[blog.womenagainstregistry.org] U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at a conference for the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Nashville, TN on Thursday, his focus, increasing the prison population! You would think that government would be more interested in decreasing prison population, wouldn’t you? The federal prison population has decreased from 220,000 to 180,000 over the past few years. To me, that would seem like a good thing, we’re getting a handle on crime and fairer sentencing. What part of that doesn’t Mr. Sessions get? He wants to pursue “longer”…
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NJ: How the new ‘child erotica’ law might help stop sex predators
[nj.com] A new law that further defines child pornography and more heavily prosecutes those who distribute and possess it went into effect recently, and law enforcers are hoping it’ll help keep offenders behind bars. The legislation effectively closes a gap where possessors of “child erotica” — photos or videos of children who are being portrayed sexually or exploited — but aren’t necessarily nude, wasn’t considered child pornography. They are now. The law was signed by Gov. Chris Christie in July 2017 and went into effect Feb. 1. Officials say it’ll…
Read MoreNational Registry of Exonerations 2017 report [document]
[law.umich.edu] The National Registry of Exonerations recently issued its 2017 report. Of the 139 exonerations they added to the registry in 2017, 21% were for sex crimes, not counting the two for registration crimes. About half of all the exonerations were based on the conclusion that no crime had been committed (as opposed to the finding that the exoneree was not the perpetrator). Eleven of these were child sexual abuse convictions. Download the Exonerations In 2017 report [PDF] The original path is: https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/ExonerationsIn2017.pdf
Read MoreNY: Bills re-instate residency/ proximity laws, Shelter Bans and end Statutes of Limitations
[once-fallen.blogspot] Read comments by once-fallen.blogspot Read NY Assembly Bill A9505C Read NY Senate Bill S7505B
Read MoreTrump’s ‘Bipartisan’ Nominees to Sentencing Commission Tilt Conservative
[thecrimereport.org] President Donald Trump’s four nominees to the U.S. Sentencing Commission include three well-known conservatives who may be inclined to support tougher sentences in federal criminal cases. The White House announcement Thursday described it as a “bipartisan group” of nominees, but if all of them are approved by the Senate, the voting majority of the six-member commission (two of whom serve as ex-officio, nonvoting members), could tilt rightward, according to observers. The commission, an independent judiciary agency, was created by Congress in 1984 “to reduce sentencing disparities and promote transparency…
Read MoreAt the Fox News Site, a Sudden Focus on Women as Sex Offenders
[nytimes.com] In November, there was the story of a 22-year-old science teacher arrested in Oklahoma for her “sex romp” with a male student. In September, an article told of a 38-year-old teacher who kissed a student and let him “touch her breasts behind Culver’s,” a burger joint in Kerrville, Tex. And in July there was a report on a 54-year-old music teacher in Georgia who, a headline announced, “blames male student, 17, for tricking her into having sex ‘like a used-car salesman.’” Instances of female teachers sexually abusing male students…
Read MoreIL: Sex offender facing charges in Troy sues, says burden to prove innocence is too high
A Florida man facing child sex assault charges has filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois alleging that the burden of proof placed on him to prove his innocence is too high. ____ ____ says Illinois’ laws “allow convictions without proof,” placing a crippling burden on the defendant and lowering the burden of proof for prosecutors so much so that they only need to place someone on the stand and point and say, “He did it.” This, he said, is a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights to protect…
Read MoreHow A Trailer Park Becomes A Secret Haven For Sex Offenders
[cracked.com] “Sex Offender Trailer Park” sounds like either a great horror movie, a middling rock band, or a horrible sitcom. In real life, neighborhoods like that do exist, because of a problem society has no goddamned idea how to solve. In many cities, laws keep registered sex offenders from living anywhere near where children gather, which means there are only tiny areas where they can live. We talked to James, who owned a trailer park that became known as a haven for the people society would prefer not to deal…
Read MoreMA: Sex offender registry changes sought
The lowest level of convicted sex offenders would be required to register with local police and face increased scrutiny under plans to expand the state’s registry. A proposal by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr would require Level 1 sex offenders to register with police in person, while their names, addresses and other information would be added to a searchable online database, along with those of more serious Level 2 and 3 offenders. Full Article
Read MoreAZ: Sex offender registration on campus: important for public safety or counterproductive for reintegration?
ASU works with local law enforcement agencies to ensure that convicted sex offenders who work or study on campus comply with sex offender registration and community notification policies as mandated by state law. Those in favor of such requirements say they are important for public safety. But registered offenders and their advocates say these requirements are often counterproductive and affect offenders’ ability to get a second chance, especially in university settings. Full Article
Read MoreFL: A National Push For Victims’ Rights is Now Hitting Florida. But Critics Are Fighting Back
[injusticetoday.com] Voters in Florida may soon get to decide whether to give victims of crime a bigger say in the criminal justice system. A proposed amendment to the state constitution known as Marsy’s Law for Florida would enshrine specific rights for crime victims, such as the right to privacy and the “right to be reasonably protected from the accused.” It would also give victims legal standing to testify during hearings to determine a defendant’s bail, sentencing, plea deals and parole. “The pain a victim suffers in the aftermath of a…
Read MoreMO: To better spot sexual predators, schools get advice from teachers convicted of sex crimes
[news-leader.com] To better safeguard schools from sexual predators, the Center for Education Safety turned to an unlikely source: Former Missouri teachers convicted of crossing the line with students. Six former school employees, most still behind bars, agreed to answer questions from a former law enforcement officer who works as training coordinator for the center, which is part of the Missouri School Boards’ Association. At a training Monday in Springfield for school safety coordinators, interviewer Gary Moore shared what he gained by asking the convicted felons how they chose and groomed…
Read MoreNY: Outdated Ideas About Violent Crime Hurt Victims and Trap Offenders
[citylimits.org] On August 21st, 1979, two girls aged 17 and 21 entered Rose and Louis Feit’s apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn and demanded money. Rose refused, so the girls grabbed a knife and a potato peeler out of the kitchen drawer. Rose Feit, who was 73, was left with 28 stab wounds, according to court records. Louis, who was 80, had 59. Both died of their injuries. Valerie Gaiter, the 21-year-old, was convicted of two counts of robbery and two counts of second-degree murder. Almost 40 years later, she’s still technically…
Read MoreMN: West St. Paul votes to loosen rules on where sex offenders can live
West St. Paul loosened its rules on where sex offenders can live Monday night, after struggling to strike a balance between residents’ concerns and possible legal repercussions of its highly restrictive policy. Full Article
Read MoreOK: Senate approves bill to fix loophole that allowed convicted sex offender to live next to victim
State leaders are taking action after a victim shined a light on a little known loophole in Oklahoma’s law. “He’s like right there, practically in my backyard and that kind of makes me nervous and not want to go home ever,” Danyelle Dyer told News 4 last year. Danyelle says her uncle, ____ ____, was released from prison after he was convicted of molesting her when she was a child. Full Article
Read MoreFixing a Non-Existent Problem with an Ineffective Solution [paper]
[uakron.edu] Sex offender. This is an extremely consequential label, carrying with it a harsh—and often unjustified—stigma. Virgil McCranie certainly did not want this label. Virgil was 19 years old and his girlfriend Misty was 14 years old when they first had sex. But later, Misty learned that Virgil had cheated on her, so she told her father that she had slept with Virgil. Enraged, Misty’s father went to the police with this information; Virgil was subsequently charged with statutory rape. Because she was under the age of consent at the…
Read MoreMI: Wyatt’s Law: Proposed legislation aims to create statewide child abuser registry
[wxyz.com] A local mother is fighting to fix a broken system that leaves children vulnerable to extreme abuse at the hands of repeat offenders. “It was like oh my God. My worst fears came true. I was right. His case came into the prosecutor’s office as a homicide because they didn’t expect him to pull through,” says Erica Hammel, who’s son nearly died as a result of physical abuse. Today, Erica’s son Wyatt lives with major injuries that have impacted his day to day life. “That’s the heartbreaking thing for…
Read MoreUnjust Sexual Offense Laws: Insanity and Hope
[criminallegalnews.org] Unjust Laws Over the past 25 years, the U.S. has developed a pernicious system of sexual offense laws, including increased sentences and public registries of offenders. Based largely on unfounded hysteria surrounding a tiny fraction of high-profile cases, these laws today are a tangled mess and cause considerable injustice. The problems are caused in large measure by lawmakers’ desires to seem tough on crime and their lack of knowledge about the facts. There is a very broad brush applied to the term “sex offender.” Most, in fact, are not…
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