____ ____ was 12 when they came after him. The classmates who tormented him were children, too, entering the age of pimples and cracking voices. Eventually, he swore under oath, the boys raped him and left him bleeding, the culmination of a year of harassment. Though ____ repeatedly told teachers and administrators about insults and physical attacks, he didn’t report being sexually assaulted until a year later, launching a long legal fight over whether his school had done enough to protect him. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: General News
U.S. Senate declares April ‘Second Chances Month’ in support of former inmates
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday declaring April as “Second Chances Month” for people who were once incarcerated and are trying to break back into mainstream society. Full Article
Read MoreFeds tell Supreme Court that mug shots should stay secret
The Justice Department won’t budge from its position that federal mug shots of criminals should be kept secret, arguing in a U.S. Supreme Court brief that jailhouse photos are “embarrassing, nonpublic” moments that add to defendants’ grief. Full Article
Read MoreChild Safety at Sea – Freed and Stuart Talk Cruise Policies to Protect Kids
Protecting kids at sea has been a hot topic of late, as some major cruise lines have adjusted their pool policies to add lifeguards. Most revealing on the subject of child protection, though? Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International, told hundreds of agents attending the final General Session of Cruise360 on Saturday that Royal Caribbean initiates a process 30 days prior to sailing to help assure no registered sex offenders sail on the line. Full Article
Read MoreLawmakers pushing legislation to strengthen punishment for child sexual abusers
There is a federal fight to stop child sexual abuse. Some lawmakers say convicts have it easy under the current law, so they are moving legislation through the House to strengthen punishment. They also hope it will also act as a deterrent. Full Article
Read MoreTeens Who Engage in ‘Sexting’ Should Not Be Prosecuted as Sex Offenders
In an early episode of the television series “Girls,” Adam sends Hannah a photo of his penis and then a text message: “SRY that wasn’t for you.” Hannah and her friends debate the intention of Adam’s actions, but one thing is clear: The explicit photo he sent isn’t unusual, and it certainly isn’t criminal. Had he lived in the state of Washington, been under 18 — and, of course, been a real person — Adam might have been branded a sex offender. In Washington, minors who engage in the common…
Read MoreSex offender residency laws – There are no easy answers -Editorial
If you read the following editorial as being sympathetic toward sex offenders, you are missing the point. We are not being sympathetic. We simply want to state that it’s not always possible to legislate our way to safety. Full Article
Read MoreSplit Second Circuit panel declares within-guideline child porn possession sentence of 225 months “substantively unreasonable”
A dozen years after Booker, the reversal of any federal sentence as substantively unreasonable is still quite rare and notable. Today, a Second Circuit panel has issued such a rare and notable decision in US v. Jenkinss, No. 14-4295 (2d Cir. April 17, 2017) Full Article
Read MoreStudy: Public Misperceptions About Sex Offenders Skew Policy-Making
Public opinion toward crime is complex. Research shows that Americans strongly favor punitive measures to address criminal behavior while also demanding the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders. When it comes to sex offenses, it gets even more complicated. A 2015 study authored by Christina Mancini, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Kristen Budd of MiamiUniversity (Ohio) found that numerous misperceptions about sex crimes–such as the myth of “stranger danger,” the perception of abnormally high sexual recidivism, and offense amplification–have been the impetus behind laws passed by “get tough”…
Read MoreACSOL Conference to Identify Solutions to Daily Challenges Faced by Registrants
ACSOL will host a conference on June 16 and 17 in Los Angeles focused upon solutions to daily challenges faced by U.S. registrants, family members, and those who support them. The conference will address topics of interest to registrants and family members throughout the nation such as housing, employment, domestic and international travel, parole and probation conditions, as well as post-conviction relief. “This conference was created for you, the registrant and your family members. It was not created for professionals in this field. You will be immersed in a supportive…
Read MoreSC: Bill would prevent registered sex offenders from owning locksmith businesses
A bill that would require locksmiths to undergo background checks before entering your home or car is now closer to becoming law. The bill was passed unanimously in the South Carolina State House of Representatives and is now making its way through the state Senate. The bill was drafted after a North Myrtle Beach sexual molestation case involving a locksmith. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments April 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreNCMEC Hypocrisy on “Stranger Danger”
Yesterday, Callahan Walsh of NCMEC—The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—appeared on Good Morning America to urge parents to stop using the phrase “stranger danger”—the phrase that NCMEC itself popularized for decades. They rightly noted—finally—that most child sexual exploitation is from someone known to the child, not a stranger. Full Article Related Group that Put Missing Kids’ Pictures on Milk Cartons NOW Says, “Don’t Teach Kids Stranger Danger” Experts warn against teaching the phrase ‘stranger danger’
Read MoreExperts warn against teaching the phrase ‘stranger danger’
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is now encouraging parents to steer away from using the phrase “stranger danger,” a slogan that has been taught for decades to emphasize to children the potential threat posed by strangers. Although the group moved away from “stranger danger” years ago, the phrase is so pervasive that many parents still teach it. The group renewed their call to end its use on “Good Morning America” today. “It’s so easy, it rhymes,” Callahan Walsh, a child advocate at the National Center for Missing…
Read MoreBriefing the Supreme Court: Promoting Science or Myth?
The United States Supreme Court is considering Packingham v. North Carolina, a case testing the constitutionality of a ban on the use of social networking sites by registered sex offenders. An issue that has arisen in the case is the state’s justification for the ban. North Carolina and thirteen other states represented in a friend of the court brief make three claims concerning the risk of registered sex offenders: (1) sex offenders have a notoriously high rate of sexual recidivism; (2) sex offenders are typically crossover offenders in having both…
Read MoreSex offender registration statutes are not faring well when subjected to rational basis scrutiny
A gracious reader directed me to a recent article authored by Dr. Melissa Hamilton in the Boston College Law Review entitled Constitutional Law and the Role of Scientific Evidence: The Transformative Potential of Doe v. Snyder, 8 B.C.L. Rev. E. Supp. 34 (2017). In her article, Dr. Hamilton discusses the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s August 2016 decision in Does #1-5 v. Snyder, 834 F.3d 696 (6th Cir. 2016) (Justia). That decision is pertinent to military justice practitioners for a couple of reasons. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Sex Offender Uses Social Media, Murphy Calls for Megan’s Law Update
… Senator Murphy said, “____ allegedly targeted his last victim through social media. Megan’s Law must be updated to prohibit the use of social media networks for Level 2 and 3 offenders as long as they are required to register with New York State. As a father of three kids, I will fight everyday to strengthen our laws to make sure we protect children from becoming victims of these reprehensible and disgusting acts.” Full Article
Read MoreAmericans Favor ‘Rehabilitation’ Over Jail Time, Survey Finds
A significant majority of Americans believe putting people behind bars for non-violent offenses is a wrong—and almost three-quarters favor “rehabilitation” over jail when such offenses are committed by those who suffer from mental illness, according to a Zogby Analytics/RTI International poll released today. The results, from an online survey completed by 3,007 persons across the country between December 9-13, are a sharp counterpoint to the “law-and-order” rhetoric that many observers considered one of the key appeals of President Donald Trump’s campaign for the White House last fall. Full Article
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