Republicans are leading an effort to get rid of blanket restrictions on where some people with sex-offense records can live. A Democratic governor is blocking them. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: National
KY: AG asks FBI to investigate former Gov. Bevin’s controversial pardons
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has sent a formal request to the FBI asking for an investigation into controversial pardons made by former Gov. Matt Bevin in his last weeks in office. … “I am particularly concerned about the risk to the public by those previously convicted of sex offenses, who by virtue of the state pardon, will not fall under any post-release supervision or be required to register as sex offenders,” Coleman said at a news conference. Full Article
Read MoreBreaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration
[brennancenter.org – 1/3/20] NYU law professor and author Rachel Barkow offers solutions for tackling America’s criminal justice crisis. The forces that created and perpetuate mass incarceration have been entrenched for decades. In her book, Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration, New York University law professor Rachel Barkow details solutions for fixing the system’s myriad problems. She talked to the Brennan Center’s Ruth Sangree about some of them. What is the best-case scenario for criminal justice reform in the coming years? It involves reform at the state and federal level. It gives…
Read MoreTN: Tennessee Lawmaker Bruce Griffey Files Bill To Chemically Castrate Convicted Sex Offenders
[inquisitr.com – 1/3/20] A Tennessee lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require anyone convicted of a sexual offense against a child under the age of 13 to be chemically castrated, The Tennesseean reports. Bruce Griffey, a Republican from the rural community of Paris, introduced the bill which, should it be passed, would become effective in July. Under the language of the bill, which is nearly identical to that of a similar law approved last year in Alabama, those sentenced for the crime would undergo a chemical injection that “reduces,…
Read MoreA look at 15 states making it easier to sue over sex abuse
[billingsgazette.com – 12/3/19] Eight states and the District of Columbia have established “lookback windows” allowing people to sue no matter how long ago the alleged abuse took place. They can file civil suits against both their alleged abusers such as priests and the church or other institutions where they worked. NEW YORK — One-year window allowing previously barred suits opened August 14. After that, suits allowed until age 55, up from 23 before the law was passed. NEW JERSEY — Two-year window opened Dec. 1. After that ends, suits allowed…
Read MoreAR: Sex-offender housing laws raise hitch
Legislators have passed several laws over the past couple of decades that limit where sex offenders can live in hopes of keeping communities safe, but some state officials say such laws often impede registrants from successful rehabilitation. Arkansas prison officials say they must figure out a better way of housing sex offenders released from prison because a growing number of them are homeless and tracking them has become a national concern. “They have to go somewhere,” said Dina Tyler, a spokeswoman for Arkansas Community Correction. “The community reaction to sex…
Read MoreNY: Make Plea Bargains In Felony Sex Abuse Cases More Difficult
[post-journal.com – 12/20/19] New York state doesn’t want to be too harsh on those convicted of crimes. That thought applies to the intransigence of state Democrats to broach the idea of tweaking their much-criticized criminal justice reforms just as it does to a piece of common-sense legislation that has been introduced for the past six years in the state Legislature without ever becoming law. Past history didn’t stop Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr., R-Sag Harbor, from reintroducing legislation that would make it harder for prosecutors and defense attorneys from making plea…
Read MoreIL: Illinois law will remove the statute of limitations for adult sex crimes
[mdjonline.com – 12/26/19] A new law will remove the statute of limitations for sexual assault crimes in Illinois. Lawmakers passed House Bill 2135 this spring. Oswego state Rep. Keith Wheeler introduced the measure in the House. Aurora state Sen. Linda Holmes introduced the Senate version. The law will remove the statute of limitations for the prosecution of sexual assault crimes against adults. General Counsel for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault Sarah Beuning said the new law was “a very big deal in the message it sends to survivors about how serious…
Read MoreNY: Cuomo: Make Sex Offenders Disclose Dating, Gaming User Names
[nbcnewyork.com – 12/22/19] New York’s governor says convicted sex offenders should be required to disclose their social media screen names to prevent them from using apps to exploit children. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that existing laws targeting online predation don’t account for new technology. His proposal, unveiled as part of his State of the State agenda, would require sex offenders to hand over screen names for dating and gaming apps, as well. The Democrat’s proposed legislation would also make it a crime for convicted sex offenders to misrepresent themselves…
Read MoreTX: Texas Sex Offender Registry Upheld by Fifth Circuit
[bloomberglaw.com – 12/17/19] The Texas Sex Offender Registration Program, which requires sex offenders to make in person reports and restricts housing options, doesn’t violate the U.S. Constitution by depriving registrants of due process, the Fifth Circuit ruled. An individual convicted of a sex crime in a trial or plea agreement has received the minimum protections required by due process, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said Dec. 16. Secondary harms to registrants, such as finding housing, aren’t direct infringements by the state, the court said. The court…
Read MoreMA: Mass. legislators call for hearing after report details sex offenders received trade licenses
[wickedlocal.com – 12/17/19 – Employment restrictions] The chairs of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure want an oversight hearing and an “immediate and thorough investigation” into how sex offenders were able to obtain state licenses to work in various trades and professions. Sen. Paul Feeney and Rep. Tackey Chan issued a joint statement on Monday afternoon, responding to a Boston Globe report that found 68 registered sex offenders held state licenses, including 21 electricians, and that officials at the Division of Professional Licensure had failed to check…
Read MoreME: Old Town will restrict where sex offenders can live
[bangordailynews.com – 12/17/19] OLD TOWN, Maine — Registered sex offenders who have been convicted of felony-level sex crimes will be restricted from living within 750 feet of areas that children frequent, according to a new ordinance the city council unanimously approved during a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 16. The ordinance prohibits offenders from living within 750 feet of schools, playgrounds, parks or daycares, as well as other places in which children are the primary users. A total of 13 areas were listed on the proposed ordinance as restricted zones,…
Read MoreIL: Wayside Cross child sex offender residents receive new notices citing proximity to Aurora park
[chicagotribune.com – 12/13/19] For the second time this year, child sex offenders who live at Wayside Cross Ministries in Aurora were given letters stating they must find a new place to live within 30 days. An Aurora police officer delivered letters to 19 residents who were scheduled to receive them around 7:30 a.m. Friday morning, police spokesman Paris Lewbel said. The letters said the men reside within 500 feet of McCarty Park and therefore by law must move. The residents received similar notices in June but were allowed to remain…
Read More‘The Dr Phil Show’ uncovers new form of vigilantism by ‘pedophile hunters’ who ‘honeytrap’ child molesters and publicly shame them
[meaww.com – 12/11/19] Wednesday’s episode of ‘The Dr. Phil Show’ featured a unique phenomenon. Vigilante “pedophile-hunters” are a thing. Dr. Phil described it as a “controversial form of vigilantism that law enforcement is just not in favor of.” What these hunters, who are regular citizens, do is they bait potential child molesters to arrive at a certain location. They then catch them on camera and post their details online. One of these so-called pedophile-hunters is a man called Tony. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Tony founded the “Team Loyalty…
Read MoreNY: Town adopts hotel/motel, special events laws
[uticaod.com – 12/11/19] New law sets limit on number of registered sex offenders who can stay at a hotel or motel HERKIMER — The Herkimer town board adopted a pair of local laws Monday — one dealing with hotels and motels and the other with special events. The local law requiring the licensing of hotels and motels in the town of Herkimer was adopted in response to residents’ complaints about the Glen Ridge Motel on state Route 5 and was based on local laws adopted by the town of Brighton,…
Read MoreMA: Tougher child rape penalties pushed
[gloucestertimes.com – 12/3/19] BOSTON — Convicted child rapists who commit new crimes could be sentenced to life without parole under a proposal by Gov. Charlie Baker to toughen sex offender laws. Baker’s proposal, which went before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, would increase the penalty for rape of a child with force by someone who has already been convicted of sexual offenses to life without parole. It establishes new charges for the rape of multiple children with force, which would carry a mandatory life sentence. It also would require…
Read MoreRI: Shunned wherever he goes, sex offender greeted by protests in Lincoln
In the short time that ____ has been out of prison, he has moved to Providence, then to Cranston and now to a small house off Cobble Hill Road in Lincoln — where more than 40 protesters gathered Wednesday night to shout demands and insults at his house. Soon after nightfall Wednesday, the street filled with more than more 40 protesters, many of them accepting an invitation to move onto the snow-covered lawn of ____ neighbor. They shouted toward the sex offender’s front door a short distance away. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Cape Coral police identify mother, son found dead in home; son was registered sex offender
[news-press.com – 12/4/19 -Shooting victim shamed] The bodies of a man and his mother were identified as those found Tuesday morning in a northwest Cape Coral home. Cape Coral police identified them as _______________.. Police said the investigation remains active. ___________ is a registered sex offender, listed as living at 2617 NW 9th St., on the Florida Sex Offender registry. He was convicted in 2012 of lewd or lascivious conduct on a person younger than 16. A crime scene cleaning crew member removes his environmental suit at a house in the 2600…
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