WI: Illinois judge who reversed rape conviction removed from bench after panel finds he circumvented law

Source: yahoo.com 2/24/24 CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois judge who sparked outrage by reversing a man’s rape conviction involving a 16-year-old girl has been removed from the bench after a judicial oversight body found he circumvented the law and engaged in misconduct. The Illinois Courts Commission removed Adams County Judge Robert Adrian from the bench Friday after it held a three-day hearing in Chicago in November on a compliant filed against Adrian. Its decision says Adrian “engaged in multiple instances of misconduct” and “abused his position of power to indulge…

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Texas, New York, Florida, California, Rhode Island residents among those arrested in 275 non-citizen offender sweep

Source: fallriverreporter.com 2/23/24 WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations officers apprehended 275 unlawfully present non-citizen sex offenders during a nation-wide law enforcement effort that ran from February 5-16, 2024. “ICE is committed to protecting America through the arrest and removal of those who undermine public safety and disregard our laws,” said ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner. “Thanks to the around-the-clock efforts of our ERO officers, our communities are safe from 275 individuals who have demonstrated their…

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WI: At least 30 registered sex offenders live in WI nursing homes, records show

Source: wisn.com 2/22/24 When a family decides to admit their loved one to a nursing home, there is an implied level of trust the facility and its staff will keep that individual safe. … Wisconsin law does not require nursing home leadership to notify staff, residents or their families a registered sex offender lives on the property. “That facility is going to address those issues on a case-by-case basis,” Wisconsin Healthcare Association CEO Rick Abrams said. “If notification is appropriate, I have great confidence that they will do that. But…

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CO: Legal Paradox in Colorado: Dismissed Sex Offense Charge Leaves Man on Registry

Source: bnnbreaking.com 2/21/24 Discover the legal anomaly that binds Derek Abram Dulac to a sex offender registry despite the dismissal of his sex offense charge. This case challeng In the heart of Colorado’s judicial labyrinth, Derek Abram Dulac finds himself ensnared in a legal paradox that challenges the essence of justice and rehabilitation. His journey through the court system highlights a peculiar anomaly in the law, one that leaves a man tethered to a sex offender registry for charges that no longer stand against him. It’s a narrative that not…

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WV: Michael Ian Black: West Virginia Republicans Want to Throw Librarians in Jail Over Sexy Stuff

Source: thedailybeast.com 2/21/24 The Mountain State’s House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make schools, libraries, and museums criminally liable if books have too much sexy stuff in them. We’ve got to do something about these sexy, sexy libraries. Instead of public spaces that house books and other collections that are free of charge to borrow, today’s libraries are little more than recruiting stations for drag queens and aggrieved minorities trying to turn our children into godless monsters hellbent on transforming our once-great nation into Queer Valhalla. Dewey Decimal would…

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OH: Some say residency restrictions lack efficacy, fairness to sex offenders

Source: local12.com 2/16/24 A Local 12 investigation is prompting a city to take action against sex offenders violating restrictions about where they can live. The stories have revealed that there are hundreds of people on Hamilton County’s sex offender registry who are violating the law by living too close to schools and relatively little is being done to stop them.  Local 12 found that even in Norwood, which has passed tougher restrictions than the state provides and where violators are aggressively pursued by the city attorney, there were still five…

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MO: Missouri Alliance for Family Restoration advocates for updates to sex offender registry guidelines

Source: baptistnews.com 2/19/24 Sex offender registry guidelines should be updated to more accurately reflect those ex-convicts who remain true threats to others, according to the Missouri Alliance for Family Restoration. MOAFR claims the current registration requirements do not align with the actual level of threat many people previously incarcerated for sex crimes pose for society, and were formulated using outdated and inaccurate statistics. Members of the organization argue the registration requirements should be less strict than they currently are, as to offer “a fair chance to live a productive life…

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FL: Push to abolish sex offender registry picks up steam in Florida

Source: actionnewsjax.com 2/15/24 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are tens of thousands of people on the sex offender registry in Florida right now, but there’s a growing movement from a group pushing to abolish the public list completely. Right now, you can check the public list to see who’s on it and why. They could be your co-workers, neighbors, or a person who comes by to service your home.  “I made a poor judgement call,” a local sex offender told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “I put myself in a situation…

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TN: SB0181 Bill Would Revise Tennessee’s Decades-Old Law Targeting HIV-Positive People Convicted of Sex Work

Source: usnews.com 1/23/24 A proposal advancing in the Tennessee legislature would stop requiring lifetime registration as a violent sex offender for anyone convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would no longer be the only U.S. state to impose a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” on anyone convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV under a proposal that advanced Tuesday in the legislature. The controversial statute still on the books is being challenged in federal court by…

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TN: HB1617 Legislation Filed For Upcoming Session Will Push For Extension On Time Sex Offenders Are Included On Sex Offender Registry In Tennessee

Source: tennesseeconservativenews.com 12/13/24 [see HB1617 for update] The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] – The new General Session is just a few weeks away, and already a flurry of bills are being filed for introduction and consideration in what will be the 114th General Assembly. One of those bills, House Bill 1617 (HB1617), sponsored by Representative Bryan Richey (R-D20-Maryville), if signed into law will extend the amount of time a person who has been convicted of a sexual offense and obligated to register as a sex offender must remain on…

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ID: Idaho bill to extend death penalty unconstitutional, aims for US Supreme Court review

Source: idahostatesman.com 2/13/24 The Idaho House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow the death penalty for anyone convicted of certain sex crimes against preteen children Tuesday, even as its sponsor acknowledged that such a law would be unconstitutional. House Bill 515 is designed to challenge decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent that limited death sentences to defendants who commit murder, said Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle. With the current supermajority of conservative-leaning justices on the nation’s highest court, the hope is…

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Doctors question use of ‘excited delirium’ to explain deaths of suspects in police custody

Source: abajournal.com 2/13/24 [ACSOL note: We are posting this since this concept could be used to excuse hatred towards registrants] In October 2023, three Tacoma, Washington, police officers went on trial for the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died after he was punched, put in a chokehold and tased during a confrontation with police. In December, a jury acquitted the officers of second-degree murder and manslaughter. One detail in the defense’s case may have influenced the jury: A paramedic at the scene testified that he believed…

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How Mandatory Minimums Perpetuate Mass Incarceration and What to Do About It

Source: sentencingproject.org 2/14/24 Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws is essential to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system. Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws is essential to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system. Widespread evidence shows that mandatory minimum sentences produce substantial harm with no overall benefit to crime control.1 Determined by lawmakers rather than judges, these sentences represent a uniquely American approach to sentencing that has accelerated prison growth. They constrain judicial discretion, deepen racial disparities in the criminal legal system, and cause far-reaching harm…

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The problem with criminal records: Discrepancies between state reports and private-sector background checks

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley 7/23/23 Abstract of paper: Criminal records are routinely used by employers and other institutional decision-makers who rely on their presumed fidelity to evaluate applicants. We analyze criminal records for a sample of 101 people, comparing official state reports, two sources of private-sector background checks (one regulated and one unregulated by federal law), and qualitative interviews. Based on our analysis, private-sector background checks are laden with false-positive and false-negative errors:60 percent and 50 percent of participants had at least one false-positive error on their regulated and unregulated background checks,…

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Arkansas Court Sets Hearing Date for Halloween Sign Challenge

Source: ACSOL The federal district court in Arkansas where a lawsuit has been filed challenging a Halloween sign requirement set a hearing in the case for May 2 at 1:30 p.m. in the fifth floor courtroom in Fayetteville.  The purpose of that hearing is “to assess the pretrial needs of the case.”  According to the court document, the trial date for the case will also be set during that hearing. Prior to the May 2 hearing, both parties are required to file several documents, including an important document that is…

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NC: Warning about scam involving NC sex offender registry

Source: wsoctv.com 10/11/23 CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new scam that involves someone impersonating a police officer and people on the North Carolina sex offender registry. According to the sheriff’s office, several people have reported that they were contacted by someone saying they were with the Lenoir Police Department. The person said that some sex offenders were violating their requirements and that if they brought the offender into the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, they would receive a check for $5,000. The…

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VA: Alleged Predator Granny: A Life Ensnared By Virginia Sex Offender Registry

Source: legal-eagles.org 2/9/24 Recent Denial of Appeal: Tammy Lawson’s Ongoing Struggle for Justice In the realm of legal battles, few narratives are as poignant as that of Tammy Lawson, whose life has been ensnared in the complexities of the justice system. Despite her unwavering innocence, Tammy’s journey has been fraught with unjust consequences, the most recent being the denial of her appeal. see our previous May 31, 2023 Blog Tammy’s saga dates back to a series of unfortunate events, where she found herself wrongly implicated in a legal quagmire. Accused…

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IN: Indiana HB 1307 would mean register for life if moving to Indiana

Source: thestatehousefile.com 1/18/24 The Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee discussed several bills Wednesday, including HB 1203 and HB 1307, both of which were held for … … HB 1307 was authored by Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn. “The first thing that 1307 does is if a sex offender moves from another state to Indiana, they would be required to register for the entire time they are in Indiana and in effect for life. Second, it prevents a serious sex offender from being in a park when they can reasonably…

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