[newscentermaine.com – 6/20/18] BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) — In 2006, William Elliot was sought out and shot because he was a registered sex offender. On Sunday, he will be honored by the Maine chapter of Parents of Murdered Children. His mother, Shirley Turner, says he was on this list because he had consensual sex with an underage girlfriend. “But he was 19 when he got involved with a young girl and ended up on the Maine sex offender registry.” She said. Turner says she’s surprised that Elliot will be honored…
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DE: Lawmakers eye local residency restrictions on sex offenders
[washingtonpost.com – 6/21/18] DOVER, Del. — The state House is poised to vote on a bill preventing municipalities from establishing housing restrictions for sex offenders that are stricter than what state law requires. State law prohibits sex offenders from residing or loitering within 500 feet of school property. The bill to be considered Thursday would restrict the ability of municipalities to impose broader residency and proximity restrictions. Supporters of the measure say the Department of Correction sometimes has difficulty tracking sex offenders released from prison because overly restrictive local ordinances…
Read MoreHI: Cause of Action for Shaming Sex Therapy May Not Accrue Until after Release from Prison
[prisonlegalnews.org 6/7/18] On August 29, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held “it may be reasonable for an incarcerated individual who is told she must resurface past sexual trauma to overcome them to rely on these assurances, and to view associated feelings of emotional distress as normal, contractive responses incidental to the healing process.” In its ruling, the appellate court found it was error to deny a request to amend a complaint to allege the plaintiff was not aware she had been “injured by the therapy program until sometime…
Read MoreNC: They never asked for $500,000 — but they got it. N.C. spending gets little scrutiny
North Carolina’s new budget includes $500,000 in taxpayer money to keep better track of sex offenders by cataloging where they work, what cars they drive — even where they are known to travel. But the state agency that oversees the current tracking system never asked for the money. And the lobbying group for the state’s sheriffs learned about the plan only shortly before the budget was approved. Sheriffs are tasked with monitoring offenders. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Psychologist said serial rapist was not dangerous
[eagletribune.com – 6/13/18] A psychologist who has spoken on behalf of child rapist Wayne Chapman was also hired as an expert in a 2012 case involving the potential release of another sex offender. Dr. Joseph Plaud said he could not diagnose Lucas Ortiz — who had been dubbed a serial rapist and imprisoned for sexually assaulting numerous boys — with any sexual or mental disorders, according to a court decision. He said Ortiz showed no “deviant arousal” in an exam designed to measure sexual response to audio and visual stimuli.…
Read MoreDeadly collateral consequences of the “non-punitive” sex offender registry
[narsol.org 6/18/18] By Michael M . . . It is easy for some people to feel that no matter how oppressive the hardships imposed upon former sex offenders may be, they probably deserved it. The most common refrain we see posted by unsympathetic social media commentators typically contains some variation of, “He (or she) should have thought of that before they committed their crimes!” While such a response may be emotionally satisfying for the person who makes such a statement, the unspoken assumption is that any punishment, no matter how…
Read MoreGA: Can be placed on registry without meaningful due process
[twitter.com – Andrew Fleischman – 6/18/18] Today, the Supreme Court of Georgia held that Georgia could place a man on the child abuse registry without meaningful due process because he had no liberty interest to the contrary. Read more
Read MoreACSOL Conference Attracts More than 170 People from 14 States, Identifies Future Opportunities in 2019
More than 170 people required to register, their loved ones and supporters from 14 states attended the second annual ACSOL conference in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 16. The conference included four plenary speakers as well as 12 workshops. “We shared information, energy and support during the conference,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “We also provided essential tools for daily living to people required to register as well as their loved ones.” After a warm welcome from ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, plenary speaker Laurie Jo Reynolds opened…
Read MoreVA: Groundbreaking Monday for $110 million expansion of treatment center for civilly committed sex offenders
Officials kick off a 258-bed expansion of Virginia’s sex offender treatment center Monday, but caution it could run out of room again not long after completion. The Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation holds and treats sex offenders after their prison terms have ended if they are deemed by courts to be “sexually violent predators” who remain too dangerous to be released. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Changes to sex offender registration system now in effect
Significant changes to Nevada’s sex offender registration system are in effect. Assembly Bill 579 (AB 579) aligns Nevada sex offender registration laws with the federal requirements of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. While enacted in 2007, AB 579 has been on hold pending the outcome of litigation to stop implementation. On April 27, 2018, the Nevada Supreme Court denied further delay to implementation and authorized AB 579 to take effect. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Legislation forbids bus stops near sex offender homes
To protect the safety of young children, the New York State Senate has passed legislation prohibiting the placement of school bus stops in front of the home of registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Can there be life after civil commitment?
[narsol.org – 6/15/18] By Sandy . . . Over forty years ago, Wayne Chapman was convicted of raping two boys. He claimed to have had as many as a hundred victims. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison, and when that was completed, under Massachusetts’s civil commitment laws, was confined further in a non-criminal facility where he was to be treated and evaluated and from where he would be released when he was determined no longer to be a danger to society. That determination has been made. Chapman, now…
Read MoreTX: Commissioners call on state to strengthen sex offender laws
[cleburnetimesreview.com – 6/15/18]\ The problem warrants concern, and is growing, Johnson County Sheriff Adam King said. “We’re averaging two to four new sex offenders per week moving into the county as the cities continue to squeeze them out,” King said. And it’s not just the cities within Johnson County. “As a suburban county next door to a large urbanized county we’re getting a lot of sex offenders moving into the unincorporated portions of Johnson County,” Johnson County Commissioner Larry Woolley said. The problem, King and Woolley said, is the authority…
Read MoreIL: Good news. A Win in Illinois!
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 6/15/18] In April, we wrote about an FAC member currently exiled from his home country because of International Megan’s Law. One of our members, who has a decades-old conviction, for which he got probation, left the country 17 years ago and hasn’t come back. He went on to live a good life in this other country, established a business, got married and had three children. In October, his mother fell gravely ill and he returned to see her. When he flew into the country (another state) he did…
Read MoreWA: County to pay $115K to man mistakenly listed as sex offender
[kimatv.com – 6/14/18] YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. – The county has agreed to settle a lawsuit involving a man who was wrongfully listed as a sex offender. Yakima County will pay local man Damian Garza Cantu $115,000 after someone else’s criminal convictions of third degree rape were mistakenly placed on his record. Read more Related links: WA: County to pay $115K to man mistakenly listed as sex offender [floridaactioncommittee.org – 6/14/18]
Read MoreCO, TN: Foxes Guarding the Henhouse in Colorado and Tennessee
[blog.womenagainstregistry.org – 6/13/18] Colorado’s House Bill 18-1427 to eliminate conflicts of interests within the state’s Sex Offender Management Board seemed like a sure thing. The measure had not only bipartisan support but also support of D.A.’s that prosecute sex offenders and the ACLU. Isn’t this the “dream team” that government wants, all sides coming together for the good of the people and agreeing to support a bill. So on Monday, when Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper suddenly “VETOED” the legislation which was aimed at eliminating anything that could be perceived as a “conflict of…
Read MoreIN: Bill that prevents sex offenders from living near victims signed by governor
INDIANAPOLIS – A bill authored by State Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, that prevents sex offenders from living near victims was ceremonially signed into law Monday by Gov. Eric Holcomb. Senate Enrolled Act 12 makes it unlawful for a sex offender to intentionally establish residence within one mile of their victim. Although this is current law for victims who are minors, SEA 12 extends the protection to all victims regardless of age. Full Article
Read MoreUSDOJ announces arrest of 2300 for alleged online child sex crimes.
[justice.gov – 6/12/18] The Department of Justice today announced the arrest of more than 2,300 suspected online child sex offenders during a three-month, nationwide, operation conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces. The task forces identified 195 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse, and 383 children who suffered recent, ongoing, or historical sexual abuse or production of child pornography. The 61 ICAC task forces, located in all 50 states and comprised of more than 4,500 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies,…
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