That’s because finding places for elderly sex offenders to live after they’ve served their time in prison is very difficult, Bartruff said Monday during a community forum in Coralville. Iowa recently had three sex offenders who had served their time, but because they had no place to go, died behind bars. Full Article
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PA: 2016 Crime Review – A look at the effectiveness of sex offender registries
It may run counter to conventional wisdom, but it is exceedingly rare for a person registered as a sex offender to be charged with a new sexual offense in Cumberland County. Of the 75 charged sex crime cases in Cumberland County in 2016, only two were committed by a person listed on the sex offender registry, according to an analysis of court records conducted by The Sentinel. Full Article
Read MoreTN: Area law enforcement monitoring sex offender activity on social media
Keeping your kids safe from sex offenders in public is one thing but what about when it comes to the vast world of the internet where anyone can be lurking? Law enforcement in our region are working for you, to monitor sex offenders online and give you peace of mind. Full Article
Read MorePA: Pennsylvania residents will need more than a driver’s license to fly in US next year
Starting Jan. 22, 2018, Pennsylvania residents will need more than just a driver’s license to travel domestically. Driver’s licenses from the Keystone State are currently not compliant with the federal government’s Real ID Act which set tougher standards for IDs to improve security in 2005. Full Article
Read MoreAZ: Supreme Court – Bail denial for child sex offenses is unconstitutional
PHOENIX — State laws that deny bail to people solely because they’re accused of having sex with a minor are unconstitutional, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled today. The justices acknowledged arguments by prosecutors that trial judges have the right to keep certain people behind bars while awaiting trial as a method of protecting the public. And they said that the crime of sexual conduct with a minor is a series charge. But Justice Clint Bolick, writing for the unanimous court, said the seriousness of the charge, by itself, is insufficient…
Read MoreCO: Englewood may overhaul sex offender residency rules after law makes nearly the entire city off limits
Englewood city leaders on Monday readied a major overhaul to a decade-old law that severely restricts where sex offenders can live in this city of 32,000 south of Denver. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Perfectly legal – Sex offenders living inside child safety zones the norm in Wisconsin, otherwise, they’d be homeless
Municipalities have ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live. Most people support the idea because it helps us feel safe, but what the politicians who passed the rules probably didn’t tell you is that sex offenders who lived near a school, park, playground, daycare or other protected place before the ordinance, can stay there. In fact, they almost have to. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Attorney General Wants Tougher Lifetime Rules for Sex Offenders
Attorney General Adam Laxalt said Thursday he has requested legislation to allow the state’s parole system to impose additional lifetime conditions on sex offenders. Assembly Bill 59, drafted by Laxalt’s office, comes because of the McNeill v. State Nevada Supreme Court ruling in which the state Board of Parole Commissioners was found to not have the authority to put certain conditions on sex offenders. Proposed conditions in the legislation include warrantless searches of an offender’s residence and property, curfew requirements and requirements to participate in programs. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Sex offenders renew legal challenge to confinement
MINNEAPOLIS — Lawyers for over 700 people committed indefinitely to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program are asking the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a three-judge panel’s ruling that the program is constitutional. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Prison sentences served, but sex offenders stay locked up
____ ____ was originally sentenced to three years of probation after his conviction in 2011 on charges of aggravated child pornography. ____ is impoverished and homeless. And after he was found violating his parole by sleeping in the doorway of a church, Murphy was ordered to serve his sentence in prison. He finally was approved to be released from custody in March, 2014, into the state’s mandatory supervised release program. But because he is homeless and cannot find a place to live that satisfies the myriad of restrictions and regulations,…
Read MorePackingham v. North Carolina – Oral Argument February 27
Issue: Whether, under the court’s First Amendment precedents, a law that makes it a felony for any person on the state’s registry of former sex offenders to “access” a wide array of websites – including Facebook, YouTube, and nytimes.com – that enable communication, expression, and the exchange of information among their users, if the site is “know[n]” to allow minors to have accounts, is permissible, both on its face and as applied to petitioner, who was convicted based on a Facebook post in which he celebrated dismissal of a traffic…
Read MoreOH: Convicted animal abusers must register with Cuyahoga County Sheriff and cannot have pets
CLEVELAND, Ohio – People convicted of abusing animals can no longer have pets and must register with the Cuyahoga County sheriff, under legislation approved Tuesday by Cuyahoga County Council. Council created an animal abuse registry, which was prompted by a new state law that makes cruelty to pets a felony. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Lawsuit Contends Sex Offender Law Goes Too Far
Convicted sex offenders are pushing back against North Carolina laws they contend deprive them of constitutional rights without protecting children. Two anonymous sex offenders and a Raleigh-based national nonprofit that advocates for them filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the state laws. It’s part of an effort to trim sex registry laws that now require more than 800,000 convicts nationwide to register their names, addresses and photographs, perhaps for as long as they live. Full Article Related / NARSOL website http://nationalrsol.org/narsol-ncrsol-file-suit-challenging-north-carolinas-sex-offender-registry/
Read MoreCT: Legislator wants “johns” to face felony charge, register as sex offenders
Advocates for human trafficking victims hope to use momentum from last legislative session to target those who pay for sex. Lawmakers and nonprofits have been pushing for changes in the law, including more leniency for prostitutes and stiffer penalties for their customers. Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, is behind a bill that would make solicitation of a prostitute a felony and require those convicted to register as a sex offender. The offense is currently a misdemeanor, even when a minor is involved. Full Article
Read MoreIA: New art exhibit features Luther College graduates
Wartburg College’s Waldemar A. Schmidt Gallery exhibit “Sexy/OFFENDER” opened Jan. 9 and exhibits artwork from Byron Anway and Ben Moore, Johanna Kramer-Weston, Gallery Director and Exhibitions manager said. Kramer-Weston said the two collaborated for the exhibit because they share a fascination of classical portraiture in the age of Facebook, Snapchat and selfies. She said they pull their inspiration from magazines, criminal mugshots and media websites. “All portraits are handled with the same beauty and attention, causing the viewer to question who is the deviant, who is the social media star…
Read MoreFL: Sex Predator Who Won Lottery Settles Lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. — (WKMG) — A convicted sex predator who won a $3 million Florida Lottery jackpot has settled a lawsuit filed by his alleged victims. The plaintiffs’ suit against ___ ____, 45, was scheduled to go trial this week in Orange County Circuit Court. However, like many other civil cases, the parties were able to reach an agreement days before jury selection was expected to begin. Full Article
Read MoreWA: State corrections agency right to retire the word ‘offender’ (Editorial)
Words matter because the meaning that we give words matters even more. This is especially true of the words we use to describe each other, which is why it’s useful to have a discussion about the words we use to refer to those who have committed crimes, those who are currently incarcerated or are otherwise serving their sentences and those who have rejoined society at large. And it’s why a recent decision by the state Department of Corrections to phase-out the use of the term “offender” in written policies and daily…
Read MoreVA: Lawmakers say judges being too lenient on people possessing child porn
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced. “We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Cooper supports bills including SB 1278 that aim at making sentencing guidelines what they were prior to last year’s changes. Full Article
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