WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says prosecutors can use a person’s silence against them if it comes before he’s told of his right to remain silent. The 5-4 ruling comes in the case of ____ ____, who was convicted of a 1992 murder. During police questioning, and before he was arrested or read his Miranda rights, Salinas answered some questions but did not answer when asked if a shotgun he had access to would match up with the murder weapon. Full Article
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Failure to Register: Are Violations Overblown?
“As a crime of omission, each failure to report ordinary life events is an opportunity for registrants to commit a new felony.” Over the last two decades, registration for sexual offenders in the US has become the law of the land. It seems intuitive that tracking known sexual offenders should reduce sexual abuse, but with data indicating that sexual offense recidivism is much lower than widely believed and as many as 95% of arrests for sexual abuse are first time offenders, there are legitimate controversies about the sex offender registry,…
Read MoreQ&A: What Works in Sex-Offender Treatment
At least 300,000 cases of child sex abuse are reported in the U.S. each year — and the real number of children who are molested is likely far higher. But while laws get tougher all the time, very little is known about how to treat sex offenders in order to prevent these crimes. Dr. Renee Sorrentino is medical director of the Institute for Sexual Wellness in Massachusetts and a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. TIME spoke with her about the research on sex-offender treatment and her work…
Read More‘Apostrophe laws’ named for kid victims on the wane
When Amanda Moore concluded that her daughter’s killer was a drug addict wrongly paroled and wrongly allowed to remain free, she did like many parents before her: she proposed legislation to spare others the same fate. She named it for her child: Amelia’s Law. For the past two decades, parents who’ve lost children in horrible ways have tried to memorialize them in law, and Americans usually have honored their wishes. Dozens of state and federal statutes are named for children who died too soon: Megan’s Law and Jessica’s Law, the…
Read MoreWhy Queers Should Care About Sex Offenders
“So, how are the pedophiles doing?” As a group psychotherapist for convicted sex offenders on parole and probation who also operates a private practice for queer people, I am bombarded with comments and questions from friends and family: “Aren’t you scared?” “I could never do that.” “What’s it like to talk to all those child molesters?” At first I was surprised to hear some of my most educated, liberal friends ask questions that were, to me, biased and misinformed. I had assumed that, as queers and allies, my friends would have a…
Read MoreReason versus Rage
The sexual victimization of children is a subject so horrifying that it’s difficult even to address. As a society, we approach it from two extremes. Most of the time we avoid it. When forced to confront it, we run to the opposite extreme, flying into a rage, voices full of fury. The sexual victimization of children is a subject so horrifying that it’s difficult even to address. As a society, we approach it from two extremes. Most of the time we avoid it. When forced to confront it, we run…
Read MoreGeneral Comments June 2013
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of June 2013. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreSex offender websites draw lawsuit [video]
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Read MoreSenate Farm Bill to deny food assistance to anyone convicted of certain federal or state crimes
The United States Senate has agreed to Sen. David Vitter’s Amendment 1056 to the 2013 Farm Bill. The amendment would deny food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) for life to anyone convicted of certain federal or state crimes.If the amendment makes it out of the Senate, it may be too late to keep it from becoming law. And like previous successful efforts to impose these kinds of devastating barriers on people with criminal records and their families, we may be fighting to roll this back for decades to come. Your help is needed to…
Read MoreOR: Bill advances that would give a break to some young sex offenders
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Some young offenders convicted of having sex with underage partners would be able to request the crime be removed from their records under a bill narrowly passed by the Oregon House on Wednesday. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Allegation ends coach’s career
THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR walked onto the field unannounced, wearing jeans and sandals, and _____ ______ knew in that moment that something was terribly wrong. Nobody interrupted his football practices at Minnesota State Mankato without advance notice and permission. His success as head coach was based on maintaining total control; each practice was scripted to the minute. He believed small disruptions in preparation became big problems during games, so he sometimes asked his players to recite a motto: No mistakes. No distractions. No surprises. Now, on Aug. 17, 2012, his life…
Read MoreMiracle Village: A haven for America’s social pariahs (with Video)
Almost 750,000 Americans are now on sex offender registries, and the numbers just keep growing. Because the truly dangerous are mixed in with the far more numerous low-risk offenders, registries are useless from a public safety perspective. But they do have a pernicious effect on ex-offenders, who oftentimes find themselves with nowhere to go and no hope of ever reintegrating into society. Enter “Miracle Village” in Florida. Built in 1964 for sugar cane workers (some of whom still live there), it was transformed into a haven by an evangelical pastor…
Read MoreWhat to do when the feds come to town
What to do when the police come around for a compliance check. Know your rights! Full Article
Read MoreWhy Current Child Porn Laws Imprison the Wrong People
Growing up, I was taught that prison was a place where people went when they did bad things. It was simple then: There were good people and there were bad people. As I got older, the picture grew more complicated. I saw good people do bad things, and I saw bad people do good things. But recently, when one of the best people in my world did something that landed him in prison, my beliefs about the justice system and how it punishes American citizens were completely upended. Full Article
Read MoreMay 13: Radio Show with Experts on Child Pornography
On Monday, May 13, from From 9-11PM EST (6-8 PM Pacific Time) – Join Radio Host Michael Blum with special guests: Gail Colletta, PRESIDENT/Legislative ChairFlorida Action Committee Dr. Eric A. Imhof, PsyD, Forensic Psychologist,Specialized Treatment and Assessment ResourcesSpecialty: Child Pornography Dr. Suzonne Kline, PsyD, Forensic PsychologistTreatment, Evaluations and Risk AssessmentsSpecialty: SVP’s and Child Pornography Call in at 888-545-1470 Listen on 1470 on the AM dial. It can also be heard from the station website, http://www.wwnnradio.com/streamer and from the players on http://www.michaelblumshow.com or http://www.reality-radio.net. Also, streaming from IHeart Radio. Search IHeart for 1470.
Read MoreGeneral Comments May 2013
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2013. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it ‘professional’.
Read MoreReport: Registry does more harm than good for teen sex offenders
(CNN) — Joshua Gravens can’t do a lot of the normal things parents do, like drop his son off at school, attend parent-teacher conferences, or take his daughter to the park, a library or anywhere else children gather. For the offense of inappropriately touching his 8-year-old sister when he was 12, Gravens, 26, has spent almost half his life as a registered sex offender. The designation subjects him to residency and zoning restrictions that dictate where he can live and spend time. It has also made him the target of harassment,…
Read MoreRights group seeks halt to placing juveniles on public sex-offender registries
NEW YORK — Government authorities should end the practice of placing juveniles’ names on publicly accessible sex-offender registries, Human Rights Watch says in a report warning of lasting and unwarranted harm to some youths. Some law enforcement officials and victims’ rights advocates agree the current registry system is flawed and support steps to allow more discretion in juvenile offenders’ cases. Offenses triggering inclusion on the registries can range widely — from rape to consensual sex between children to “sexting” of photos that depict nudity or sexual activity. Full Article https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/01/us-more-harm-goodhttp://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/us0513_ForUpload_1.pdfhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/01/qa-raised-registry
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