Lawyers for sex offenders confined indefinitely to Minnesota’s secure treatment program have asked a judge to stay all further proceedings while they ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court finding that the program is constitutional. Full Article
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AZ: Women working together to change sex offender notification process
Two North Valley women say they have their family lives and careers on hold, to fight for a safer community. Julie Read and Ann O’Brien, who live in the Norterra subdivision of the North Valley, started this mission after an old juvenile detention facility re-opened as the Maricopa Re-entry Center, a place where former inmates who were drug addicts and sex offenders would come for treatment. “It was literally 16 sex offenders came in one day, in addition to the dozens we already have living in our community,” said Read.…
Read MoreMI: Man barred from visiting home county by court
The unusual restriction was upheld this week by a federal appeals court. When ____ ____ is released from prison this year, he can’t set foot in his home county, Baraga, while under the supervision of a probation officer. ____ was convicted of a sex crime in 2009. He has twice been returned to prison for violating conditions of supervised release. ____ admits that Baraga, a remote and sparsely populated area in the Upper Peninsula, isn’t a good place for him to deal with drug and alcohol problems. He said he doesn’t want to…
Read MoreUT: Wasatch prosecutor warns Utah senators he’s coming after them for sex-offender vote
The Utah Legislature approved a bill this past session giving judges more sentencing discretion in cases in which a defendant had consensual sex with a minor under age 14 if that defendant is under 21. The measure passed the House 42-31 and the Senate 15-11. Gov. Gary Herbert signed it into law. It changes slightly the mandatory-minimum requirement of 25 years to life and a lifetime listing on the sex-offender registry for having sex with a minor. But it now has a deputy in the Wasatch County attorney’s office gunning…
Read MoreND: Despite research, lawmakers OK bill keeping high-risk sex offenders from living near schools
North Dakota’s on track to have its first statewide restriction on where high-risk sex offenders can live, with lawmakers voting almost unanimously for a bill that would prohibit such offenders from residing within 500 feet of a school. House Bill 1334, which has received little media attention, quietly passed the House in February and the Senate this week. The bill has not yet been sent to Gov. Doug Burgum, who generally does not comment on legislation before it reaches his desk, his spokesman Mike Nowatzki said Thursday, March 30. Over…
Read MoreIL: Federal judge – City of Chicago did not violate rights of homeless sex offenders
A Chicago federal judge recently ended a lawsuit filed by two homeless sex offenders who claimed Chicago city officials violated their civil rights by not allowing them to comply with sex offender registry laws. Full Article
Read MoreTX: Bill would ban sex offenders from college dorms
Sometimes as a state representative, I come across laws that have outlived their usefulness, and at other times, glaring oversights that should have been addressed years ago. On Wednesday, in the House Committee on Higher Education, where I serve as Vice-Chair, I presented HB 355 which corrects one such glaring oversight, the prevention of registered sex offenders living in on-campus college housing. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Bill would allow judge to decide on sex offender registry for Nevada youth
Nevada judges may end up deciding if juvenile sex offenders will have to register and appear in the public sex offender database. Under Assembly Bill 395 a judge would decide if a juvenile has to register while they are a minor and if they need to register as an adult after reaching age 21. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Lawmakers eliminating time-frame protection for child sex offenders
Those who suffered sexual abuse and assault as children decades ago may soon be able to obtain justice by having their victimizers prosecuted. State Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign, introduced Senate Bill 189 in January, which would eliminate the statute of limitations for all felony child abuse and sexual assault crimes. It already passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee, of which Bennett is a member, with a 10-0 vote March 7 and is now awaiting a full Senate vote, according to Illinois legislative records. Full Article
Read MoreSCOTUS asks US Solicitor General to weigh in on Ex Post Facto case
News from the U.S. Supreme Court – the court has NOT decided whether it will review Doe v. Snyder, last summer’s ground-breaking decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review an important ruling (Doe v. Snyder) which was handed down last summer by a federal appeals court, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The request was discussed in a private conference last Friday and today we learned the result – the Supreme Court has made NO decision on the request…
Read MoreCT: Lawmakers consider requiring juveniles to register as sex offenders
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require juveniles convicted of sexual offenses to register as sex offenders. Judiciary Committee co-chairman Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, said members of the committee believe sexual assault is just as serious when the offense is committed by someone under the age of 18. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Sex offender board aims ‘never to make a mistake’
The city’s sex offender residency ordinance is 10 years old this spring. Passed in 2007, it forbids convicted sex offenders from moving to within 1,500 feet of any place where children are likely to gather. The restriction essentially closes off most affordable residential areas of the city to convicted sex offenders who didn’t already live there before the ordinance was passed. But Green Bay’s ordinance, unlike most of the other 175 ordinances placing housing restrictions on sex offenders in communities throughout the state, provides one major exception: Any sex offender…
Read MoreMI: SCOTUS to consider Snyder v. Doe for review
Today, in a private session, the U.S. Supreme Court will be discussing an important case concerning the sex offense registry. News may come as soon as Monday, March 27th. The State of Michigan has asked the court to review a ground-breaking ruling by a lower federal court, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court is set to discuss the request for review today; review is granted in very few cases. If they turn down the request – the 6th Circuit ruling remains intact and directly impacts the…
Read MoreLA: New scam targets registered sex offenders with arrest threat
NEW ORLEANS — A new scam is targeting registered sex offenders, claiming they missed court dates that never actually existed. The US Marshal’s Service is warning the public that scam artists claiming they are Deputy US Marshals or Federal Marshals are working to extort money from sex offenders over the phone. Full Article
Read MoreFL: City of Palm Bay to change how it handles sex offenders
A court victory for the city of Palm Bay means homeowners could be protected from sex offenders working for contractors or delivery companies, city leaders said. From now on, painters, delivery services or other contractors who come to homes with children must disclose to the homeowner if they employ a sex offender or sexual predator. Full Article
Read MoreNJ: NJ Supreme Court – Sex Offender Can’t Be Banned From Internet Without Due Process
Does the state of New Jersey have the right to enact a lifetime internet ban for a sex offender without giving them due process? That was the question facing the New Jersey Supreme Court, which reversed an earlier appellate ruling on Tuesday and declared that imposing a lifetime internet ban without due process for “J.I.” – an admitted sex offender sentenced to community supervision for life – would be arbitrary and “unreasonable.” Full Article Opinion
Read MoreFL: Ms. Book goes to Tallahassee, sees no conflict voting $ for Lauren’s Kids or dad’s clients
Freshman Broward State Sen. Lauren Book says she won’t abstain from voting on matters involving clients of her father, powerful lobbyist Ron Book. Similarly, she sees no conflict of interest in voting on measures to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to benefit her non-profit charity and political launching pad, Lauren’s Kids. Full Article Related FL: Oppose SB 1558 which can take away children from parents (Call to Action)
Read MoreVT: Years later, sex offender registry lacks addresses
Vermont families are unable to find out whether a high-risk sex offender lives in their neighborhood, years after the public sex offender registry was directed to include those details. Full Article
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