State Representative Kevin Skulczyck confirmed on Tuesday that he would like to see chemical castration performed on convicted sex offenders as a form of punishment. He said that the proposal will be on his “Top 5” list of priorities going into next year’s legislative session. Source
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NC: Rep. Davis co-sponsors bill to charge sex offenders registration fees
Convicted sex offenders would be required to pay a fee to be listed on North Carolina’s Sex Offender Registry, under a bill co-sponsored by a New Hanover County lawmaker. Full Article
Read MoreNY: The troubling question of sex offenders driving for ride services (Editorial)
It’s a serious question, and one that deserves serious consideration: With the proliferation of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, and the isolated and unsupervised environments in which they do business, what should be the policy on sex offenders as drivers? Full Article
Read MorePA: Police warning of fake sex offender notification letters
Police in Lawrence County are telling residents to be on the lookout for fake sex offender warnings being circulated. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Pricey polygraph testing of sex offenders under fire as critics target accuracy, expense
Colorado has spent more than $5 million to administer polygraph tests on convicted sex offenders over the last seven years, despite concerns that the results are so unreliable that they can’t be used at trial. Polygraphs, often called lie-detector tests, are used to determine which prisoners convicted of sex offenses are suited for release by probing their sexual history, attitudes about their crimes and whether they are committing new offenses. They also guide how offenders on parole or probation are supervised. But a bipartisan group of legislators has joined offenders…
Read MoreMT: Man receives pardon for 1995 rape conviction against his now wife
A Glasgow man spent years of his life behind bars for a crime even his “victim” says he didn’t commit. ___ ___ met his now wife, ____, back in 1995 when he was 19 and she was 15. Full Article
Read MoreCO: Professional polygrapher holds position of power on state’s sex-offender treatment board
A professional polygrapher has an influential role in rewriting the rules in Colorado for how often their profession conducts lie-detector testing on sex offenders, an arrangement that critics have called a conflict of interest. Colorado will pay Jeff Jenks’ Wheat Ridge polygraph firm, Amich & Jenks Inc., up to $1.9 million to polygraph sex offenders in prison from 2010 to 2020, according to state contracts. Full Article
Read MoreNE: Judge asks why state wants to put boy on sex offender list
Federal appellate judges focused their questions this week on an attorney for the state, asking why Nebraska is pushing to put a 15-year-old boy on the state’s public sex offender registry rather than use “good old police discretion.” Full Article
Read MoreMI: Detroit Cops Raid an Innocent Family’s Home at Gunpoint on Bogus Sex-Trafficking Tip
In the high days of America’s militarized war on drugs, baseless and botched home raids have become a defining feature—with often disastrous consequences. Now we’re seeing the same sort of overzealous enforcement efforts in the fight against forced prostitution. This week, Detroit police raided an innocent family’s home after receiving a faulty sex-trafficking tip and then seeing two teens enter the house. One of the teens was the family’s 13-year-old daughter, who lived there. She wound up face-down and handcuffed on the floor, along with the rest of her family,…
Read MoreSex offender fails to meet registration requirements
An Austin County jury convicted ___ ___, 43, of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements May 3 in Judge Jeff Steinhauser’s 155thJudicial District Court. Evidence concluded May 2, around 2:30 p.m., and the jury delivered the guilty verdict the next day after more than eight hours of deliberation. After punishment evidence was presented, the jury deliberated about 25 minutes before sentencing Ward to 99 years in prison. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Kenosha to loosen residency rules for sex offenders
Residency restrictions the city of Kenosha places on sex offenders could soon change. On Monday evening, the city’s Public Safety and Welfare Committee approved ordinance changes proposed by Mayor John Antaramian to repeal and recreate some of the city’s rules. The changes must still pass City Council later this month. The proposal would shorten from 2,500 to 1,000 feet the distance from a prohibited location where sex offenders could temporarily or permanently reside. Full Article
Read MoreWI: “Romeo and Juliet” offenders wouldn’t be listed on sex offender registry
A group of lawmakers says Wisconsin’s sex offender registry is watered down with teenagers who have no purpose being on it, and they’ve proposed legislation to carve out a so-called “Romeo and Juliet” exemption. Under the bill, teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 years old who have consensual sex would no longer be put on the state registry, though they would be guilty of a misdemeanor crime. Wisconsin law makes it illegal for two people under the age of 18 to have sexual contact, regardless of consent. Full…
Read MoreNJ: Upholds Lie Detector Tests for Sex Offenders
Paroled sex offenders must submit to lie detector tests as part of the conditions of their release but must be made more clearly aware of their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled Monday in rejecting a challenge to the tests. Full Article
Read MoreCO: After two years of debate, Colorado teen sexting bill heads to Governor
A compromise teen sexting bill is heading to the desk of Colorado’s governor after passing both chambers of the state’s legislature and more than two years of fierce debate about how to address the complicated issue that’s becoming more prevalent. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Residents can participate in sex offender sentencing survey
A public input survey regarding sex offender sentencing is now available to Connecticut residents until June 2. The State of Connecticut Sentencing Commission’s Special Committee on Sex Offenders created the survey to identify concerns the public may have. The survey touches upon sentencing, the sex offender registry for Connecticut and the supervision and management of sex offenders on parole or probation. Full Article / Survey
Read MoreNY: Lawmakers Brainstorm Sex Offender Legislation Reform
More than a dozen local lawmakers and law enforcers gathered at Yorktown Town Hall last week at a roundtable organized by state Sen. Terrence Murphy in an effort to update and strengthen legislation that will keep communities safe from sexual predators. Currently, he said, there are more than 1,200 registered sex offenders living in Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Judge Stays Further Action in Minnesota Sex Offenders Case
A federal judge has stayed further proceedings in a class-action lawsuit over Minnesota’s sex offender treatment program while lawyers for the offenders ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court finding that the program is constitutional. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Lauren’s Kids racks up six-figure donations via auto tag registration renewals
In January, Broward County car owners who received their auto tag renewal notices also got a special message from Lauren’s Kids, the nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child sex abuse and founded by freshman State Sen. Lauren Book. Inside the envelopes, colorful flyers bearing Lauren’s Kids logo wished vehicle registrants a happy birthday while segueing into an ominous stat: “Yet shockingly, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday.” Full Article
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