Convicted sex offenders retain a constitutional right to privacy, and those rights are being violated by a state law mandating that everyone convicted of some sex crimes wear a GPS monitoring bracelet as part of their sentence, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: National
VA: An unprecedented tweak to a sex offender bill
Something unexpected: bills that could have penalized convicted sex offenders seeking shelter in an emergency evacuation — from an approaching hurricane, for instance — could get a bit less punitive, thanks to a proposed tweak by Gov. Ralph Northam. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Town repeals sex offender restrictions amid lawsuit
[apnews.com – 3/24/19] WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) — Residents of a Connecticut town have repealed a local ordinance that banned registered sex offenders from local parks, schools, the town library and other public places amid a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law. The Windsor Locks law was approved 11 years ago amid concerns about threats to children’s safety by people listed on the state’s sex-offender registry. A federal lawsuit by an anonymous resident and an advocacy group alleges the ordinance violates sex offenders’ constitutional rights. Read more
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Winning One Battle at a Time
TN House Bill 407 went before the house committee on Wednesday. In summary, the bill which was proposed by House Rep. Doggett and Senator Hensley sought two amendments to the current registrant residency restriction law. First, it sought to increase from 1,000ft to 2,000ft, the current residency restrictions for registrants. Second, it asked to mandate that no registrant whose victim was a minor, shall knowingly reside or conduct an overnight visit at a residence in which a minor resides or is present. For weeks before this committee meeting myself and…
Read MoreTX: Judge’s campaign ‘team’ included convicted sex offender
[abc13.com – 3/20/19] HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A convicted sex offender had apparently worked for a newly-elected Harris County judge’s campaign, but wasn’t detected until he was handcuffed in a court room. ______, 36, appeared for an arraignment Wednesday, accused of failing to alert Houston Community College of his sex offender status while enrolled there. Deputies took ______ into custody while working for Harris County 270th Civil Court Judge Dedra Davis. Harris County has no record of ______ as an employee, and neither does the district court administrator. If they…
Read MoreFL: Cops Re-Arrest 26 Sex Offenders in ‘Operation Karma.’ Their Crime? Not Updating Their Car Info.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Department in Florida is touting its successful completion of “Operation Karma,” a three-day sting in which cops arrested 26 registered sex offenders for violating various legal obligations imposed on them. “They are apparently up to no good and we are going to hold them accountable,” Sheriff Grady Judd promises The Miami Herald. Full Article Related ‘Karma’ caught up with these sex offenders and predators, Florida cops say
Read MoreNY: Gov. Cuomo Supports Banning Sex Offenders From Subway
You see all kinds of things on the subways, but if one New York City lawmaker has his way, repeat sex offenders won’t be among them. City Councilman Chaim Deutsch’s proposed ban is designed to prevent certain sex offenders from taking public transportation, CBS2’s Jessica Moore reported Wednesday. Full Article UPDATE 4/2: NEW YORK LAWMAKERS WANT TO BAN SEX OFFENDERS FROM THE SUBWAY. THAT WON’T SOLVE ANYTHING. (Commentary)
Read MoreCT: Press Release from One Standard of Justice, Inc. re: Windsor Locks federal suit re: “Child Safety Zones”
[onestandardofjustice.org – 2/7/19] On March 27, 2018, Stamford attorney Audrey Felsen of Koffsky & Felsen filed suit in federal court seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the town of Windsor Locks. The suit, on behalf of plaintiffs One Standard of Justice, Inc. and a Windsor Locks resident identified as John Doe, challenges the constitutionality of Windsor Locks’ “Child Safety Zones” ordinance. “This suit is for declaratory and injunctive relief from an overly broad ordinance that clearly violates the first and fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution,” said Felsen. “The…
Read MoreThe Dobbs Wire: Banishment! Patty Wetterling, Jill Levenson and more
[twitter.com/TheDobbsWire – 3/18/19] The Dobbs Wire: Banishment! In the 21st century many localities in the United States use an ancient means to get rid of people who have been stigmatized and are despised, banishment. More formally and politely known as “residency restrictions,” the desired result of such laws is to drive individuals who are blacklisted — required to sign the sex offense registry — out of their houses and even out of town altogether. The most infamous example of these awful laws is the encampment of homeless registered persons that…
Read MoreIN: Sex offender ban includes grandparents
A grandparent who has been convicted as a sexually violent predator would not be able to care for his or her grandchildren under the current version of a bill barring predators from serving as child care providers. That possible scenario is perhaps the last remaining concern among legislators who have so far been unanimous in passing Senate Bill 258, resulting from a loophole found when an Anderson sexual offender advertised as a babysitter. Full Article
Read MoreNJ: Huge increase in released sex offenders is draining resources from other inmates
Across the United States, a growing number of incarcerated individuals are being released to face the barriers to reintegration with no support. From 1990 to 2012, the number of max-outs – those who serve their entire sentences incarcerated and are released entirely unsupervised – increased by 119 percent, so that according to the latest numbers from Pew Charitable Trusts, the current max out rate across the country is 22 percent. … Nevertheless, the number of individuals released to supervision in New Jersey continues to decline. In 2003, nearly 7,777 individuals…
Read MoreMI: ACLU lawsuits look to reform Michigan Sex Offender Registry
[wsbt.com – 3/15/19] KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A federal court ruled three years ago that parts of Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry laws were unconstitutional, but since then, nothing in the law has changed. The ACLU is looking to reform, or even do away with the registry as part of an ongoing lawsuit. “The law that we have now is broken, it’s bloated, its ineffective and it actually makes us less safe,” said Miriam Aukerman, an attorney with the ACLU of Michigan. Aukerman said the state’s sex offender registry law is unconstitutional…
Read MoreCT: Windsor Locks to vote on repealing sex offender proximity ordinance
[journalinquirer.com – 3/15/19] Nearly a year after an advocacy group and an anonymous resident filed a lawsuit against the town over an ordinance barring sex offenders from designated public places, voters will have the option Tuesday to repeal that ordinance at a town meeting. The town meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. The ordinance, enacted over 10 years ago, prohibits those on the sex offender registry from “child safety zones,” which include local parks, public schools, the library, the Town Hall gymnasium, and the senior center. There…
Read MoreFL: Bill to ban child sex dolls advances in Florida legislature
A Florida bill to ban childlike sex dolls passed its third Senate committee on Wednesday and is headed to the Senate floor. Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, sponsored SB 160 amid an international conversation surrounding child sex dolls and their link to increased sexual preying on children. Full Article
Read MoreThe Effectiveness of Sex Offender Treatment Programs
[sosen.org – 3/11/19] An article posted in the Daily Mail on June 24 2016 caught my eye, why?, because it’s something that I have been saying for years and nobody has been listening to. So here is the link to the article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4635876/Scandal-100million-sex-crime-cure-hubs.html and some of the basic information that is in the article, “The scandal of the sex crime ‘cure’ hubs: How minister buried report into £100million prison programme to treat paedophiles and rapists that INCREASED reoffending rates”. Sex Offender Treatment Programme is psychological group-therapy course Believed to have…
Read MoreSeattle Police “Rescue” 26 Sex Workers. But Did They Want to Be Rescued?
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 3/13/19] The Seattle Police Department, along with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, say they arrested five people and “rescued 26 victims of sex trafficking” earlier this month during raids of nearly a dozen businesses in the Chinatown-International and Beacon Hill districts. The Seattle Times broke the story last Friday, reporting that the owners of these so-called “massage parlors” were illegally selling sex acts and are suspected of recruiting women, mostly Chinese nationals, to come to the U.S. to work in them. Nearly 200 law enforcement officers…
Read More36 Years In An Illinois Prison Without a Conviction or Sentence
[wbez.org – 3/7/19] In 1982, Terry Allen was charged with sexual assault, but prosecutors offered him what seemed like a way out. No time in prison. No criminal conviction. So Allen went along with it. “At the time, I thought, well that’s a good deal, and I’ll get right on out,” Allen said. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.” Allen never faced criminal trial on the sexual assault charges. He was never convicted or sentenced for the alleged crime, but has nonetheless spent almost four decades behind…
Read MoreChurches Under Fire for Allowing Sex Offenders to Attend Services
[pjmedia.com – 3/7/19] Several churches within the Churches of Christ denomination have come under fire for allowing sex offenders to attend services. Critics accuse those churches of failing to care for the victims. Defenders claim that those who are truly repentant should not be turned away. Most likely, this is a debate that is going to find its way into all denominations because the problem of sexual abuse is baring its ugly soul across denominational lines. The sexual abuse of minors is especially heinous. There is something about the betrayal…
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