[floridaactioncommittee.org – 2/11/21] On Monday, February 15, 2021, the Florida Senate Judiciary committee will consider Senate Bill 234. It is item number 3 on their agenda. Among other things, this bill introduced by Senator Lauren Book would change the definition of “day” to mean part of any calendar day. Therefore, as written, anywhere you are physically present 4 or more times a year would technically have to be registered within 48 hours. Visit your parent’s home once a week for dinner? Play cards at a friend’s house once a month?…
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MD: Annapolis, MD (KB) Frederick County Delegate Jesse Pippy said he is sponsoring sex offender legislation
[wfmd.com – 2/9/21] Annapolis, MD (KB) Frederick County Delegate Jesse Pippy said he is sponsoring five pieces of legislation at the 2021 General Assembly in Annapolis. One has to do with the sex offender registry and expungement. “There has been a push recently to expunge certain offenses off peoples’ records,” he explained. Delegate Pippy said this bill will make sure that individuals who are on the sex registry are prohibited from getting their sex offenses expunged. Read the full article Bill search
Read MoreNY: After 25 Years, It Is Past Time To Reform New York’s Sex Offender Risk Assessment System: Part II
[law.com – 2/9/21] In Part 1 of this article, I outlined what I believe are the significant flaws in the Risk Assessment Instrument (the RAI) New York courts are required to use to assess sex offender risk under the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA or Megan’s Law, Article 6-C of the Correction Law). Under SORA, courts are required to designate offenders as being at low, moderate or high risk to re-offend. The rankings not only determine the length and intrusiveness of sex offender registration and community notification, which often last…
Read MoreTN: Federal judge rules sex offender law punishes retroactively
[fox17.com – 4/6/21] NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal judge ruled Monday that Tennessee’s sex offender registration act is unconstitutional, at least as it was applied retroactively to two offenders. The ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee affects only the two men who sued, identified in court documents as John Doe #1 and John Doe #2. “I think the ruling, while it is narrowly tailored to our clients, does open the door to the possibility of a class action,” attorney Ed Yarbrough said in an…
Read MoreWA: HB 1282 Will Allow All People Convicted of a Felony to Earn Up to 33% Off Their Sentence
[Washington Voices – wavoices.org – 2/7/21] Dear Friends, This Thursday, February 11, at 1:30 pm, the House Committee on Public Safety will vote on HB 1282. If this bill becomes law, all people convicted of a felony will have an opportunity to earn up to 33% off of their sentence. Currently, people convicted of a sex offense can earn a maximum of 10% off their sentence. Information about the bill and a video recording of the Feb. 2 committee hearing can be found at the HB 1282 website. Many people…
Read MoreMN: Sex offenders at Moose Lake end 14-day hunger strike after reaching deal with state officials
[bringmethenews.com – 2/5/21] A group of men at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program’s Moose Lake facility have ended their hunger strike after nearly two weeks. The group went on strike Jan. 21, demanding a “clear path” for release from the program, which has facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter, where “treatment is a death sentence” because despite serving their prison sentences, they’re remanded to the facilities for an unspecified amount of time, a news release says. The group of about a dozen men called off their hunger strike Wednesday…
Read MoreFL: Bill Preventing Registered Sex Offenders, Predators From Having Time-Sharing With Minor Child Advances
[wmfe.org 2/4/21] Legislation making its way through the House would prevent parents registered as a sex offender or predator from being granted time-sharing with their child. The legislation is sponsored by Daytona Beach Republican Representative Thomas Leek. “I believe that if you are a convicted sexual predator or a sexual offender of a minor while you are an adult the presumption should be that you are not entitled to custody. Unless the court makes a specific finding that the child would be safe in your custodial care.” The bill passed…
Read MoreAction Alert: Sign the Petition Supporting Poetry Magazine
[theguardian.com – 2/3/21] The prestigious Poetry Magazine, publishing since 1912, has been under attack for publishing a poem written by a man currently in prison for a sex offense. Please show your support for Poetry Magazine by adding your name to this petition. Here’s the story: The magazine published the poem in an issue focusing on work by “currently and formerly incarcerated people”, their families and prison workers. The disputed poem is by a former professor of English literature who was released from prison last year after serving time for…
Read MoreMN: High Court Weighs Boundaries of Sex Offender Self-Incrimination
The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in the case of a man who claims sex-offense confessions made to his probation officer as part of a court-mandated program are protected by the Fifth Amendment. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Arizona man who threatened Iowa lawmakers sentenced
[ap.org – 2/1/21] DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Arizona man who threatened to shoot Iowa lawmakers over his frustration with a failed attempt to change Iowa’s sex offender registry law has been sentenced to five years in prison. ____, also identified as ____ in court records, was sentenced Friday in Des Moines’ federal court, the Des Moines Register reported. ____was arrested in December 2019 and convicted by a jury in September of interstate communication of a threat. ____sent emails to state Sen. Herman Quirmbach saying he was “angry enough…
Read MoreFL: Florida amendment would halt min. wage increase for ex-felons
[wfla.com – 1/31/21] PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes introduced an amendment this past week that would reduce the eventual $15 minimum wage rate for ex-felons and workers under 21. Floridians voted back in November to gradually increase in the state’s minimum wage from $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026. Supporters of the amendment had said it is impossible to live on the current minimum wage given the state’s cost of living. Read the full article and watch the video
Read MoreAZ: Bowers revives sex offender registry bill HB2674
[azmirror.com – 1/28/21 House Speaker Rusty Bowers is taking another shot at passing legislation making it easier for some people to get their names off the state’s sex offender registry. House Bill 2674 would give some relatively low-level offenders an opportunity to end their lifetime obligation to register as sex offenders. People convicted of crimes including sexual abuse of a minor who is at least 15 years old, indecent exposure, sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual extortion and misrepresenting a person’s age for purposes of committing a sexual offense would…
Read MoreVA: Virginia lawmakers squash repeal of civil commitment law
[13newsnow.com – 1/28/21] RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers have squashed a proposal to repeal a decades-old Virginia law that allows the state to hold certain sex offenders at a psychiatric facility after they complete their criminal sentences. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted to send the bill to the Virginia State Crime Commission for a study, ending its chances of being passed this year. Democratic Sen. Joe Morrissey was the lead patron of the bill. He argued that the current system is unfair and punishes offenders twice…
Read MoreMD: Maryland mom fighting to create tougher laws against child sex predators (HB531 and SB333)
[wjla.com – 1/28/21] A Maryland mom is back at it in Annapolis at the State House next week working to create tougher penalties for child sex abusers. Annie Kenny is fighting to pass the Sex Offender – Lifetime Supervision bill. The 2021 versions are HB531 and SB333. We first told you about Kenny in 2019. Mom wants Maryland sex offender laws changed to better protect children. The bill would mandate that anyone convicted of sexually abusing a minor in the State of Maryland, which makes them a Tier III Registered…
Read MoreFL: Congratulations Derek! Florida Supreme Court WIN
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 1/27/21] That’s it. The Florida Supreme Court has just ruled in favor of Derek Logue and against Senator Lauren Book, declining to hear the case and stating that no motions for rehearing will be entertained. Today was a great day for the First Amendment and an individual’s right to peacefully petition and protest against politicians. Lauren Book and Derek Logue are on two completely opposite sides of the sex offender registry debate. However, when Derek didn’t shy away from making his voice heard, Ms. Book filed a restraining…
Read MoreDion Harrell, an innocent Long Branch man who was sent to prison, dies at 53
[app.com – 1/23/21] Dion Harrell, who spent 28 years trying to prove he was an innocent man after a 1992 conviction for rape, has died at the age of 53. “We are saddened to share that our client Dion Harrell, 53, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 15 in Long Branch,” the Innocence Project announced on its website. The cause of death was not released. “Mr. Harrell was a proud father of two daughters and grandfather to three grandchildren whom he adored,” the statement said. “Mr. Harrell was wrongly incarcerated for four…
Read MoreCT: Dr. R. Karl Hanson: Sexual offense recidivism risk: Not what you think
[onestandardofjustice.org – 1/15/21] Dr. Hanson speaks about recidivism data and desistance. One Standard of Justice, Inc. is a volunteer-based civil rights organization committed to ensuring that persons accused or convicted of sex offenses in Connecticut are treated constitutionally and fairly by the state before, during, and after their sentences. We believe that these persons ought to be accorded dignity and respect as human beings. They are entitled, like all other criminal offenders, to be subjected only to penalties proportionate to the severity of their crimes, to be given second chances…
Read MoreBiden Administration Freezes Most Recent Regulations
[ACSOL] The Biden Administration yesterday placed a 60-day freeze on most regulations recently issued by the previous administration. The freeze applies to proposed regulations published in the Federal Register and could include the proposed SORNA regulations issued on August 13, 2020. According to a White House memo, the federal government may open a new comment period “to allow interested parties to provide comments about issues of fact, law, and policy” raised by those regulations. The federal government may also consider petitions for reconsideration involving the regulations. The memo also states…
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