The son of Rev. Billy Graham, Rev. Franklin Graham, declared on National Public Radio this weekend that pedophiles deserve the death penalty. He also declared that we are a nation of laws. Not only is Rev. Graham’s first statement outrageous, it is undermined and contradicted by his second statement. Why? Because the laws in many states do not include the death penalty. Furthermore, most of the 31 states that do have a death penalty law do not apply that law to an individual who is convicted solely of a sex…
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ACSOL Executive Director Selected as Top 100 Attorney
The Executive Director of ACSOL, Janice Bellucci, has been selected a Top 100 attorney in the state of California. She will be formally recognized as such in an upcoming issue of The Daily Journal newspaper, the legal industry publication read by judges and attorneys. “I am honored to be selected as a Top 100 attorney in California,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “I believe this honor is due to a growing understanding between and among judges and attorneys that registrants’ civil rights continue to be violated.” The Daily Journal…
Read MorePA: Professor fired over child-sex conviction must be rehired by Pa. university, state court says
[pennlive.com – 8/31/18] Lock Haven University must reinstate a mathematics professor who was fired after his 28-year-old conviction for molesting two children was discovered, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday. Prof. Charles Morgan can’t be allowed to teach high school students who are taking advanced placement classes at the school, however, the state judges found. That decision, outlined in an opinion by Senior Judge James Gardner Colins, upholds an arbitration ruling won on the prof’s behalf by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, the professors’ union. University…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: You May Be Eligible to Vote (CA)
The mid-term election will take place in about two months. And it is important that your voice as well as the voices of all eligible registrants be heard in that important election. Many, although not all, registrants in the State of California are eligible to vote. For example, you are eligible to vote if you are currently in jail provided that you are serving a misdemeanor sentence or are awaiting trial. You are also eligible to vote if you are on federal supervised release, mandatory supervision or probation. Finally, you…
Read MoreThe Endless Punishment of Civil Commitment
Prosecutors can subject those convicted of sexual offenses—and sometimes, those with no conviction at all—to an indefinite period of civil punishment at the end of their criminal sentence. In January, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Bianco ruled that after spending nearly two decades detained by the state of California without trial, ____ ____ was a free man. Unlike the 536,000 people held pretrial in the criminal justice system in America, ____ , 44, was not being held because he was accused of a crime. Instead, ____ was locked up for 17…
Read MoreFederal judges butt heads with U.S. lawmakers over legality of ankle monitors for nonviolent suspects
In a clash that has surfaced in federal courthouses across the country and a recent Houston case, a collection of judges have held it is their duty to set conditions of release for accused sex offenders despite a strict law that limits their discretion. Full Article
Read MoreND: North Dakota works to track registered sex offenders
[inforum.com – 9/2/18] Keeping track track of sex offenders in North Dakota requires technology and the teamwork of law enforcement and communities across the state. There are among nearly 1,900 sex offenders in the state, according to Liz Brocker, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. A website for the Attorney General’s Office tracks the locations of sex offenders in the state, based on their residence or place of employment. Staff with the office work extensively to keep the website up to date with extensive information on offenders,…
Read MoreGeneral Comments September 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of September 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreIndia Likely to Launch Sex Offender Data Base Next Month
[sputniknews.com – 8/31/18] The registry is aimed at helping law enforcement agencies to identify repeat offenders while making people aware of those involved in crimes that are sexual in nature, however, human rights activists are concerned the draconian step might do more harm than good. New Delhi (Sputnik) — With demands to ensure justice for sex offense victims growing louder every passing day, the government of India has decided to adopt a sex offender database. The database would store the profile and personal details of convicted offenders and also those…
Read MoreMD: Maryland joins sex-offender registry program
[washingtonpost.com – 8/26/18] HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Maryland is joining a sex-offender registry program that law enforcement officials say will make it more efficient to share records. The Herald-Mail reported Sunday that Maryland became the 17th state to join OffenderWatch last week. A statewide contract will allow every sheriff’s office, participating police departments and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to use the technology. Maryland residents will also be able to register online to receive alerts and updates at no cost when offenders register within a specific radius of…
Read MoreIA: Civil Commitment of Sex Offenders Survives Court Challenge
A nearly six-year-old lawsuit challenging Iowa’s program for keeping sex offenders confined after they serve their prison terms has been dismissed by a federal judge in Sioux City. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Bennett ruled against patients in the Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders, or CCUSO, housed at the Mental Health Institute in Cherokee. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Craven County sex offenders are carefully tracked
Between 170 and 190 sex offenders live in Craven County following strict guidelines regarding where they can live, visit, work or walk. Not only does the Sheriff’s department track their daily lives, but they can be tracked by their neighbors or relatives as well, through the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, a site that will warn residents where the offenders are, what they look like, and of what crime they are convicted. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Sex offender gets jail for not reporting social media password
A Level 1 sex offender from the Tuscarora Indian Reservation was sentenced Thursday to a year in the Niagara County Jail for not telling authorities one of his social media passwords. ____ ____, 48, of Susie’s Lane, must register because of a misdemeanor sex conviction in 2004, defense attorney David J. Mansour said. In April, ____ pleaded guilty to a felony count of failure to register. He reported two social media accounts last year, but only one password. Mansour said ____ thought the accounts were linked. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Bail overhaul plan would limit release of sex crime suspects
People arrested on suspicion of crimes that would require them to register as sex offenders would need a judge’s approval to leave jail while awaiting trial under a change to the state’s new landmark law ending bail. State senators voted Wednesday to send the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown, just a day after Brown signed the law that will make California the first state to end bail in October 2019. In the place of bail, judges and county officials will determine whether to release suspects before trial based on the…
Read MoreCA: Bill to Track Registered Sex Offenders Detained in County Jail Advances to Gov’s Desk
Today, the Assembly unanimously approved Senate amendments to Assembly Bill 1994 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), sending it to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration. AB 1994 will provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to track registered sex offenders. “It is unacceptable that neither law enforcement nor the public are notified when registered sex offenders are released into our communities,” Assemblymember Cervantes said. “This bill will provide law enforcement with more tools to track registered sex offenders and help keep our streets and neighborhoods safe.” Full Article
Read MoreTX: Pastor convicted of child porn gets probation, must post sex offender sign at his home
An associate pastor who told police he kept child porn on his computer as part of research for “a possible lesson involving Cupid, love and human trafficking” has been sentenced to eight years’ probation. ____ ____, 79, also was ordered by Judge Mollee B. Westfall to post a sign at his Hurst home that says, “A person on probation for a child sex offense lives here.” Full Article
Read MoreMO: New three-tiered sex offender law goes into effect Tuesday
Starting Tuesday, August 28, a new law goes into effect that’s expected to drop the number of registered sex offenders in Missouri. It will be a three-tiered system that punishes people based on the severity of their offenses. Full Article Related MO: New Law Expected To Reduce Missouri’s Sex Offender Registry Count
Read MoreCA: Gov. Brown signs Wilk’s sex offender bill into law
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1199 into law Monday evening, an attempt to correct the way Jessica’s Law led to a disproportionate number of sexual offenders being released to rural areas. The bill’s author, Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, said the bill addresses an unintended consequence, which created a burdensome and unfair situation in several parts of the 21st Senate District, which he represents, as well as rural communities throughout the state. Full Article
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