The number of child pornography offenders in federal prison has nearly septupled since 2004, and most are serving mandatory sentences of five years or more, generally for crimes that did not involve assault or sexual abuse. In fiscal year 2016, for example, 1,565 people were sentenced for possessing, receiving, or distributing child pornography, but only 80 (5 percent) were also convicted of production or another form of sexual abuse. The average sentence was more than eight years. Download the report: JacobSullum_Number-imprisoned-septupled
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PA: Reaching back in time to charge adults for youth offenses
James is a registered sex offender. He was convicted in 2016 of felony statutory sexual assault when he was 23 years old for sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl, according to court records. His name will appear on the Pennsylvania sex offender registry for nearly another decade and he will carry a felony conviction for the rest of his life. Anytime James applies for a job, housing or school that requires a background check, his potential employer, landlord or college will know that he carries a child sexual assault conviction. If…
Read MoreWA: Sheriff’s Seeking Input on Proposed Domestic Offender Registry [House Bill 1080 and Senate Bill 5244]
[newstalk870.am Washington State] The Franklin County Sheriff’s office posted some comments on their Facebook page, seeking public input on two companion bills (one in House, one in Senate) being debated in Olympia. :House Bill 1080 and Senate Bill 5244 would create a database for domestic violence offenders, similar to that which has been out for years for sex offenders. The Sheriff’s Department clarifies what the bills would do. Here’s part of that commentary: “House Bill 1080 and companion Bill SB 5244 would mandate the registry of persons convicted of a…
Read MoreCO: Hundreds of sex offenders get their names taken off the sex offender registry every year
A Contact7 investigation found that in the state of Colorado, hundreds of sex offenders are getting off the sex offender registry every year. In one case, a felony sex offender’s motion was granted even after his victim pleaded against it. Full Article
Read MoreTN: Tennessee bill would give life in prison to those guilty of aggravated rape of a child
[thehill.com – 1/30/19] A new bill proposed in Tennessee would, if passed, sentence those found guilty of aggravated rape of a child to life in prison. Under the state’s current laws, those convicted of the crime can be sentenced to anywhere between 15 to 60 years in prison and receive a fine of up to $50,000. ADVERTISEMENT The new bill, also known as HB283, would increase the punishment for the crime, which would be classified as a Class A felony under state law, to life in prison without possibility for…
Read MoreAK: Effort to force out-of-state sex offenders to register excludes juvenile crimes
A sex offender from Iowa said he chose to move to Alaska believing he wouldn’t have to register as a sex offender. He was right — and it’s a reality that would continue, even if the governor’s crime bills become law. Full Article
Read MoreAR: Bill to ban sex offenders from some Halloween activities dealt setback in committee vote
Senate Bill 10 — sponsored by Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, and Rep. Rebecca Petty, R-Rogers — was knocked down by the committee after a lengthy discussion, but the vote was expunged, allowing its sponsors an opportunity to present it again later. SB10 would bar a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997 and who is assessed as a level 3 or level 4 offender from distributing treats to a child or from wearing a mask or other costume as part of a Halloween-related event.…
Read MoreFL: Comprehensive ‘Florida First Step Act’ Excludes Registrants
Sen. Jeff Brandes is spearheading the state’s criminal justice reform initiative. SB 642 is his 10th justice reform-related bill pre-filed for the upcoming Florida session. Full Article
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Residency Restriction Proposal in Hawaii
Last August I wrote a blog piece on the Women Against Registry website regarding homeless registrants living in city parks and on the beaches of Oahu. At that time, the island seemed to be doing just fine without any presence or residency restrictions. Hawaii is one of 20 states that doesn’t have restrictions. Back then, Hawaii’s public defender, Jack Tonaki made this comment “the island is so small, residency restrictions would make it impossible for registrants to find housing.” As far as I can tell, the island hasn’t grown in…
Read MoreFL: Man Sentenced to Death for Killing another Inmate
[mypanhandle.com – 1/29/19] JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. – On Monday, Rocky Ali Beamon was sentenced to death in Jackson County, Florida, for First Degree Premeditated Murder. The conviction and sentence come from the 2012 murder of Bruce Hunsicker at the Apalachee Correctional Institution in Sneads, Florida. Reports said Beamon and Hunsicker were both inmates at the prison, and subsequent confessions by Beamon revealed that the motive for the murder was primarily Hunsicker’s status as a sex offender. Reports also said that Hunsicker also owed Beamon money. After watching the victim for…
Read MoreIA: Bill to Require Continued Registration
… One area I have been working on in past years has to do with requiring sex offenders that have timed out of their requirement to register as a sex offender to continue to register once with the county sheriff when they have moved to a new address. This would apply to sex offenders that have moved within Iowa, or moved into Iowa from another state. Past Iowa Supreme Court precedent has regarded this type of requirement to be applied retroactively as a regulation, not a punishment. It is imperative…
Read MoreVA: Hearing Thursday: EFF Tells Court That Clicking on a URL Isn’t Enough Evidence to Justify A Search Warrant
[eff.org/ – 1/29/19] Identifying IP Address That May Have Connected to a URL Doesn’t Amount to Probable Cause Richmond, Virginia—On Thursday, January 31, at 8:30 am, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will ask a federal appeals court to find that the act of clicking on a URL or weblink isn’t sufficient evidence for law enforcement to get a warrant to search someone’s home. The hearing involves a child pornography prosecution in which law enforcement obtained a warrant to search a defendant’s home based on the attempted connection to a URL…
Read MoreMO: Salvation Army Opens Extreme Emergency Cold Weather Shelter
[ozarksfirst.com – 1/29/19] SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Salvation Army announced Tuesday they are opening up their extreme cold shelters due to extremely cold temperatures. … A picture ID will be required to stay overnight as there will be a Sex Offender Background Check. Read the full article
Read MoreFlorida State Senator Lauren Book introduced Senate Bill 540 that includes the establishment of a “Soliciting for Prostitution Registry”
[flsenate.gov – 1/25/19] SB 540: Human Trafficking GENERAL BILL by Book Human Trafficking; Requiring the owner or operator of a public lodging establishment to train certain employees and create certain policies relating to human trafficking by a specified date; requiring the Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement and the Attorney General, to establish a certain direct-support organization; requiring that the criminal history record of a person who is convicted of, or enters a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, soliciting, inducing, enticing,…
Read MorePA: Family of Pedophile Pastor Now Spreads the Word on How To Prevent Abuse
[blackchristiannews.com – 1/28/19] SOMERSET, Pa. – Jimmy and Clara Hinton don’t want others to miss what they didn’t see for years: their father and husband, a respected pastor for years in his rural community, was keeping his flock in the dark while he molested young children. Today, the elders at Somerset Church of Christ have moved intentionally to protect children. Empty classrooms are locked. Adults working with children operate in teams of two or more. On Sundays, monitors conduct random building sweeps and each Sunday School room has a walkie-talkie…
Read MoreIN: Northwest Indiana legislators support bills closing loopholes in sex offender laws
[chicagotribune.com – 1/25/19] Northwest Indiana legislators said they are in support of bills looking to close some of the loopholes in the state’s sex offender laws. One of those bills would ban sexually violent predators or offenders against children from working as a child care provider or baby sitter, while the other prevents a convicted sex or violent offender from petitioning for a name change. “A lot of the issues that I’ve taken on are all things just like that, where there’s this loophole where it’s a small issue that…
Read MoreMD: Maryland House GOP to push for state income tax cut, violent offender registry
[baltimoresun.com – 1/25/19] Republican leaders in Maryland’s House of Delegates on Friday released their legislative priorities for 2019, including a state income tax cut, a registry for violent repeat offenders, and single-member districts in the General Assembly. Flanked by fellow Republicans, Anne Arundel Del. Nic Kipke, the House’s minority leader, and Baltimore County Del. Kathy Szeliga, the minority whip, also said they would push for authority for greater use of so-called “special police” in Maryland in an effort to try to keep schools safer. Kipke said that Republican delegates represent…
Read MoreMI: Sex Offender Registry afoul of constitution (Editorial)
Michigan lawmakers seem keen on making important reforms to the state’s criminal justice system, which should expand protections for civil liberties. Another item they should add to the list: Revamping the state’s Sex Offender Registry Act. Full Editorial
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