The new SORNA regulations became effective today. We do not like them and yet they are here. The question is what are we going to do about it? It is important that every registrant remember that although the new SORNA regulations are now effective, most registrants have not yet received a government notice that their registration requirements have been changed. Without that notice, registrants have an affirmative defense if they are charged with violating any of the regulations. This is not a time to panic. However, it is a time…
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FAC Member Contribution: The Last to Finish Can Win the Race
When I was in my late forties I ran two miles a day. It was a joy to run on the rural Georgia roads, enjoying the clouds overhead and the delightful smell of honeysuckle by the side of the road. I was told of a 5k race in a small town near where I lived. I’m not sure how far 5k is, but I think it’s about 3 miles. I thought, “Why not?” so I signed up and showed up that Saturday, to find it was raining. Not pouring down…
Read MoreBureau of Prisons director slated to resign amid controversy
The director of BOP is resigning after 30 years in the bureau The director of the federal Bureau of Prisons plans to resign amid reports of widespread corruption in the federal prison system. Michael Carvajal, who was appointed to his present position under the Trump administration, told Attorney General Merrick Garland he is resigning from the bureau after serving in it for 30 years, according to a report from The Associated Press that was confirmed by Fox News. Carvajal intends to stay until his replacement is appointed. Carvajal’s pending departure comes months…
Read MoreIA: New advocacy group emerging in Iowa
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 1/5/22 My name is Heather Wagner, and I’m a new Iowa contact for NARSOL. I have a passion for fighting the injustices surrounding those who have committed a sex crime, as well as the unfair laws forced upon our Registered Citizens (aka “Sex Offenders”). I have been an advocate on this topic for nearly three years, lending my voice as the first to speak on a sex crime with the criminal justice group FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) this past May. I have attached my work under my salutation, if interested…
Read MoreU.K. expands ‘Turing’s Law’ to pardon past same-sex convictions
Source: nbcnews.com 1/5/22 In a long-awaited triumph for the U.K.’s LGBTQ community, the government on Tuesday announced that anyone convicted of consensual same-sex activity under now-defunct laws will soon be eligible to be pardoned and have their records wiped clean. This week’s announcement follows a less-expansive 2017 measure that was limited to nine former offenses that targeted gay and bisexual men. The new amendment will widen the criteria to anyone officially warned or convicted for an abolished civil or military offense that was imposed due to consensual gay sex. British…
Read MoreCanada: Opinion: Quick-fix laws following horrific crimes are seldom effective
Source: edmontonjournal.com 1/4/22 On Sept. 17, 2021, Mchale Busch, 24, and her son, Noah were tragically confirmed dead. The accused, Robert Keith Major, 53, is facing two charges of first-degree murder and two counts of indignity to human remains. In response, Cody McConnell, Busch’s partner and Noah’s father, and his family are calling for changes to Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act to allow a landlord the ability to ask for consent to collect personal information. This would allow tenants to know if there is a registered sex offender in their…
Read MoreID: Sex offender freed after appeal
Source: cdapress.com 1/4/22 COEUR d’ALENE — A man previously convicted of sexually abusing two children is free after the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that he was deprived of his right to a fair trial. A jury convicted 39-year-old Robert J. Farrell-Quigle in 2018 of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16, a felony punishable by up to life in prison. First District Judge John Luster sentenced Farrell-Quigle to 25 years in prison, with 12 years fixed and 13 years indeterminate. That meant Farrell-Quigle would…
Read MoreALI Leaders to Consider Revised Model Penal Code
Source: ACSOL The leadership of the American Law Institute is scheduled to consider during its meeting on January 20 and January 21 the revised model penal code approved overwhelmingly by its members in June 2021. The revised model penal code includes recommendations that state penal codes be changed in a number of ways, including but not limited to, reducing the number of sex offenses that require registration, limiting registration to a maximum of 15 years, and making the registry available only to law enforcement. After ALI members voted in favor…
Read MoreSC: It’s 2022 and these gay men are still on the sex offender registry for consensual sex
Source: queerty.com 1/3/22 A lawsuit filed last month revealed that at least 19 people are still required to register as sex offenders due to past convictions under South Carolina’s “buggery” law for having consensual gay sex. The SC law, along with other states’ anti-sodomy laws, were made invalid in 2003, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas’ anti-sodomy law was unconstitutional. While pardons were granted for those targeted by the laws, the convictions still require them to remain on the sex offenders list in South Carolina and two other…
Read MoreCA: Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to resign from position
Source: fox5sandiego.com 1/3/22 SAN DIEGO — Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who represents the 80th Assembly District in San Diego, announced Monday she will be resigning from her position. … According to Gonzalez, she will leave her position effective Wednesday and plans to lead the California Labor Federation starting in July. Read the full article
Read MoreFL: Homeless offenders in Brevard County struggle to find resources and shelter
Source: floridatoday.com 1/3/22 Jason ____ is sitting in Brevard County Jail waiting to appear before a judge on a charge of violating parole. He’d rather be anywhere else, but the reality is he’s not wanted many other places. A charge against him made in 1998 at 15 years old, of which he was convicted in 2000, has marked him as a sex offender. He is one of 735 registered sex offenders in Brevard County, according to statistics from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That status makes Jason something of a…
Read MoreVA: Professor’s redefinition of pedophilia could help offenders demand rights
Source: nypost.com 1/1/22 On Nov. 8, Old Dominion sociology and criminology professor Allyn Walker gave an interview in which he asserted the need to destigmatize pedophiles by redefining them as “minor-attracted persons” (MAPs). Walker stated, “We have a tendency to want to categorize people with these attractions as evil or morally corrupt,” and that when people “hear the term ‘pedophile,’ they automatically assume that it means a sex offender, and that isn’t true.” Shortly after this interview, students at Old Dominion protested over the professor’s attempt to obfuscate the nature…
Read MoreIL: Changes will deny probation for some child pornographers
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Source: wgem.com 12/29/21 QUINCY (WGEM) – There’s a change to a law that has to do with possession of child pornography. Legislators closed a loophole that allowed family members found to be in possession of child pornography to escape jail time. Starting on Jan. 1, possession of child pornography when the child is a household or family member is a non-probational offense. This means the offender will serve jail time if convicted. Previously, this category of offenders could receive a sentence of probation for their pornography conviction. Read the full…
Read MoreGeneral Comments Jan 2022
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of Jan 2022. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
Read MoreUtah Action Alert: Support Senate Bill 52 to lessen restrictions on sex offenders
Source: ksl.com 12/30/21 SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that could come up in the 2022 legislative session would change restrictions for sex offenders. The bill is sponsored by Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine. The bill that could come up in next month’s legislative session would amend the state’s sex offender registry. Senate Bill 0052 would allow registered sex offenders to go to places like schools and parks, if they are with an adult. Also, if passed, the bill would replace the term “sex offender” with “registrant.” Read the…
Read MorePA: Another Blow to SORNA I with Failure to Register Conviction Relief
Source: parsol.org 12/28/21 December 22, 2021 has seen the release of many case opinions from the PA Supreme Court (SCOPA) with Commonwealth v. David Santana being the biggest win for our advocacy efforts. In a 5-2 decision, SCOPA affirmed the Superior Court’s opinion that “Mr. Santana’s registration requirement under SORNA was an after-the-fact punishment, and therefore unconstitutional. Accordingly, he had no duty to comply with those requirements and his conviction for ignoring them, under 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 4915.1(a)(3) [failure to provide accurate information], was a manifest injustice and must be…
Read MoreThe Collateral Consequences of Exoneration
Source: thecrimereport.org 12/23/21 The holiday season is often a time for family gatherings, and while many will be preparing for reunions in the coming days, it is important to remember the roadblocks returning citizens face. For instance, background checks cause thousands of potential collateral consequences that can impact things like housing or employment. As my story explains, these consequences can even inappropriately spill over to a family reunification. On May 27, 1994, I lost my freedom. I was sent to prison for a crime I did not commit.. Everything I…
Read MoreAntigua: Sex offense registry to be established
Source: antiguaobserver.com 12/27/21 Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin says residents will soon be alerted when a sex offender moves into their neighborhood by the creation of a sex offenders registry. … Now, the AG says that once convicted, the names of all sexual offenders will be placed on a public registry from early next year. Read the full article
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