[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…
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IN: 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
Read More1 in 4 chance your teen has gotten a sext
[news4jax.com – 4/15/19] As if parents don’t have enough to deal with once their teens’ hormones start kicking in. Apparently, “sexting” is the new flirting, according to some experts. Research compiled in a new article in Pediatrics found that texting sexual images has become increasingly common among teenagers in the United States. That’s not completely surprising, considering teens are using cellphones more than ever. But in 39 studies featuring more than 110,000 teens, researchers found that more than a quarter of teens (27.4%) have received a sext and 14.8% have…
Read MoreIN: County considers sex offender fee
The Jackson County Commissioners plan to discuss creating an annual fee for work associated with maintaining the county’s sex offender registry. … Commissioners were receptive to the idea. Commissioner Drew Markel said he would like to see offenders pay their fees like those who serve sentences on probation. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Low-risk sex offenders could come off CT registry
HARTFORD — The Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that would allow some low-risk offenders to come off the state’s public sex offender registry — a move that proponents said would make it easier for law enforcement to focus on high-risk offenders. Full Article
Read MoreAZ: Stringer fallout halts sex offender registry reform
[eacourier.com – 4/11/19] Legislation that would make more people eligible to have their names removed from Arizona’s sex offender registry may end up being an inadvertent casualty of the recent revelations of decades-old sex crime allegations that led David Stringer to resign from the Arizona House of Representatives. House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, sponsored House Bill 2613, which he crafted with assistance from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The bill would expand the list of crimes for which sex offenders could petition to be removed from the registry, while…
Read MoreWA: Washington Sexting Bill Aims to Shield Teens From Adult Law
[usnews.com – 4/11/19] Legislation aimed at keeping youth who send sexually explicit texts from being charged under adult sex crime laws has cleared the Legislature in Washington state. The bill , which passed late Wednesday night, would create a new group of crimes reserved specifically for minors who are caught with explicit images of other minors, attempting to solve what lawmakers described as a paradox in current law, where even youth who report a sexual picture or video can themselves be potentially charged with a felony — and even forced…
Read MorePA: Constitutional right or crime? Case of alleged harassment of sex offender’s family heads to court
[lehighvalleylive.com – 4/9/19] A father and son from Freemansburg accused of harassing the family of a sex offender are headed to Northampton County Court on their respective criminal charges. James Forte Sr. and James Forte Jr., who both live in 200 block of Juniata Street in the borough, had their preliminary hearings Tuesday in front of District Judge Nicholas Englesson. Following testimony from the victim and a borough police officer, Englesson sent all the charges to county court, where the pair now face possible trial. false Father and son accused…
Read MorePA: High Court will again review sex offender registration
Two years ago, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court shook up long-settled orthodoxy by ruling that the state’s sex offender registration law, otherwise known as SORNA (Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act) was punishment. The case, Commonwealth v. Muniz, 164 A.3d 1189 (Pa. 2018), presented the Court with two questions: whether people who committed their crimes before the adoption of the law could continue to be registered without running afoul of the state Constitution’s Ex Post Facto Clause, a fairness doctrine that prevents governments from retroactively applying greater punishments to conduct than…
Read MoreLA: After admitting sex with 3 boys, substitute teacher spared jail and barred from class only two years
[usatoday.com – 4/5/19] After pleading guilty to having sex with three underage teenagers and sending lewd messages, a substitute teacher in Louisiana was spared jail and could even be headed back to the classroom, New Orlean’s station WDSU reports. As part of a plea deal, 34-year-old ______ pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. When she was arrested in 2016, the Terrebonne Parish instructor faced three felony charges, according to the report. A…
Read MoreIA: Iowa Supreme Court rules requiring sex offenders to report social media presence is not a First Amendment violation
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that requiring sex offenders to disclose their social media identities and other digital information does not violate their free speech rights. Five of the seven justices agreed that the requirement, part of the state’s sex offender registry, was put in place a decade ago to protect children and victims from possible abuse but was not a “proxy for content regulations.” Justice Thomas Waterman’s opinion emphasized that sex offenders aren’t required to disclose their passwords and aren’t prevented from participating in social media. Full Article Opinion
Read MoreProsecutors Dropping Child Porn Charges After Software Tools Are Questioned
[propublica.org – 4/3/19] Using specialized software, investigators traced explicit child pornography to Todd Hartman’s internet address. A dozen police officers raided his Los Angeles-area apartment, seized his computer and arrested him for files including a video of a man ejaculating on a 7-year-old girl. But after his lawyer contended that the software tool inappropriately accessed Hartman’s private files, and asked to examine how it worked, prosecutors dismissed the case. Near Phoenix, police with a similar detection program tracked underage porn photos, including a 4-year-old with her legs spread, to…
Read MoreNC Bill: Convicted Animal Abusers Will Be Added to an Online Registry; Much Like Sex Offenders
[wfmynews2.com – 4/2/19] After a person’s first Animal Abuse offense, they would be put on the registry for the next two years. If they have another offense they would be put on the registry for five years. If you are convicted of an animal abuse crime this bill reiterates you may be forced to give up any animals you own. If you are a repeat offender and are put on the registry multiple times the proposed bill says you would have to give up your animals, and would not be…
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