After being convicted of incest with his teenage niece, a Tippecanoe County man’s sentence contained several probation conditions, including a prohibition on accessing websites “frequented by children” and a prohibition on internet use without prior approval. Those conditions are the subject of an appeal now under review by the Indiana Supreme Court, which will decide whether the conditions, as applied, are unconstitutional. During oral arguments Thursday in Kristopher Weida v. State of Indiana, 79S02-1711-CR-00687, Brian Karle, counsel for Weida, argued against the constitutionality of the probation conditions, telling the justices the…
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VA: Forcing kid to masturbate for cops in sexting case was wrong, court finds
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of a Virginia man who, as a teen, was once ordered by a lower court to be photographed while masturbating in the presence of armed police officers. Full Article
Read MoreTN: Law Leaves Many Schools Afraid to Teach Sexual Abuse Prevention
Teachers and school systems fear running afoul of the gateway law, which allows teachers to be fined up to $500 for discussing “gateway sexual activity” in the classroom. Full Article
Read MoreOR: After 15 years, ex-lawyer branded as child molester wins a reversal
The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed the conviction of a former lawyer who was found guilty in 2002 of sexually touching a 10-year-old girl in the kitchen of a McMinnville home, in a case riddled with questionable evidence. Although Bradley Christopher Holbrook has already served a 6 ¼-year prison sentence, the reversal means he will no longer be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and carry that stigma. It also means that he won’t be a convicted felon anymore and could…
Read MorePA: Legislature to address Pa’s sex offender registration laws
A bill introduced this week in Harrisburg attempts to fix flaws in the state’s sex-offender registration system identified in a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in July and could affect more than 10,000 registrants. Full Article
Read MoreNH: Public pool can’t ban sex offender
PORTSMOUTH — City Attorney Robert Sullivan confirmed he recently met with a group of people who are concerned because a registered sex offender has been using the Portsmouth Indoor Pool. The pool, located near the high school, is used by community members and youth and school swim teams. After the meeting, Sullivan said, he reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire to get its input. “The actions which the city might be able to take or which the city might be prevented from taking would be…
Read MoreCO: Town of Palisade lowers fee sex offenders are required to pay to register
[thedenverchannel.com] PALISADE, Colo. – In a move designed to encourage compliance from offenders, the town of Palisade has lowered the fees associated with registering as a sex offender. The decision to lower the fee from $75 a year to $25 a year was made earlier this month by the Board of Trustees, Denver7 news partner KJCT reported. The Palisade Police Department asked the board to lower the fee on behalf of offenders, who may be dissuaded to register because of the financial burden. The reduction of fees is not expected…
Read MoreMA: Lawmakers consider shining light on secret sex offenders
Secret sex offenders could soon be forced out of the shadows in Massachusetts. The state considers Level 1 sex offenders a low risk to re-offend so information about them is not available to the public, but a bill under consideration on Beacon Hill would allow people to find out if a specific person is a Level 1 offender or if a Level 1 offender lives at a particular address. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Former sex offender challenges residence restrictions
On Oct. 2, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari in Snyder v Doe, a decision from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said that Michigan’s sex offender registration law violated the Ex Post Facto Clause’s ban on retroactive punishment. The law restricted where former sex offenders could live. The 6th Circuit is at odds with many other opinions that have rejected constitutional challenges to sex offender laws, but that didn’t convince the Supreme Court to take the case. The court invited the Solicitor General…
Read MoreParole violations are driving prison’s revolving door
[Richmond Times-Dispatch] (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Shawn D. Bushway, University at Albany, State University of New York and David J. Harding, University of California, Berkeley (THE CONVERSATION) Rapper Meek Mill is back in prison in Pennsylvania for violating the terms of his probation. According to officials, Mill left the state without permission, did not meet with his probation officer, tested positive for Percocet, failed to complete community service and got into a fight at an airport. Mill’s case…
Read MoreOK: Tenth Circuit COA upholds Oklahoma driver’s license requirement
[NARSOL] By Robin . . . Unpersuaded by the court-appointed counsel’s encouragement to read a prison inmate’s pro se lawsuit liberally enough to include a First Amendment complaint, the Tenth Circuit has affirmed a lower Court’s judgment dismissing a challenge to Oklahoma’s requirement that citizens convicted of an “aggravated sex offense” must have their driver’s licenses (and state-issued identification cards) stamped with the words “Sex Offender.” The National Association of Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL), represented by John J. Korzen (Wake Forest School of Law) was joined by its state…
Read MoreIL: Sex offender back in court on internet access issue
A Normal man whose sexual abuse case is at the center of a legal debate over whether sex offenders should have access to the internet was back in court Monday, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his case. Full Article
Read MoreFL: With more sex offenders, probation officers want more money
With an increase in some of the state’s most dangerous sex offenders living outside of prisons and on probation, some of the state officers assigned to watch them have asked the Legislature for a raise to keep the most experienced on board. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Florida bill would declare porn a public health crisis: causes ‘unhealthy brain development’
[lifesitenews.com] FLORIDA, November 22, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The state of Florida may declare pornography a public health crisis because of the myriad health and brain problems it causes. Rep. Ross Spano, who represents House District 59, introduced a resolution acknowledging “pornography is creating a public health crisis and contributing to the hypersexualization of children and teens.” If the resolution passes, the declaration that pornography is a public health crisis will mean the government “acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect the citizens of this state.”…
Read MoreAZ: Buckeye Police create registry program for individuals with autism, other disabilities
[abc15.com] The Buckeye Police Department has launched a registry and identification program for individuals with autism and other conditions after a city officer mistook an autistic teen for a drug user earlier this year. Buckeye officials said the voluntary program will help officers better manage calls and interactions. But experts and civil rights leaders worry about its implementation. Read more
Read MoreTX: Jefferson Co. D.A.: Zero tolerance for sex offenders
[KFDM.com] Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham tells KFDM News that his office has zero tolerance for sex offenders and will not support a sentence of probation for anyone convicted of a sex offense. Wortham said the holiday season is a time when sex crimes often increase. He says 90 percent of the offenders know their victims. In fact, he said, of the 150 cases set for trial in Jefferson County, all but one are cases in which the offender knows the victim. Wortham urges parents to talk with their…
Read MoreTX: District Attorney puts sex offenders on notice, warns parents that strangers are least of their worries
Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham has a message for unregistered sex offenders looking for a place to hide: stay away from Southeast Texas. “I really think sexual predators should find somewhere else to go,” Wortham said, adding that unregistered sex offenders in Jefferson County would be prosecuted for failing to register and for failing to change their address within seven days of moving. They face third-degree felony charges and punishment ranging from two to 10 years behind bars. Full Article
Read MoreVA: Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration (SB24)
[Richmond Sunlight] Sex offenders in emergency shelters; notification registration. Provides that a registered sex offender who enters an emergency shelter designated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and operated in response to a declared state or local emergency shall, as soon as practicable after entry, notify a member of the shelter’s staff who is responsible for providing security of such person’s status as a registered sex offender. The bill provides that the shelter’s staff may access the publicly available information on the Sex Offender and Crimes Against…
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