Editor’s Note: The ruling below is encouraging and could be used in any future challenge to California libraries that refuse to allow registrants from visiting public libraries. DENVER, Jan 20 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that a policy barring registered sex offenders from public libraries in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was unconstitutional, a decision that could have reverberations across the nation. “The First Amendment includes a fundamental right to receive information,” a three-judge panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote. “By prohibiting registered…
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RSO LAWS HARM FAMILIES
“The Accidental Sex Offender” (Marie Claire) On July 28, 2011, in In The News, by tvadmin …. It was a classic teenage love story. He was a football star, and she was a cheerleader. They met, they fell in love, they started having sex. And then the cops got involved. Fifteen years later, they’re still paying the price. Frank Rodriguez cannot coach his children’s soccer teams. He can’t get a job at a major corporation. He can’t leave the state without registering with local law enforcement. A married father of…
Read MoreASSEMBLY DEFEATS AB 625
The Assembly has just voted on AB 625 and defeated it by 41 to 19. It’s hard to believe that elected officials don’t understand the current challenges faced by the state’s 92,000+ registrants such as unemployment, homelessness and vigilante violence. These challenges are of course experienced by family members as well. California RSOL attempted to educate them by lobbying efforts in October, November, December and January. Many thanks to Frank and Marshall who lobbied with me during the first months and with 8 others who joined us in January. And…
Read MoreLIFETIME REPORTING HARMS SOCIETY, INDIVIDUALS
Editor’s Note: The editorial below from the New York Times is not specific to registrants, but addresses an issue of great importance to registrants. That issue is employment and the need to reveal a past offense. California needs to join Massachusetts in limiting the use of information regarding past convictions. January 9, 2012 Paying a Price, Long After the Crime By ALFRED BLUMSTEIN and KIMINORI NAKAMURA IN 2010, the Chicago Public Schools declined to hireDarrell Langdon for a job as a boiler-room engineer, because he had been convicted of possessing…
Read More6-YEAR-OLD CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT
Editor’s Note: A petition has begun to protest the charging of a 6-year-old boy with first degree sexual assault. Information regarding this matter can be found in the article below. Please read the article and consider signing the online petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/46/investigate-grant-county-wisconsin-da-lisa-riniker Target:Wisconsin State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen Sponsored by:Concerned Citizens Do your part to prevent the victimization of “D”; a 6 year-old Grant County, Wisconsin boy who is being charged with first-degree sexual assault for the crime of playing “doctor” with a 5 year-old playmate. The following is…
Read MoreHIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WARNED ABOUT DANGERS OF BECOM
Editor’s Note: The article below appeared in the newspaper of Port Angeles High School in Washington state. It is a good statement of the dangers facing teenagers who do “normal” teenage things and end up as “sex offenders”. Should you be a Registered Sex Offender? Tuesday, November 29, 2011 By Autumn Ruddick Not all PAHS High School students have heard of students using their cellular devices to send inappropriate images to one another. Most students would never think of using their cell phone to send nude pictures of themselves to…
Read MoreSTUDY RECOMMENDS TREATMENT NOT JAIL FOR RSO’S
Sunday, Nov 13, 2011 9:00 AM 18:10:39 PST Child abuse: We’re making the problem worse Experts say America’s approach to sex offenders only increases the likelihood that they will re-offend By Tracy Clark-Flory The alleged Penn State sex abuse scandal may provide a powerful lesson about institutional corruption — but it’s also a good time for some self-examination. The general consensus among experts who treat sex offenders is that America has taken the wrong approach to dealing with child molesters. In fact, some say that we’re only making the problem…
Read MorePENN STATE CASE: WHY ASSAULTS NOT REPORTED
Editor’s Note: The following article regarding recent events at Penn State is from Salon magzine and focused upon the important question of why the abuse was not reported when it occurred. The most telling statement is “The more we make sex offenders into monsters, the less likely we are able to see behaviors in people we love that give us concern.” This may explain why more than 90 percent of those who sexually assault children are family members or close friends of the family. Saturday, Nov 12, 2011 12:00 PM…
Read MoreHUFFINGTON POST: REGISTRANTS NEED HOMES, JOBS AND
Editor’s Note: This is a well researched article that compares recidivism rates for many crimes and finds recidivism rates for those conivcted of sex related crimes to be extremely low. The author correctly notes that registrants need housing, jobs and healthcare. With the addition of those three basic factors to their lives, registrants could once again become productive citizens. Sex Offenders: Recidivism, Re-Entry Policy and Facts by Paul Heroux of the Huffington Post 11-11-11 Sexual predation is back in the national spotlight since Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State defense…
Read MoreLIFE SENTENCE FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Editor’s Note: A court in the state of Florida, known for its lack of common sense and compassion, has hit a new low mark. This time, a Florida judge sentenced a man with no prior criminal record to a life sentence for possession of child pornography. Florida courts in the past haver reserved lifetime sentences for those who murder their victims, not those who view photos of them. Federal guidelines for this offense could have resulted in a prison sentence of less than 6 years. The article below is from…
Read MoreNY Says “No” to Adam Walsh Act
Editor’s Note: The Adam Walsh Act would place additional restrictions on anyone convicted of a sex-related crime. Although passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law in 2006, only seven states (Ohio, Delaware, Florida, South Dakota, Michigan, Nevada and Wyoming) agreed to fully comply with that Act. The state of Ohio subsequently declared the Act to be unconstitutional. California does not comply with this Act. October 7, 2011 New York Opts Out of Compliance With Adam Walsh Act John Caher New York Law Journal The Cuomo administration has opted…
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