Category: National

Among other provisions, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 allows the federal government to indefinitely detain “sexually dangerous” offenders through a civil commitment process, which requires mandatory court hearings after such offenders have been certified by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as eligible for commitment. The Adam Walsh Act was named for the kidnapped and murdered son of America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh. [See: PLN,June 1996, p.12]. Full Article (pdf) (at www.prisonlegalnews.org)

On June 29, 2012, Texas Congressman Lamar Smith introduced H.R. 6063, a bill which, on its surface, is as noble and well-intentioned as a piece of legislation can possibly be.  Titled “The Child Protection Act of 2012,” it would be difficult for anyone to find fault with its lofty purported goal – to protect children. While I cannot find fault with the goal, the bill itself is a misguided, misinformed,  and useless piece of pompous political puffery and does little if anything at all to protect any child from anything.…

A federal appeals court said Indiana’s sex and violent offender registry unconstitutionally violated the due process rights of thousands of registrants because it did not give them a chance to fix mistakes. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rejected arguments by the Indiana Department of Correction that it was not directly responsible for errors in the registry, which contains about 24,000 names, and that registrants had other procedures to challenge mistakes. Full Article

by Marshall Burns, Ph.D.  —  Sex offender. The words strike fear in the heart and soul like no others. But who is it that wears this label? I wanted to know. So I set out to drive around the United States to meet people on the registry and hear their stories. My purpose was to gain an understanding of what it means to be a registered person in 21st-Century America. In this report, I share some of what I saw and learned on the trip. Full Article

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin – … Media news outlets have portrayed that abductors primarily consist of strangers or registered sex offenders (RSO), which has proven invalid in the past 2 fiscal years (FY). When a child is reported missing, members of the media advise parents to check sex offender registries to prevent their child from possible abduction or sexual victimization. However, FBI reporting indicates that RSOs are a minimal part of the problem. In FY 2009, an RSO was the abductor in 2 percent of child abduction cases; in FY…

An Ohio Appeals court has held, again, that Ohio’s Adam Walsh Act do not apply to individuals who were originally sentenced under Megan’s Law. The court, however, is awaiting further guidance from the Ohio Supreme Court. The case is State v. Davis, 2012-Ohio-3570. In 2004, the Defendant pled guilty to sexual battery and gross sexual imposition. He was sentenced to five years probation. Pursuant to Ohio’s Megan’s Law, the sex offender registration system then in effect, the Defendant was classified as a sexually oriented offender, the least restrictive classification. As…

The state credits community-based treatment efforts, designed to deliver more effective rehabilitation and save money, for a 17 percent decline in juvenile sex offenders over a three-year period. The Ohio Department of Youth Services reported that 85 juvenile offenders were admitted into DYS in 2011 for sex-related crimes that included rape, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery. Year-to-date figures in 2012 suggest a 48 percent decrease in these type of offenders statewide. Full Article

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — A sex offender opened fire in a northern Minnesota courthouse shortly after being convicted Thursday, injuring three people — including the local prosecutor, authorities said. The suspect, Daniel Schlienz, 42, was taken into custody after the shootings Thursday afternoon at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais, a remote town near the Canadian border, State Public Safety spokesman Doug Neville said. Schlienz, who had been on trial earlier Thursday on sexual misconduct charges. His father told the Duluth News Tribune that he went to the courthouse…

Some Mesa parents are outraged that a convicted sex offender lives near their children’s elementary school. What makes them angrier is that there is nothing they can do about it. The parents gathered at Superstition Springs Elementary School on Wednesday to pass out fliers to others dropping their children off on the first day of school. The fliers contain a picture of convicted sex offender Aaron Peeples and a warning that he lives nearby. Full Article

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), there are about 500,000 convicted sex offenders across the country who do what they’re supposed to do: register themselves with the local police in their communities. But, according to NCMEC, about a 1 in 5 convicted sex offenders do not register themselves.   And local authorities don’t always have the manpower or resources to go looking for every one of them.  In response, the U.S. Marshals Service started a program called, “Operation Guardian,”  which has targeted the worst of the…

The NYPD is starting to look like a flashy, forensic crime TV show thanks to a new super computer system unveiled Wednesday near Wall St. The Domain Awareness System designed by the NYPD and Microsoft Corp. uses data from a network of cameras, radiation detectors, license plate readers and crime reports, officials said. Full Article

Travis accepted a plea deal — though he claims he’s innocent — which offered him five years probation instead of a lengthy prison sentence for indecency with a child. Within a month of cutting the deal, he violated his probation, which mandated that he couldn’t hang out with minors, and was sentenced to 20 years behind bars. He was released last December, having served 16. In the show, “Our America with Lisa Ling,” Ling follows Travis during his first free days as an adult, which have proven to be filled…

AlertID, Inc., which provides a free online and mobile service for members and public safety officials, today announced that it provides alerts from state sex offender databases (“SODs”) to 166 million people or more than half (53%) of the US population. AlertID, Inc., which provides a free online and mobile service for members and public safety officials, today announced that it provides alerts from state sex offender databases (“SODs”) to 166 million people or more than half (53%) of the US population. AlertID’s sex offender alerts are now available to…

HOULTON, Maine — Residents will soon see new signs posted at Community Park, the Gentle Memorial Building and local schools declaring each of those areas to be a “Sex Offender Restricted Zone.” The signs are not being placed at the locations to deal with any specific problem involving convicted sex offenders hanging around schools or playgrounds, according to Houlton Police Chief Butch Asselin. Full Article

With little options, the City of Lockport Common Council voted to repeal a local code regarding sex offender restrictions Wednesday. In July, City Attorney John Ottaviano recommended this decision based on the recent overturning of similar local laws throughout New York state because they are more restrictive than the state law. He said courts will not uphold this local law and will not enforce it. Full Article

OKLAHOMA CITY –  There’s a fear thousands of sex offenders could drop off the Oklahoma registry and go unchecked. Some have been convicted of rape and child molestation, but want the state Supreme Court to give them a fresh start. Right now the state Supreme Court is looking at two specific cases and whatever the high court decides will set a precedent for all level three sex offenders statewide, including one local man whose daughter is pushing the court to look at individuals on a case by case basis. Full…