NH: New York Must Offer Vaccine to All Prisoners Immediately, Judge Rules

[nytimes.com 3/29/21] A judge in the Bronx ruled that people incarcerated in the state’s prisons and jails had been arbitrarily excluded from the coronavirus vaccine rollout. New York must immediately begin to offer Covid vaccines to all incarcerated people in the state’s prisons and jails, a judge ruled on Monday, making the state one of few in the nation to provide doses to such a broad population behind bars. The order, the first involving any of the country’s largest correctional systems, comes as the coronavirus continues to roar through facilities in New York.…

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NE: [18 year old] Grand Island man sentenced to 10 years in prison [for CP]

[theindependent.com – 3/28/21] LINCOLN — Max _____ of Grand Island was sentenced Friday in Lincoln by Chief U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard for possession of child pornography. Max _____, who turns 19 on May 29, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and then will serve 12 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. After serving his prison sentence, Max _____will be required to register as a sex offender. He also was ordered to pay $8,000 in special assessments. Read the full article  

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WI: Pros and cons: Housing for released prisoners [including registrants] raises debate

[thetelegraph.com – 3/27/21] APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — Julie Angell was nervous. She was about to get out of prison, but didn’t have anywhere to go. Even with help, the challenges faced by many people getting out of prison can be immense and it isn’t uncommon for some to end up homeless if they’re unable to afford a place of their own or can’t find somewhere willing to rent to them. There is similar transitional housing in communities all over Wisconsin — 377 beds in 44 locations — meant to provide…

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IL: Current policies funnel large number of… [people] …into one building. That needs to change

[chicago.suntimes.com – 3/25/21] The state’s job is to balance the needs and rights of… [people with a prior conviction] …with those of all others. A single building in Englewood, a neighborhood with plenty of struggles, has been home to not one or two or even three… [people listed on the registry] …— but to literally dozens. That strange and — for most Americans — troubling fact came to light recently when people in the neighborhood became aware of, and objected strongly, to one man in particular who had moved into…

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MT: Former Missoula man sues over ‘outdated’ sodomy convictions, sex offender requirement

[kpvi.com – 3/25/21] A man is taking Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen to federal court Tuesday for requiring people to register as sex offenders for past sodomy convictions. Randall _____ , 45, was convicted when he was 19 years old under an Idaho law that criminalized sex acts associated with homosexuality, according to the lawsuit he filed in December in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Because of that conviction, Randall was required to register as a sex offender with the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. “This case involves…

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CO: Sex abuse bill SB 73 easily clears House committee following lengthy negotiations

[coloradopolitics.com – 3/23/21] A bill to give future survivors of childhood sexual abuse and other types of misconduct unlimited time to take their perpetrators to court passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 10-1 on Tuesday night, but only after a prolonged off-microphone conference to narrow the scope of the measure. As written, Senate Bill 73, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month, would take child sex abuse and a range of other sexual offenses against both adults and children and remove the civil statute…

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MyLife.com Faces Class Action for Falsely Implying Man Was a Sex Offender

[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/24/21] A website that offers to show you someone’s “reputation” and criminal history for a fee must face class action claims, after it allegedly suggested a Minnesota man was a sex offender when he only has traffic tickets. In a Tuesday ruling, Minnesota federal Judge Susan Nelson rejected MyLife.com’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff Brion Finlay’s proposed class action against the public information company. Nelson said MyLife’s profiles and “Reputation Scores” amount to a consumer report, while MyLife operates as a consumer reporting agency, so it can also be…

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FL: Action News Jax Investigates: Homeless sex offenders become growing Florida problem

[actionnewsjax.com – 3/23/21] ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Residents listed on the sex offender registry in Florida must live in certain areas, but they are not required to have a permanent address. In one case, a predator in St. Johns County was listed as living in the woods behind a Winn Dixie. The individual has since moved, according to the Sheriff’s Office post. Action News Jax dug through the registry to find at least six St. Johns offenders on the registry, including two predators, who are listed as transient. “My concern…

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CA: Detainee who pleaded for release from California ICE immigration center dies from COVID-19

[eastbaytimes.com – 3/23/21] Less than a year ago, Martin Vargas Arellano pleaded with a U.S. Immigration Court judge for humanitarian parole from the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, saying his only wish was to “lead a quiet life and be at peace.” Suffering from myriad ailments — diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis C, cellulitis and gout — the 55-year-old San Bernardino man was among the most medically vulnerable of detainees at the private immigration detention facility, which in April 2020 was concerned about a potential outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Vargas was…

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AL: Sex offenders at a popular Huntsville homeless camp find it difficult to relocate

[waff.com – 3/22/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – One week ago, Huntsville City and non-profit leaders announced that people living in a large homeless camp known as “tent city” would have to move. It was located on Mill Street, and was inside of the Church Street construction zone. We went to the location today and there are still a lot of tents, clothes, and personal items scattered all around the camp, where dozens of people used to live. We’re told everyone has moved, but when it comes to sex offenders, several…

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TSA Precheck Available to Most Registrants

[ACSOL] TSA precheck is available to most people who have been convicted of a sex offense.  In fact, the only registrants who are categorically excluded from the TSA precheck are those convicted of rape or aggravated assault. The list of those who are not eligible for TSA precheck includes, but is not limited to, individuals on a terrorist watchlist as well as those who have been convicted of espionage, sedition, treason, murder and transporting explosives.  In addition, the TSA has a list of interim disqualifying criminal offenses including, but not…

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WI: Wisconsin judge charged with seven child pornography counts

[citynews1130.com – 3/17/21] MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin judge with multiple counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday. State Department of Justice attorneys filed seven felony counts against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Brett _____. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Brett _____, 38, was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in Dane County. His attorney, listed in online court records as Chris Van Wagner, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Read the full article  

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IL: Illinois House bill would change sex offender residence requirements

[wandtv.com – 3/18/21] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A bill moving through the Illinois House of Representatives would change how close a registered sex offender could live to a school, playground, or childcare facility. HB3913 would amend the Unified Code of Correction and allow a registered sex offender to reside within 250 feet of any the restricted facilities. State law currently requires they live 500 feet. The bill sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly and Rep. Kelly Cassidy would also remove a weekly requirement that a registered sex offender must register their address…

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NC: Pasquotank Co Sheriff’s Office partnered with U.S. Marshals to conduct sex offender operation

[wavy.com – 3/18/21] ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – On Monday the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the United States Marshals Service to conduct a Sex Offender Enforcement and Compliance Operation. According to authorities, the purpose of the operation was to ensure that the eighty registered sex offenders in Pasquotank County were in compliance with state laws, and the Adam Walsh Act. The Adam Walsh Act is intended to help to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crime. The compliance investigations included confirming the residency of each registered sex offender,…

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IA: Iowa Capitol Digest: Lawmakers discuss the sex offender registry, traffic speed and housing

[nonpareilonline.com – 3/18/21] The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation that would require any individual on a sex offender registry in another state who moves to Iowa to be placed on Iowa’s sex offender registry for as long as they are required in the other state, or by Iowa law, whichever is longer. Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake, said state law enforcement officials expressed concern that some individuals may have moved to Iowa in order to avoid other states’ registry requirements. House File 201 already passed the House, 88-0, and is…

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FL: Florida Senate votes to close sex offender loophole

[sfchronicle.com – 3/18/21] TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A loophole in Florida’s sexual offender registration law would be closed under a Senate bill unanimously passed Thursday in response to a child molester who didn’t have to register because he didn’t pay a court-ordered fine. A judge ruled last year that Ray La Vel James of Tampa, who spent 12 years in prison after being convicted of molesting two girls at a public pool, didn’t have to register as a sex offender because the law states registration isn’t required until a sentence…

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Academy Expels Registered Sex Offender Adam _____ After Variety Investigation

[variety.com – 3/17/21] After a story in Variety in November exposed the fact that registered sex offender — and noted cinematographer — Adam ____ has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2007, the organization has taken action and removed him. An Academy source confirmed to Variety that Adam ____ is no longer a member. When asked for a comment, a representative for the Academy did not immediately respond. Adam ____ also appears no longer to be in the American Society of Cinematographers, an…

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