Michael Kenneth McAlister has died in Florida, less than two years after his exoneration and release from prison for a 1986 sexual assault he did not commit. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: National
FL: No Voting for Sex Offenders or Murderers Says Florida
Florida’s state Supreme Court on Thursday approved language for a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would restore voting rights to felons after they complete their sentences. If the measure makes it on the ballot and receives a 60% favorable vote, the voting rights of Felons in Florida could be restored upon completion of their sentence. Unfortunately, the rights would not be returned to murders or the very broad category of “sex offenders”. It’s not right! Source https://www.floridiansforafairdemocracy.com/amendment-text
Read MoreOR: Hidden Sex Offenders: Oregon falling far behind on registry overhaul
Oregon has the most sex offenders per capita in the country, but only lists about 2 percent of them on the state’s public website. The state is working to overhaul the system, but critics say that plan falls short and KATU has learned it’s in danger of missing another crucial deadline. Full Article
Read MoreAL: SB301 is going to change the definition of “residence,” and the results will be catastrophic
I have a huge problem with SB 301. The definition of “reside” is being changed by this bill, and not for the better. Most residence definitions deal with where a person sleeps, but this law impacts even where a person spends his time during the day. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Sex offenders win federal lawsuit against Village of Pleasant Prairie: “It’s going to open a lot of doors”
Sex offenders in Kenosha County have won a federal lawsuit against the Village of Pleasant Prairie, in a case that could have nationwide implications. The men who sued said the village’s sex offender residency restrictions violated their constitutional rights. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Should sex offenders pay to be on registry?
Sex offenders would have to pay an annual fine to be listed on the state’s sex offender registry under a bill proposed by N.C. Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover. “There is a cost to continuing to have them on that registry,” Davis said. “The point of this is to get revenue to keep these people on the sex offender registry.” Full Article
Read MoreCO: Kids playing doctor aren’t felony sex offenders – Guest Column
Juvenile cellphone “sexting” is the technological equivalent of playing doctor, something that has been part of human behavior for as long as anyone can remember. Sexual curiosity is a natural part of physical and emotional development in children, and only the most zealous of prudes would argue that innocent exploration ought to constitute a crime. Full Article
Read MoreWV: Sex offender arrested for driving truck to mailbox
The West Virginia State Police have made an arrest for a man failing to update his sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Local sex offender law ruled unconstitutional
A Cheektowaga law created more than a decade ago to serve as a tougher version of New York’s sex offender law. Now, it’s being called unconstitutional. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Judge imposes 100 years in prison for child porn possession for first offender claiming innocence
A 36-year-old St. Johns County man is looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars after Circuit Court Judge Howard Maltz sentenced him to 100 years in prison Wednesday morning. The sentencing came nearly two months after a jury found ____ ____ guilty on 20 counts of possession of child pornography at the end of a two-day February trial. Full Article
Read MoreAR: Bill to Ban Sex Offenders from Museums
Rather than go see a movie, or hang out at home, today Kelly Gifford decided to take her son to a museum. “It’s a great opportunity for my son to have a good time while he’s learning,” Gifford says. She says she learned pretty quickly though that unlike a movie theater or her living room, museums and parks come with their fair share of distractions. “They’re kids. They’re going to run around,” she says. And perhaps nothing is scarier for a parent than the moment a child leaves their sight.…
Read MoreIN: Judge orders 3 off sex offender registry
Three men who moved to Indiana and were required to put their names on the state’s sex offender registry are likely to win their lawsuit that claims they wouldn’t face that requirement had they lived in Indiana all their lives, a judge ruled, ordering their names removed. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender won’t have to pay victim after Utah Supreme Court overturns order in 2003 crime
The Utah Supreme Court has overturned a judge’s order requiring a sex offender to pay his victim for the wages she lost as a result of his abuse in 2003. ____ ____, who sexually exploited a teenage girl, had been ordered by a judge to reimburse the victim almost $13,000 in wages she lost when depression caused by the offense led to problems at work and a reduction in her hours. Full Article
Read MoreMO: Some say new Mo. law tracking sex offenders is unconstitutional
Keeping an eye on sex offenders for life, it’s a new law for Missouri and this now includes first-time offenders. But tonight, there’s a fight to challenge this. Some say it violates the constitution. Full Article
Read MorePA: Does isolating sex offenders really work? Some experts say no
The arguments from experts who contend that residency restrictions such as those sought by Dawn Knull don’t work focus on concerns that the restrictions isolate sex offenders and make it more difficult for them to be rehabilitated. “It is a bad idea from the perspective of public safety,” said Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which brought the case on behalf of sex offenders that led to the court striking down the Allegheny County ordinance. Many experts have come out in recent…
Read MoreAZ: U.S. judge knocks down Arizona’s child-molestation law, orders ex-teacher released
A U.S. District Court judge in Phoenix has found unconstitutional an Arizona law defining child molestation, and he ordered that a man who already has spent a decade in custody be released. In 2007, a Maricopa County jury found ____ ____guilty of five counts of molestation of a child and acquitted him of two other counts. An eighth count was dismissed by prosecutors. ____ was a former schoolteacher and swim instructor, and the charges came from allegations that he touched children inappropriately while giving them swim lessons. ____denied there was any…
Read MoreUT: Audit slams Utah’s sex-offender treatment program in prison
Sex offenders in Utah often stay in prison months beyond their parole eligibility date because of a backlog of inmates awaiting treatment overseen by the Utah Department of Corrections, according to a state audit released Monday. Full Article
Read MoreGA: Sex offenders require constant vigilance from law enforcement
When ____ ____ set foot in South Georgia a few years ago, he had just spent 30 years in a Detroit prison for being a serial rapist convicted 10 times over. Because Palmer committed his crimes before June 4, 2003, under Georgia law, he is allowed to settle down anywhere with no restrictions. Yes, that’s right. Anywhere. He can settle in a home next door to a school or day care or playground — anywhere. “____ ____’s crime is so old (he) can live next to whatever he wants to.…
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