(KYTX) — It’s a story that has gotten national attention — a 19-year-old Indiana teen forced to register as a sex offender after having sex with a girl he thought was of age. It turned out she was only 14. Now, many are asking if sex offender laws do more harm than good. With the click of a mouse, you can find out who the registered sex offenders are in your neighborhood. But while it may provide some peace of mind to the people living nearby, critics argue the registry should be reserved for…
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California RSOL Joins National RSOL in Seattle
California RSOL joined national RSOL this week at the National Conference for State Legilsators (NCSL) in Seattle. More than 5,000 elected officials, staff and lobbyists attended this annual event. It is the third year national RSOL has had a booth at the conference. “The NCSL conference provided us with unique opportunities to meet with legislators and their stafff in an informal setting,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “We provided them with important facts regarding registered citizens such as the low rate of re-offense.” During the conference, a hot topic…
Read MoreMN: Federal judge bans media, public from major sex offender conference
A federal judge has barred the media and other members of the public from attending a legal parley on a case that will determine the future of Minnesota’s sex offender program, a ruling that immediately raised questions about public access and open government. Full Article
Read MorePA: 3 men jailed for separate sex assaults of 12-year-old girl from OKCupid dating website
A trio of Lancaster County men recently stood before a local judge and admitted to sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl they met in an online chatroom. … Each man told Reinaker they met the girl through OKCupid, an online dating website. Each claimed they believed the girl was over 18. She was, in fact, 12 at the start of the contact, police reported. … Cory Miller, ____’ lawyer, said the victim continued to use the website even after the men were charged. Full Article
Read MoreVA: Sex offenders who have kids put schools in awkward spot
Bayside Middle School administrators banned the father of a student this past school year after learning he had pleaded guilty a decade earlier to having sex with a 14-year-old when he was 21. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Break up Iowa’s sex-offender clusters (Opinion)
Three previously convicted sex offenders living in a west Davenport mobile home park are heading back to prison for abusing more kids. Full Op-Ed Article
Read MoreIL: Sex offender rule unconstitutional
BLOOMINGTON — A requirement that Illinois sex offenders report all Internet sites they use to police is unconstitutional because it violates the offenders’ free speech rights, according to a ruling by a McLean County judge. Judge Robert Freitag agreed with arguments from the defense lawyer for _____ ____, 22, of Normal, that state law is overly broad in its mandate that all email addresses and sites a sex offender uses or plans to use, including Facebook, must be registered with police. Full Article Related Internet Identifier Bill to be Heard…
Read MoreVA: Devoy – Has Virginia’s sex offender registry kept us safe?
Recently, Gov. Terry McAuliffe set up an independent commission to look at the 20 years since parole was abolished and determine whether it should be revived. “It’s time to review whether that makes sense,” he said during a radio appearance. “Is it keeping our citizens safe? Is it a reasonable, good, cost-effective way? Are we rehabilitating folks?” he asked. “Are sentences too long for nonviolent offenses? Are we keeping people in prison too long?” All great questions! Full Editorial
Read MoreMN: Sex offender treatment program needs changes
Federal Judge Donovan Frank recently handed down an opinion on a lawsuit challenging the legality of Minnesota’s indefinite confinement of sex offenders after they finish their prison sentences. Full Article
Read MoreIN: ACLU – RFRA must let sex offenders worship at churches with schools
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed Wednesday what appears to be the first lawsuit that invokes the state’s new new Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Their clients? Registered sex offenders who believe their religious freedom is being denied by another new law that bans them from attending any church located on the same property as a school. Full Article
Read MoreDE: ____ charged for refusing polygraph, therapy
When former state Senate hopeful ____ ____ testified at his child rape trial last year, he swore he did not force a youngster to repeatedly have sex with him more than a quarter-century ago. The trial ended in a hung jury. When he pleaded “no contest” in March to two counts of unlawful sexual contact and was put on probation, ____ didn’t admit to sex crimes, only that he would not fight the state’s accusations. Authorities have since charged him with violating probation because he has refused to to speak…
Read MoreIN: LGBT proposal still faces debate, but a provision protecting the transgender community is spurring concern
Some fear the ordinance, if approved, could be used as a pretext by sexual offenders falsely claiming transgender identities to enter bathrooms of the opposite sex. … Concerns like his aren’t lost on Councilman Brian Dickerson. Registered sex offenders, Dickerson worries, “could use this to prey upon future victims,” claiming transgender identities to enter public restrooms of the opposite sex. He doesn’t support the ordinance “in whole or in part in any way.” Full Article
Read MoreCT: New animation illustrates the real size of Sentencing Enhancement Zones
One of the worst ideas to come out of the War on Drugs is sentencing enhancement zones. These laws mandate a higher penalty for crimes committed within a certain distance of schools. The intent is noble, but at huge distances like 1,500 feet, the laws are actually harmful. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Sex offender program is ruled unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled Wednesday morning that Minnesota’s controversial system of confining convicted sex offenders violates the U.S. Constitution. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled that the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) is unconstitutional because it fails to provide adequate protections for civilly committed offenders, including regular assessments of their risk level and access to less-restrictive treatment alternatives in the community. Full Article Ruling
Read MoreFL: Polk sheriff, lawmakers push for employee polygraphs in businesses dealing with kids
POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference on Monday to discuss a bill that would allow private employers whose businesses interact with children to polygraph test potential employees during the hiring process. The Protecting Our Children Act would amend the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, which prohibits the use of polygraph tests during hiring, with the exception of law enforcement fields. According to a release from PCSO, the polygraph testing would help identify child sex predators during the hiring process and allow companies dealing with…
Read MoreMN: Federal judge to rule on future of Sex Offender Program
Minnesotans could see more convicted sex offenders moving into their communities in coming months if a federal judge this week rules, as expected, that the state’s controversial system of confining offenders indefinitely violates the U.S. Constitution. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Veto of juvenile sex offender law changes shocks advocates
Juvenile justice advocates sounded an alarm Thursday after Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed a bill that would have revised the state’s controversial sex offender registration law regarding juveniles. The changes would have granted courts wider discretion in deciding whether registration and community notification were necessary in cases of young sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreKS: Ruling prohibits blanket ban on Internet use for parolees
WICHITA, Kan.- A blanket ban on Internet use unlawfully deprives parolees convicted of sex crimes of more liberty than necessary because the Internet has become a necessary part of modern life, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals said the wording in a standard condition of supervised release used by the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for the District of Kansas conflicts with a 2001 ruling from the court because it suggests probation officers can completely ban a means of communication. The court noted…
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