[heritage.org 3/8/18] Gundy v. United States could result in a ruling that would challenge Congress’ tendency to delegate lawmaking authority to executive offices. Key takeaways: SORNA established a comprehensive system of registering sex offenders and requires offenders to register in the jurisdiction where they live, work, or go to school. In practice, however, Congress delegates quite a bit of authority to executive branch officials and administrative agencies. When Justice Neil Gorsuch was on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, he dissented from the court’s denial of an en banc…
Read MoreCategory: National
NY: Prosecutors Aren’t Just Enforcing the Law — They’re Making It
[injusticetoday.com 4/20/18] Just a few months ago, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo seemed sure that criminal justice reform was imminent. During his annual State of the State address in January, he called for a legislative package that would limit civil asset forfeiture, reform discovery, reduce trial delays, and most notably, significantly reduce the use of cash bail. “For far too long, our antiquated criminal justice system has created a two-tier system where outcomes depend purely on economic status — undermining the bedrock principle that one is innocent until proven guilty,” Cuomo said.…
Read MoreLA: Two Louisiana elementary school students arrested for child porn over nude Snapchats
[fox59.com 4/20/18] SLIDELL, La. – Police arrested two Louisiana elementary school students after they allegedly distributed nude photos to classmates using a social media app. The Bonne Ecole Elementary students, a girl and a boy, were booked on charges of distribution of child pornography, according to the Slidell Police Department. The female student allegedly used Snapchat to send nude pictures of herself to the male student, who allegedly sent them to other classmates. Read more
Read MoreIL: Fake Facts And Rational Basis
[simplejustice.us 4/12/18] When the constitutionality of a law is challenged, the most critical factor is the test use by the court in deciding whether it passes scrutiny. If it’s strict scrutiny, the law almost always gets crushed. But then, strict scrutiny is reserved for laws that implicate fundamental rights, which are fundamental because the Supremes say they are. And the others? Last week the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a state law banning sex offenders from public parks, overturning a 2017 appeals court ruling that deemed the statute “unconstitutional on its…
Read MoreMeet the activists demanding elimination of the sex offender registry
[therooster.com 4/19/18] “The tide is going to turn against sex offender registries when people realize they’re more likely to end up on the registry than to be molested by someone on it,” says Lenore Skenazy, author, columnist and activist for the elimination of sex offender registries. She lists off the offenses that could put a person on a public list of social outcasts widely seen as pedophiles, predators and rapists: You could be a sex offender if you go to a prostitute. You could be a sex offender if you…
Read MoreRegistry Restrictions VS Parental Rights
[womenagainstregistry.org 4/19/18] Recently I wrote a piece on Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s denying and then limiting a father who also happens to be a registrant, access to visit his ill child in the hospital. A father who was doing right by his child, being responsible, being there to comfort his ailing son. This week I read another article about Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital/South St. Louis who is denying a father who also happens to be a registrant, (his offense was in 2004) further visitation with his premature son in NICU.…
Read MoreAL: Eye spy a sex offender: Jeffco Sheriff’s Office touts use of iris scans in fighting crime
[al.com 4/19/18] When an inmate was recently booked into the Jefferson County Jail, he lied about who he was and when he was born. At one time, it could have been hours or days before lawmen discovered his true identity, but biometric technology now being used by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office gave them his correct identity in a matter of seconds based on a previous arrest in Atlanta. The sheriff’s office nine months ago became the first law enforcement agency in Alabama to implement the Inmate Recognition & Identification…
Read MoreMap of Registered Sex Offenders in the United States
[missingkids.com] Map of totals of Registered Sex Offenders in each state prepared 11/28/2017 by NCMEC: http://www.missingkids.com/content/dam/ncmec/en_us/documents/Sex_Offenders_Map.pdf
Read MoreNC: Lawsuit moves forward in twice-delayed hearing on Motion to Dismiss
[narsol.org 4/18/18] By Robin Vander Wall . . . At a hearing in federal court (Middle District, NC) on Monday, April 16, 2018, NARSOL, NCRSOL, and two John Doe plaintiffs were represented by Attorney Paul Dubbeling to defend against the state of North Carolina’s Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit filed in January, 2017 seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under section 1983 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code (Civil Action for deprivation of rights). Forty six named defendants were represented by Attorney Lauren Clemmons of the N.C. Attorney General’s office.…
Read MorePA: Bill would ban sex offenders from firefighter rosters
[abc27.com 4/19/18] HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban convicted sex offenders from serving as firefighters. Under House Bill 2220, professional and volunteer firefighters would have to submit to a background check or sign a statement saying they’ve never been convicted of a sexual offense. Pennsylvania already prohibits convicted arsonists from serving as firefighters, but whether a convicted sex offender may serve is up to each individual community to decide. Republican Rep. Kathy Rapp introduced the proposal after a fire chief in her Crawford County…
Read MoreMN: Supporting policy to prevent harm: Identifying gaps to support children with sexual behavior problems
[sajrt.blogspot.com 4/13/18] By Hannah Laniado (Prevention Program Manager, MNCASA at [email protected]) & Julie Patrick (National Partners Liaison, Raliance at [email protected]) Recently, the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA) published, Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Improving Minnesota’s ability to provide early identification and intervention services through policy and practice recommendations (June 2017), a comprehensive report outlining the data collection, literature review, and formation of recommendations for implementation. This is the first in-depth look at how one state can create change to improve intervention, prevention and response to children with sexual behavior…
Read MoreThe Sex Trafficking Panic Is Based On Myths
[buzzfeed.com 4/18/18] As they crack down on sex workers and pass outrageous new laws, our politicians and moral crusaders make some bold claims: Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of sex trafficking is one oft-cited figure. Kids are entering sex work at an average age of 13, says another. But is any of this true? Good data is hard to come by in an industry kept largely in the shadows. That’s why, from 2012 to 2014, we spent nine months walking a stretch of road in Las Vegas…
Read MoreWI: Many On GPS Monitoring Are Homeless
[urbanmilwaukee.com 3/10/18] Michael walked out of the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in April 2017 at age 60 with $140 to his name, a record as a sex offender and a GPS monitoring bracelet strapped to his ankle. Michael, who requested that only his middle name be used to avoid public attention, was convicted of two child sex crimes, the most recent in 2006, for which he spent 10 years in prison. Upon release, he traveled to Vernon County, where he had committed his most recent sex crime, and stayed in a…
Read MoreMO: Dad upset he can’t see son in NICU because he’s a registered sex offender
[kmov.com 4/18/18] SOUTH ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – A Metro East dad is upset he’s been banned from seeing his newborn at the hospital because he’s a registered sex offender. The man has asked to remain anonymous to protect his wife and children. “They shouldn’t have to pay the consequences for something I did when I was young and stupid,” said the dad. The man was 19-years-old when the offense happened in 2004. The victim of the aggravated criminal sexual abuse was 13. 14 years later, he is a husband and…
Read MoreRI: My Turn: John R. Grasso: Destroying lives for childish mistakes
[providencejournal.com 4/18/18] Quicksand. That’s what the Internet is for young people. It looks like solid ground but it isn’t. It blends into the surroundings as though it was always there but it wasn’t. The Internet has developed much quicker than our children’s adaptation to it. They have the technology figured out but they do not recognize the dangers. Their parents lag far behind while the police are in hot pursuit. The Barrington Times reported the arrest of two teenagers, a boy and a girl. Both 14 years old. Police charged…
Read MoreOH: Convicted ex-high school athlete wants off sex offender list
[fox19.com 4/16/18] By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A judge is deciding whether a man convicted as a juvenile of raping a 16-year-old girl should be removed from Ohio’s sex offender listings. Judge Thomas Lipps has scheduled a hearing Thursday in juvenile court in Steubenville in the case of former high school football player Ma’Lik Richmond. Richmond was convicted in 2013 of raping the West Virginia girl during a drunken party following a football scrimmage the previous year. Lipps ordered Richmond as a sex offender to register…
Read MoreOK: Governor Fallin Signs Bill Barring Sex Offenders from Living Near Their Victims
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin today signed a bill that helps protect victims from their sex offenders. Fallin signed House Bill (HB) 1124, which prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet and loitering within 1,000 feet from their victims’ homes. Under current Oklahoma law, sex offenders are banned from living near places like schools and playgrounds, but it does not apply to a sex offender living near his or her adult victim. Full Article Related OK: Lawmaker Seeks Change After Sex Offender Gets Out of Prison, Moves Next Door to…
Read MoreAZ: NARSOL supports man who won rare constitutional challenge
[narsol.org 4/9/18] y Larry Neely . . . The National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL) has filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of Stephen Edward May, whose conviction for child molestation in an Arizona case has been set aside by the federal court in Arizona. NARSOL’s interest in May’s case rests on the Arizona statute defining the offense of child molestation to require the accused to prove that any contact with an underage child did not…
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