[kshb.com – 5/1/19] Kansas lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would prevent judges from reducing sentences for adult sex offenders because a child victim was the “aggressor.” Events that unfolded in a Leavenworth County courtroom in December inspired the change after 67-year-old Raymond Soden , who was charged with soliciting teen girls online for sex, received a reduced sentence. Despite a standard sentence for such crimes of 14 years, Judge Michael Gibbins sentenced Soden to fewer than six years, saying the 13- and 14-year-old victims were “aggressors” in the case.…
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FL: Housing elderly sex offenders
Since 82-year-old ____ ____ hit his head in a fall eight months ago, he can’t remember to take his medicine. His ex-wife, ____, calls him 11 times a day to remind him about his appointments. At that stage of dementia, many families would consider admitting him to a nursing home, but ____ said she has a list of assisted living homes that have rejected ____. The pages lined up are as tall as ____’s grandson – whom ____ has never seen. Full Article
Read MoreWI, IL: Wisconsin, Illinois sued over transgender name-change laws
[washingtonpost.com – 5/1/19] Attorneys sued Wisconsin and Illinois Wednesday over laws that forbid transgender individuals from changing their names if they have certain criminal convictions. Both federal lawsuits argue that the states are violating free speech rights and are preventing people from expressing how they identify themselves. “The impact on their lives is severe. This is an issue of equality and equal participation in society,” said Lark Mulligan, an attorney who filed the Illinois lawsuit. Mulligan, who is a transgender woman, noted “all the times that people are forced to…
Read MoreVA: A look at why Gov. Northam vetoed a bill related to sex offenders in emergency shelters
[wjla.com – 4/30/19] Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has vetoed legislation that would allow officials to temporarily block convicted sex offenders from using emergency shelters. Northam said Tuesday it is “unconscionable” that people could be turned away from shelters during hurricanes, flash floods or other emergencies. The legislation would have allowed shelter officials to deny entrance for convicted sex offenders for however long was “necessary to ensure the safety of other individuals” admitted to the shelter. The legislation would have also required convicted sex offenders to declare they are registered offenders…
Read MoreME: Maine Senate backs bill to extend statute of limitations on sex crimes
[timesrecord.com – 5/1/19] The Maine Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would extend the state’s statute of limitations on sexual assaults from eight years to 20 years. The measure, if approved by the House and signed by Gov. Janet Mills, would put Maine more in line with other states’ sex crimes statutes. The Senate passed the bill without debate. “Only three other states have shorter statutes of limitations than Maine,” Sen. Erin Herbig, D-Belfast, the bill’s sponsor, said during a public hearing on the bill in April. “Several states…
Read MoreNY: Petitioners seek to remove judge who gave bus driver probation for rape of 14-year-old
[wmbfnews.com – 5/1/19] A New York judge is facing outrage for ruling a former school bus driver did not have to go to jail after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl. More than 45,000 people signed an online petition by Wednesday morning, calling for Judge James P. McClusky to be removed. He sentenced _______ to 10 years of probation, and _______ will have to register as a Level 1 sex offender. New York state law does not place Level 1 offenders on any online sex offender databases. Prosecutors and…
Read MoreAbolish the sex offender registry
[thenorthernlight.org – 4/29/19] It’s not easy to come to the defense of nonviolent sex offenders. Any lawmaker that considers reforming the excessively-punitive registry will start out on the losing side of the public’s perception. For starters, there is an erroneous assumption that the registry entirely comprises of rapists and pedophiles. On top of that, sex offender registration has become somewhat of a throwaway issue. Who cares about anyone on the registry? They did something, and that’s their punishment. However, our inability to think critically about sex offender registration is causing…
Read MoreIN: 7th Circuit rules DOC sex offender program violates Constitution
[theindianalawyer.com – 4/26/19] Finding the disclosures provide information that any law enforcement agent “would love to have,” the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled Indiana’s requirement that sex offender inmates give detailed accounts of their past actions violates the Constitution’s protections against self-incrimination. Donald Lacy, a sex offender inmate in the Indiana Department of Correction, filed a class action on behalf of all inmates who lost good-time credits and a demotion in credit class because they failed to meet the requirements of the Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring…
Read MoreFL: Do Central Florida theme parks screen for sex offenders?
[wesh.com – 4/25/19] Could sex offenders be sitting next to your child on a ride, or standing in line behind them at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando? In February, a registered sex offender was arrested after Orange County deputies said he exposed himself to a child at Aquatica. The accused, 52-year-old Gerald Youmans, was convicted in 2004 of exposing himself to a child in Palm Beach. He was designated a sexual predator, but according to an arrest affidavit, he held an annual pass to the theme park. The incident…
Read MoreMI: ACLU pushes for removal of sex offender registry
[abc57.com – 4/25/19] Could the sex offender registry soon be a thing of the past? The American Civil Liberties Union wants to possibly get rid of it, saying the registry doesn’t work. Right now, there are two cases out of Michigan, including a class action lawsuit, claiming several parts of the registry are unconstitutional. “In August 2016, the federal court of appeals held that Michigan’s registry is unconstitutional.” Attorney for the ACLU in Michigan, Miriam Aukerman, said. Aukerman represents hundreds of convicted sex offenders fighting the public registry and some…
Read MoreThe Feds Are Dropping Child Porn Cases Instead of Revealing Info on Their Surveillance Systems
[reason.com – 4/24/19] The Department of Justice has been dismissing child pornography cases in order to not reveal information about the software programs used as the basis for the charges. An array of cases suggest serious problems with the tech tools used by federal authorities. But the private entities who developed these tools won’t submit them for independent inspection or hand over hardly any information about how they work, their error rates, or other critical information. As a result, potentially innocent people are being smeared as pedophiles and prosecuted as…
Read MoreNH: Vital April 26 Hearing by DOC for prison therapeutic treatment program and secure psychiatric unit
[New Hampshire Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform – ccjrnh.org – 4/23/19] CCJR Members and Friends: Let’s pack a vital hearing this Friday morning on proposed rules by the Department of Corrections for the prison therapeutic treatment program and the secure psychiatric unit. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. on Apr. 26 in room 306 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord. The Golden Dome is across the street. The public hearing should end before noon, and maybe a lot sooner. What’s at stake? This struggle started four years ago when Bill…
Read MoreIN: Jackson County to begin charging sex offenders for registry
[wdrb.com – 4/22/19] For years, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has been behind the times when it comes to its sex offender registry. But it will now move ahead and collect some extra money in the process. Indiana law allows for sheriff’s offices to collect a fee from convicted sex offenders in order to maintain the sex offender registry. But, for years, Jackson County did collect any fee. Beginning in June, the JCSO will begin collecting $50 a year from sex offenders for the registry and $5 every time an…
Read MoreAZ: Fann removes key roadblock to sex offender registration bill
[azmirror.com – 4/22/19] House Speaker Rusty Bowers’ bill to allow some people to petition to stop registering as a sex offender is back on track after his counterpart in the Senate gave it a chance to pass a key legislative roadblock. For several weeks, Senate President Karen Fann had kept House Bill 2613 from getting a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, which she chairs. Fann, a Prescott Republican, held the bill after details became public about sex crimes charges that former Rep. David Stringer had faced in Maryland in…
Read MoreME: Sanford sex offender residency ordinance would cite landlords, property owners
The Sanford City Council is considering a sex offender residency restriction ordinance that would cite landlords and property owners for violations. … Sanford Police Chief Thomas Connolly said is was his understanding that the ordinance would fall under licensing and permitting as a zoning issue, and so would be enforced against the property, rather than the sex offender. He said the police department would have little to do with the ordinance unless there was a problem at the location. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Researchers Say Consensual Sexting Between Teens Should Be Decriminalized
[wfmynews2.com – 4/18/19] In North Carolina, if a teen is caught sexting they face jail time and could have to register as a sex offender. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sexting in many states is an act that could get your teenager into a lot of trouble. The problem is it most likely won’t go away. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 in 4 teens admits to sexting. Sexting is sending or receiving sexual explicit photos or videos, like a naked selfie. Greensboro Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mary Ann Garcia says…
Read MoreFL: Oppose HB 987: Public Lodging Establishments
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 4/17/19] On April 10th, The Florida House of Representatives amended House Bill 987: Public Lodging Establishments, to require Persons required to register as sex offenders report to the Sheriff’s office where they will be staying, 48 hours before an intended stay at a Public Lodging Establishment, regardless of how long they will stay at the location! In addition, operators of a Public Lodging Establishment who have a Person required to register as a sex offender staying at or within 1000 feet of their establishment, must notify all…
Read MoreNY: Despite Executive Order, Jamestown Public Schools Will Turn Away Registered Sex Offenders During Election
Governor Andrew Cuomo may have signed an executive order that gives voting rights to registered sex offenders, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be showing up and voting at Jamestown Public Schools anytime soon. Full Article
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