… Judge Gary Lee ordered ____ ____ to spend six years in prison, followed by five years of probation, and a lifetime requirement to register of a sex offender. Judge Gary Lee told ____ that the prison time was a minor worry in his life. The judge said the lifetime sex offender label was much more damaging, adding, quote, “Your life is over.” Full Article
Read MoreCategory: National
UT: Utah Passes White-Collar Felon Registry
With just a point and a click, you can browse a face book of felons, a new government website that will warn of the danger these criminals pose to society. Only these are not the faces of sex offenders and serial killers. These criminals are mortgage schemers and inside traders, most likely armed with nothing more than an M.B.A. or a law degree. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Expert Weighs In On Proposed Statewide Sex Offender Law
Some local ordinances have made it increasingly difficult for sex offenders to find housing. In response to restrictive buffer zones and housing bans, many sex offenders relocate to communities with fewer restrictions. Full Article and Radio Show
Read MoreNY: Drawing the line on sex offenders
___ ___, Douangtavilay, a Level 3 sex offender, once lived 200 feet from athletic fields used by Penfield youth. The discovery of this fact has prompted Penfield officials to propose residency restrictions on sex offenders, potentially putting Penfield in conflict with state law. New York’s courts assign sex offenders a Level 1, 2, or 3 designation, based on the risk that they’ll re-offend. Level 1 means a low risk, Level 2 is moderate, and Level 3 is high. Full Article
Read MoreOH: Supreme Court – When Is a Sex Offender Not a Sex Offender?
Maybe Hollywood culture has impassioned us too much. We expect loud murmurings and banging from a gavel to restore order when we envision courtroom scenes. Largely, we expect drama, especially when it comes to sex crimes. The reality is that it is a subdued affair. At least it was this morning. There was a small and quiet crowd in the Supreme Court of Ohio this morning. Overall, it was a feeling of intrigue as the Court heard an important paradox of a question. When is a sex offender not a…
Read MoreNV: Bill would exempt more crimes from sex offender registration
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) – Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill that would exempt more people from registering as sex offenders. Members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee reviewed AB208 on Tuesday. The measure would only require someone to register as a sex offender if they’ve been convicted of a felony sex crime, not a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Bill Puts Lottery Winnings By Sex Offenders in Escrow
Sex offenders who hit it big in the Florida Lottery would have the winnings placed into escrow, giving their victims an opportunity to resolve any claims, under a proposal filed Friday by state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Sheriff bans sex offenders from church
ROBBINSVILLE, N.C. – A sheriff in one of North Carolina’s smallest counties told sex offenders they can’t attend church services, citing a state law meant to keep them from day care centers and schools. Sheriff Danny Millsaps, in Graham County, told the registered offenders about his decision on Feb. 17, according to a letter obtained by the Asheville Citizen-Times on Friday. Full Article
Read MoreNH: It’s time to abolish where sex offenders can’t live
New Hampshire lawmakers are again debating measures that would ban communities from restricting where sex offenders can live. Typical restrictions bar sex offenders from living within a half-mile of places where kids gather: Schools, playgrounds, etc. At the risk of offending many readers, particularly those in Dover where sex offender residency requirements were repealed, we cautiously support this position. Full Article
Read MoreNH: Lawmakers debate lifting sex offender residency restrictions
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s legislature is once again debating measures that would ban municipalities from restricting where sex offenders can live, even as some other states are making such restrictions tougher. The legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is expected to send the proposals to the full House this week. The House last year supported the ban on residency restrictions by a vote of 231-97, but the Senate killed the bill by consigning it to an interim study. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Bill would repeal Adam Walsh sex-offender act
After years of languishing in Nevada courts, legislators are reconsidering sex-offender laws affecting juveniles and the way criminals are ranked and registered. State Sen. Richard “Tick” Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, introduced Senate Bill 99 in February to repeal the state’s version of the federal Adam Walsh Act. Critics have said the law disenfranchises juveniles who could be reformed, and many think the way the law categorizes offenders — based on the crimes committed rather than risk of re-offending — might not really serve the public…
Read MoreAZ: Pastor who helped ex-cons, sex-offenders killed in home invasion
A pastor known for his outreach to addicts, homeless ex-convicts and sex offenders was killed Friday night in a home invasion in central Phoenix. Jack Moriarty, whose imposing figure, tattoos and thick goatee made him look more like a biker than a preacher, was shot to death at about 8:30 p.m. Friday after two unknown suspects entered a home near 20th Avenue and Monroe Street, police said. Full Article
Read MoreDE: Misguided legislation won’t protect children
This week, my graduate seminar at the University of Delaware hosted several scholars who study sex trafficking, both trafficking laws and the people they affect. Together, this group of scholars and activists from around the world share some common concerns about what happens when well-meaning policymakers use the wrong tools to address problems. Sen. Chris Coons has the opportunity to address one aspect of this with the bill pending now in the Senate Foreign Relations committee, H.R.515, International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking. While the proposed…
Read MoreNY: Senate passes Sex Offender Legislation
Albany, N.Y. – The New York State Senate passed a bill Thursday granting municipalities the authority to establish residency restrictions for registered sex offenders. Sen. Rich Funke (R-NY 55th District) first announced the bill Monday alongside Penfield Supervisor Tony LaFountain. Penfield is working on a child safety act that would prevent level two and three sex offenders from living in designated child-safe zones, which would be 2,000 feet away from any schools, parks, playgrounds, town facilities or daycare centers. Full Article
Read MoreWI: Man arrested on suspicion of burning house intended for sex offender
Dane County authorities arrested a town of Cottage Grove man they say set fire to a house Sunday night in a vigilante effort to keep a sex offender from moving in there. Russell A. Speigle, 50, was arrested on a tentative charge of arson for the fire, which destroyed a home at 4721 Gaston Circle in the town of Cottage Grove, Sheriff Dave Mahoney said Tuesday. Investigators are now trying to determine if Speigle was responsible for another fire that damaged the same house in December, Mahoney said. Full Article
Read MoreOK: Sex offender chemical castration bill defeated in Senate committee
OKLAHOMA CITY – A Senate panel on Tuesday defeated a measure that would have allowed for the chemical castration of violent sex offenders.bThe Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Senate Bill 671 by Sen. Mark Allen, R-Spiro, by a vote of 5-4 with no debate. The legislation would have applied to sexually violent offenses including rape, rape by instrumentation, lewd or indecent proposals or acts against a child under 16, solicitation of a minor and procuring a minor to participate in pornography. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Proposed bills aim at tracking sex offenders for life
Some Florida lawmakers are pushing to require convicted sex offenders to wear monitoring devices for the rest of their lives. Even after the convicted offender completed the probation period, he or she would still have to wear or carry the electronic monitoring device under proposed bills SB 134 and HB 203. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Ruling stirs debate on limiting where sex offenders live
MINEOLA, N.Y. — A decision by New York’s highest court striking down dozens of local laws that set boundaries on where convicted sex offenders may live has rekindled a debate over whether such laws really work to protect children. New York’s Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that only the state has the power to tell offenders where they can and cannot reside, and generally only while they are on parole or supervised release. The ruling effectively struck down more than 130 local laws across the state, many of…
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