate for sex offenders. I went to hide. I went for lack of better ideas. I went because it interested me. I went because, while I was fortunate to have parents who put up money to retain counsel, I saw many who did…
Read MoreThe Criminal History of Federal Offenders
[ussc.gov 5/17/18] (Published May 17, 2018) The publication The Criminal History of Federal Offenders provides for the first time complete information on the number of convictions and types of offenses in the criminal histories of federal offenders sentenced in a fiscal year. While the Commission has collected the criminal history points and Criminal History Category (CHC) as determined under the guidelines, it has not collected complete information on the number of convictions or the types of offenses in the criminal histories of federal offenders until now. The Commission is now…
Read MoreSex Offender Recidivism Fact Based Research Statistics
The following Sex Offender Recidivism Fact Based Research Statistics show that “facts are stubborn things”, refuting the shill, rants and other myths, such as the unsupported “frighteningly high recidivism”. We must read this and understand these laws hoping to protect kids are in reality destroying kids and their families. Full Article
Read MoreResponse to the Recent Time Magazine Article, ‘Bad Men’
[UPDATED LINKS 5/16/18] sosen.org 5/15/18] This was written by Vicki Henry of W.A.R. I thought it was a good reply to Time magazines one-sided journalism ,So I ask if could pass it on. This was in response to the recent Time magazine article that just scares people even more. This is a great response to anyone who thinks the registry is a good idea. Ms. Dockterman and Editor, I know the title ‘Bad Men’ was a media ploy to garner readership and invoke fear amongst the readers. I get that,…
Read MoreA Silenced Minority
[dsdaughtry.wordpress.com 5/15/18] Educators usually say the most essential pillars of successful outcomes are a caring community of learners, enhancement of the learning objective, and reciprocal relationships and transparency to facilitate both sides of an issue. When it comes to an understanding, sexual offenses or those impacted by the registry, there is only one side because those that can contribute meaningful dialog are conveniently excluded or not allowed to voice objections or grievances. I recently watched an interview with Derek Logue of the oncefallen.com website. During that CNN interview, the host…
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