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…
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VA: 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…
Read MoreMI: Judge reinstates harsher child pornography charges against teen accused of Catholic school threats
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A judge has decided that charges of producing child pornography thrown out by a lower court judge should be reinstated against a 17-year-old Catholic high school honor student. In a hearing Friday, May 29, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock ruled in favor of the prosecution that teen Matthew Herrington potentially violated the law when he allegedly downloaded more than 133 images of child pornography. In a Grand Rapids District Court hearing from March, defense attorney Anthony Greene convinced Judge Jeanine LaVille that because his…
Read MoreIN: Campaign for Elkhart 19-year-old underscores broader concerns about sex offender registries
ELKHART — The requirement that 19-year-old ____ ____ register as a sex offender as part of his conviction for involvement with an underage girl isn’t just a concern for him and his parents, Les and Amanda Anderson. It’s part of a larger movement against what some critics see as indiscriminate and unfair placement of certain offenders on such registries. Full Article Related MI: ‘Old-fashioned scarlet letter’: Elkhart 19-year-old fights sex offender status after encounter with Michigan teen
Read MoreUT: Utah sex offender must pay victim for lost wages, appeals court says
A man who sexually exploited a Utah teen will have to reimburse her for the pay she lost when depression caused by the abuse led to problems at work and a reduction in her hours. In a 3-0 decision, the Utah Court of Appeals upheld a 3rd District judge’s order requiring Scott C. Wadsworth to pay restitution of nearly $13,000 in lost wages to his victim, who is now an adult. The ruling said the connection between the sex crimes and the victim’s economic injury is sufficient to support the…
Read MoreNY: Sex offenders want former Gov. Pataki to pay for illegal confinement program
Syracuse, NY — A federal appeals court is considering whether former Gov. George Pataki should be held responsible for an illegal sex offender confinement program that was disbanded in 2006. Full Article
Read MoreHomophobic “Romeo and Juliet” Laws Fail to Decriminalize Queer Youth in Texas. Can It Be Fixed?
Consensual gay sex was a felony in every state until Illinois repealed its sodomy law in 1961. Connecticut, Ohio, California, and other states soon followed. By 2002, thirty-six states either selectively enforced or had overturned their statutes. Lawrence v Texas (2003) marked the federal end of sodomy laws. Even though sodomy statutes are unconstitutional, a handful of states still think sex between same-sex partners is illegal. State Representative Mary Gonzalez of Texas is valiantly attempting to equalize the unfair treatment and criminalization of queer adolescents. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Bill would crack down on homeless sex offenders
MADISON (WITI) — They are tough to track and they’re roaming the streets. The number of homeless sex offenders are on the rise, and there’s a new plan to fix the problem. Full Article
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