Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of October 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreCategory: General News
The Autistic Children Who Are Labeled As Sex Offenders
[broadly.vice.com] Anthony*, a 14-year-old autistic boy, was making awkward overtures to his crush. Other kids thought the courtship was cute until, according to his attorney, Nicole Pittman of Impact Justice , Anthony got frustrated and sent his crush a picture of his genitals. “Parents flipped out,” Pittman told Broadly, explaining that they requested authorities press charges against the teen. Now, Anthony is listed on the sex offender registry. He can no longer attend school or even be left alone in a room with his little brothers. Read more
Read MoreIt’s finally here…A TEDMED talk about preventing child sexual abuse
[Johns Hopkins] Last November Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau, director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, gave one of the most important talks of her life: A TEDMED talk about preventing child sexual abuse. The talk weaves her experiences as a seasoned researcher who was surprised to learn that there were young adults attracted to children who made a decision to never offend against a child. A reporter named Luke…
Read MoreWill SCOTUS Let Fear of Sex Offenders Trump Justice?
Two cases give the Court a chance to reconsider its counterintuitive conclusions about commitment and registration. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, locking up sex offenders after they have completed their sentences is not punishment, and neither is branding them as dangerous outcasts for the rest of their lives. Two cases the Court could soon agree to hear give it an opportunity to reconsider, or at least qualify, those counterintuitive conclusions. Full Article Also see Snyder vs Doe Karsjens v Piper
Read MoreSex offender laws and the 6th Circuit’s Ex Post Facto Clause ruling
I wanted to add a few words to co-blogger Jonathan Adler’s posting about the recent 6th Circuit decision in Doe v. Snyder, in which the court voided application of the Michigan Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) on the grounds that it imposes retroactive punishment on previously convicted sex offenders in violation of the constitutional prohibition against Ex Post Facto laws. Full Editorial ***this article is from September 2016. Sorry. Moderator*** Snyder v. Doe
Read MoreMurderer said he would “spend his remaining days killing sexual offenders”
[Florida Action Committee] A Canadian man, Derrick Lawlor, who now stands accused of Murder, told his therapist that if he only had two months to live, he would kill every sexual offender. Read more
Read MoreThe sex-offender panic is destroying lives
The video below tells the story of Shawna, an Oklahoma woman who is still in mandatory treatment because 15 years ago, when she was 19, she had sex with a boy who was 14. Full Opinion Piece Also see Shawna: A Life on the Sex Offender Registry
Read MoreResources for Those Dealing with Sex Crime Accusations
[Law Offices of Ned Barnett] If you or a loved one has been falsely accused of a sex crime, there are ways to obtain help in your situation. Below is a list of organizations, advocacy groups, and resources for those who have been falsely accused, in need of support, or want to get involved. Although the main purpose of some of these organizations may be focused on victims, many of these groups also reach out to those who are falsely accused to offer aid through resources and information. Read more…
Read MoreWhat is a Valid Evaluation or Study of Recidivism
Over the years a lot of studies and evaluations have been done on everything from the safety of automobiles, airplanes and ocean liners to the type of people that buy fast food rather than cook at home. So what truly is a valid study and what Is required for it to meet scientific standards? Please understand I am not talking about pseudo scientific standards but about mathematical statistical analysis standards or true scientific standards, the type of standards that are required within a court of law. Full Article
Read MoreShawna: A Life on the Sex Offender Registry
I met Shawna a year into filming “Untouchable,” a documentary that examines sex offender laws through the lives of individuals on the sex offender registry. It was at an Oklahoma treatment center where she was participating in a mandatory group therapy session. She was there because fifteen years earlier, Shawna was deemed to be a sexual predator after pleading guilty to having consensual sex with a 14-year-old boy when she was 19. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/09/17/shawna-a-life-on-the-sex-offender-registry
Read MoreCould U.S. case against billionaire sex offender be reopened
Hoping to establish a precedent that would help crime victims throughout the nation, women who claim billionaire _____ _____ used them as sex toys when they were teens want a federal judge to toss the 10-year-old plea deal that they say allowed the politically connected money manager to escape federal sex charges. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments September 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of September 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreSex Offenders and Public Safety: A Four-Part Series
The public often hears news about sex offenders who commit the most serious crimes, but many of the sex offenses you don’t hear about – while disturbing – were not violent. In Virginia, for example, inappropriate touching, texting a lewd photo or using X-rated language in front of a minor can land people on Virginia’s sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreEnd Juvenile Sex-Offender Registration: It’s Ineffective and Based on Rare Cases
U.S. sex-offender registration laws for both adults and juveniles have largely been knee-jerk reactions to horrific incidents of child abductions that ended in sexual abuse and murder or near-deaths. Captured by images of innocent children and moved by national news stories of sexual offenses committed by strangers, the public responded with grassroots efforts demanding that “something be done” to prevent the victimization of more children. Full Editorial
Read MoreOH: Committee recommends eliminating residency restrictions for sex offenders
A proposed change to Ohio’s Criminal Code could eliminate residency restrictions for sex offenders. The Criminal Justice Recodification Committee has finished reviewing Ohio’s extensive criminal code after two years. However, not everyone agrees with some of its recommendations. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender’s plan goes up in smoke
[Battle Creek Enquirer] A convicted sex offender’s plan to open a business next to a toy store in downtown Battle Creek has hit a major stumbling block. Reece Adkins’ business partner, Cindy Dian, contacted the building owner, John Hennink, on Thursday and asked if the lease could be dissolved. Hennink said yes. Adkins, who pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13 in May 2000, was planning to open Cereal City Food Auction, … Read more
Read MoreMN: Study gives hope for children with sexual behavior problems
[Star Tribune] It’s common to feel many emotions when faced with the prospect of children as victims, or perpetrators, of sexual violence: Horror. Grief. Anger. Shame. One emotion we rarely dare to feel is hope. But findings from a new, myth-busting study by the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) give us hope in abundance for these children, their families and society. The project, funded by Raliance, a nonprofit that distributes funds from the National Football League, examined how Minnesota identifies and treats children with sexual behavior problems, as well…
Read MoreAre sex offender registries reinforcing inequality?
Public sex offender registries are at the forefront of what I’ve described in my research as a “war on sex.” Offenders convicted of sex crimes are now singled out for surveillance and restrictions far more punitive than those who commit other types of crime. More than 800,000 Americans are now registered sex offenders. Tracking them has created a booming surveillance industry. Full Article
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