A lawsuit before a federal appeals court may have broad implications for Alabama’s sex offender laws, which some critics claim are the harshest in the United States. Montgomery resident Michael McGuire is suing the state of Alabama for relief from the residency restrictions, travel limits, sex offender registration and other punishments that accompany a conviction of a sexual offense. The case is before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Full Article
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OH: Overhaul could drop thousands from sex offender registry
Two decades after Ohio began labeling sex offenders on a public database and setting restrictions on where they can live, a major overhaul to the law is being proposed that could drop thousands of lower-level offenders off the list Some critics are even calling for doing away with the registry entirely, saying it’s been an expensive effort with little benefit to the public. Full Article
Read MoreTN: Sex offenders move to Tennessee for lax laws
Tennessee’s sex offender laws are so lax, the Giles County sheriff says offenders are crossing the Alabama border to move to Tennessee. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Prosecutor agrees to settle Knoxville ‘sexting’ lawsuit
The Marion County Attorney’s Office has agreed not to bring a criminal charge against a teenage girl who sent photos of herself in her underwear to a classmate, settling a civil rights lawsuit alleging that prosecutors overstepped their bounds in trying to force her into community service and special classes. Full Article
Read MoreOR: New law means life sentences for second-strike sex offenders
Repeat rapists and certain sex offenders can now be given a “two strikes and you’re out” ticket to life in prison under a bill recently passed by the Oregon Legislature. Senate Bill 1050 imposes presumptive sentences for those convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy or first-degree unlawful sexual penetration if the defendant has been previously convicted of those crimes or an equivalent federal offense. Full Article
Read MorePA: Judge was right to protect foreign kids from U.S. sex predator, court says
An Allegheny County judge acted correctly when she sentenced a sex predator to a 20- to 40-year prison term to ensure he’ll be too old to molest foreign children when he is eventually deported, a state appeals court panel has ruled. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Should independent living complexes have to notify residents of sex offenders?
The Houston Housing Authority has changed the way the agency reviews its 60,000 tenants after Channel 2 Investigates found a registered sex offender getting a housing allowance he is barred from receiving. Full Article
Read MoreIA: State can’t block sex offender from having smart phone
The state can’t stop a convicted sex offender from having a smart phone or internet access, according to a ruling from the Iowa Court of Appeals. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Sex offenders banned from driving for Uber, Lyft
When Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers approved a ride-hailing law in April, it would have allowed certain low-level sex offenders to drive for companies like Uber and Lyft. That’s no longer the case. Cuomo signed a bill late last week block all sex offenders from driving for ride-hailing companies for as long as they are listed on the state’s registry, regardless of the severity of their crime and how long ago it was committed. Full Article
Read MoreBusiness Ethics Discussion Topic – Public Accommodation and the Sex Offender Registry
My company operates campgrounds on public lands under contract with various public agencies. Over the past several years, there has been a lot of discussion about public accommodation (e.g. can a private photographer choose not to serve a gay wedding). This has never really been a big issue for me in my business, both due to my personal tolerance of just about anyone and the fact that we operate on public lands, which gives us an extra responsibility for broad accommodation. Yesterday a sheriff’s deputy in Arizona comes by one…
Read MoreNC: Iredell sex offender’s charges dismissed after Supreme Court ruling on social media
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has overturned a nearly 10-year-old law in North Carolina that banned registered sex offenders from using social media like Facebook. The unanimous ruling allows the roughly 257 registered sex offenders in Iredell County access to social media online, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Woman’s License Mistakenly Marked ‘Sexual Predator’
A Florida woman took her children to Disney World for a fun weekend, but was denied service at the hotel. When she asked why she was not allowed to stay there, she was shocked by the response. Now, the mother is taking legal action. Tammy Lemasters was denied service at Disney World and when she asked why, she was told it was because her driver’s license listed her as a sexual predator, the New York Daily News reports. She was shocked by the revelation, as she has no history of any…
Read MoreFL: Registered sex offenders listing Walmart as their home address
Attention Walmart shoppers, pervs in aisle seven! Customers at the retail giant’s store in Cocoa, Florida, were shocked to hear that at least 16 registered sex offenders have listed the place as their home address, WFTV reported. State law permits homeless offenders to use the address of the closest physical address for their registration. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Why sex offenders suing southeast Wisconsin cities
Several southeast Wisconsin cities are now the target of federal lawsuits by registered sex offenders. The two civil rights attorneys representing them recently won a major verdict against Pleasant Prairie. Full Article
Read MoreMO: Supreme Court backs confining sex offenders indefinitely
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a state law allowing two sex offenders to be committed indefinitely to mental institutions after prison is constitutional. Full Article
Read MoreNJ: Rape victim pushes for stronger child protection
It took 14 years for Jackie Anselmo to go public with her nightmare. Set off by a discovery on social media in the spring, the 28-year-old Lakewood resident decided she had held her trauma in long enough. At age 14, a 24-year-old relative raped her and sexually abused her over a period of years, Anselmo said. He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. The Asbury Park Press usually does not name victims of sexual assaults, but Anselmo allowed her name and photo…
Read MoreNY: Mayoral candidate Akeem Browder addresses past as registered sex offender, convicted felon
Green Party mayoral candidate Akeem Browder is a registered sex offender and twice convicted felon, public records show. Browder pleaded guilty in 2000 to an act of sodomy with a 12-year-old girl that took place in 1997 when he was 15, according to the national sex offender registry, which classifies him as a level-three sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreSCOTUS: High court won’t hear sex offender case
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a request to review a McLean County case involving the issue of whether registered sex offenders should have access to social media. Full Article Related IL: A setback for First Amendment protection for anonymous speech
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