[wcpo.com – 7/14/18] CINCINNATI — The punishment for teenagers caught sharing sexually explicit images could be lessened in Ohio. A House bill would allow first-time offenders who are 18 or younger a chance to have their charges dismissed upon completion of a program that explains the impact of sexting. Through the program, teens would review relevant laws, examine how sharing explicit material affects personal relationships and learn about the longevity of content posted online. Such diversion programs already are in use in some counties, but the proposed legislation would require…
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Conference Call Audio for July 2018 Monthly Meeting uploaded
Please join me and ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, a criminal defense attorney, for our “monthly” meeting to be held telephonically. The conference call will be on Saturday, July 14 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. Topics of conversation will include information about the domestic and overseas travel, the Tiered Registry, residency restrictions and other current topics as well as pending legal action throughout the nation. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up! Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 Listen to…
Read MoreCA: Maywood City Council Begins Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The Maywood City Council began a two-step process aimed at repealing its residency restrictions during a regularly scheduled meeting on July 11. The second step is expected to take place during the Council’s next meeting on July 25. As currently drafted, the Maywood residency restrictions prohibit individuals convicted of a sex offense from living in virtually all of the city. A lawsuit challenging the restrictions was filed in Norwalk Superior Court on March 15. The City of Maywood originally refused to repeal the ordinance, however, the city’s position changed after…
Read MoreMI: Courts deemed Michigan’s sex offender registry unconstitutional. Two years later, nothing’s changed
[michiganradio.org – 7/14/18] The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging the state of Michigan over its handling of the state’s sex offender registry. In 2016, the 6th Circuit Court ruled that aspects of Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry Act, SORA, were unconstitutional. The court’s opinion specifically noted portions of the act which allowed the state to retroactively impose punishments on individuals without due process. The state of Michigan appealed the circuit court’s ruling, sending Does vs Snyder to the U.S. Supreme Court. In October 2017, the Supreme Court decided not to…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Three Courts Issue Three Harmful Decisions
In the span of just one week, three courts have issued decisions that significantly harm registrants. Those decisions affect registrants’ marriages, homes and overseas travel. It’s a lot to absorb in a short amount of time. It’s too much to fight at this time. But fight we must in the near future. In the first of those decisions, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals validated a provision of the Adam Walsh Act that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for an individual convicted of a sex offense to sponsor his…
Read MoreIL: 7th Circuit Upholds Illinois Residency Restrictions
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld residency restrictions adopted by the state of Illinois that prohibit anyone convicted of a sex offense involving a minor from living within 500 feet of a school, playground, child-care center, child day-care home and group day-care home. According to the decision, which was issued on July 11, the restrictions can even be applied to individuals who are no longer required to register as a sex offender. The circuit court rejected arguments in the case that the residency restrictions violated the ex post…
Read MoreFederal District Court Dismisses IML Challenge
A federal district court dismissed the recent IML challenge yesterday when it granted the government’s Motion to Dismiss a legal challenge to the International Megan’s Law (IML). That challenge, filed in January 2018, was based upon alleged violations by the State Department of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). A link to the court’s decision follows below. Due to the court’s decision, the State Department is expected to expand its revocation of existing passports in order to add a “unique identifier” stating that the individual has been convicted of a sex…
Read MoreFamilies for Justice Reform Rally Tuesday
[womenagainstregistry.org 7/12/18] The Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) ‘Families Rally for Justice Reform’ event began Tuesday at 9 AM with breakfast at the FAMM office in Washington, D.C.. Kevin Ring – President and the other officers are very dedicated to justice reform and sentencing reform while continuing to make the communities safe. Some of the family members who had traveled from various states for the rally shared their stories. They were emotional and the pain was visible. They listened to stories about our WAR families and the challenges faced every…
Read MoreCA: Child molester slain by fellow inmate at California prison
[abc7.com – 7/11/18] WASCO, Calif. — Authorities say a convicted child molester was beaten to death by another inmate just days after arriving at a California prison. Wasco State Prison officials said Wednesday that 19-year-old Andres Ayon began striking 66-year-old Agustin Duran in the face and chest with his fists Saturday night. Guards broke up the assault with a pepper spray grenade. Duran was airlifted to an outside hospital, where he died Sunday afternoon. He arrived in prison July 2 to serve a life sentence after he was convicted in…
Read MoreCA: Pico Rivera Repeals Residency Restrictions
The City of Pico Rivera repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city, on either a temporary or a permanent basis, and the repeal of the city’s restrictions will become effective on July 12, 2018. The City’s repeal followed the filing of a lawsuit in federal district court on February 22, 2018. “The Pico Rivera lawsuit is number 30 of 31 lawsuits filed thus far challenging residency restrictions adopted by cities and counties,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci “The lawsuits have resulted in…
Read MoreGA: Convicted sex offenders removed from registry
A little over two decades ago, ____ ____ stood before a judge and pleaded guilty to aggravated sodomy with his 6-year-old daughter. “____ ____ molested his biological daughter,” Chatham County Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg McConnell said. “He admitted that he made her perform oral sex on him but said it was accidental.” ____ , who was 37 at the time, was sentenced to 10 years — two to be served in prison — followed by eight years of probation. ____ served his time. And in 2014 the state of…
Read MoreMA: Changing sex offender law needs to be evidence-based
Massachusetts is hardly soft on sex offenders, being one of only 20 states and the District of Columbia that incarcerate people convicted of sex offenses after they’ve completed their criminal sentences based on what they might do in the future. This practice is so antithetical to our Constitution that sexually dangerous person laws require careful calibration. Full Article
Read MoreThird Circuit Upholds Denial of Registrant’s Right to Sponsor Wife for Citizenship
[ACSOL 7/9/18] The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that an individual convicted of a sex offense does not have the right to sponsor his foreign born wife for citizenship in the United States in a decision published on July 5. The court’s decision was based upon its interpretation of language in the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) which allows the Department of Homeland Security to approve such citizenship only if the individual can prove he poses “no risk” to his spouse. According to the court’s decision,…
Read MoreIML Judge Cancels Hearing on Motion to Dismiss
The federal judge to whom the IML lawsuit was assigned has canceled today’s hearing on the government’s Motion to Dismiss the entire case. According to Judge John F. Walter, he will make a decision based solely upon the documents filed both in support of, and in opposition to, that motion. The judge has no deadline by which he is required to make a decision on the motion. The judge’s decision on the government’s motion will be posted on this website as soon as it is available.
Read MoreMO: Coroner: Dexter man was stabbed
[standard-democrat.com – 7/6/18] DEXTER, Mo. — A man found dead in his Dexter home last week was stabbed, according to the Stoddard County coroner. Law enforcement began investigating the homicide of Jimmy Lynn Casey, 66, after a home-health worker found his body June 28. “Mr. Casey was stabbed,” said coroner Kenny Pope. “We do know from the wounds he had, one of the wounds was not superficial. It was life threatening. … Casey lived in the 1100 block of Mulberry Street and was a compliant sex offender … Read full…
Read MoreFL: Pinellas County man jailed for registry violation assaulted and on feeding tube
[wdtn.com – 7/9/18] PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – An inmate suspected of killing a pregnant mother in Clearwater last year is accused of beating another inmate so badly, the man now relies on a feeding tube and is unable to speak, deputies said. According to an affidavit, Charles Groucho Allen and James Sutcliff Mills were housed in the same pod at the Pinellas County Jail on June 17. Officers said the two men started arguing over a remote control and things quickly escalated. Allen punched Mills in the face, causing…
Read MoreKY: Local police department’s new tool reads license plates automatically
[wpsdlocal6.com – 7/7/18] PADUCAH, KY – Another set of eyes are looking out for you, but these ones are electronic. We told you on Tuesday about an under-staffing problem at the Paducah Police Department. They need to hire about six more officers. But in the meantime, the department is getting some help from this pretty cool tool. John Smith is a patrol officer. He’s got a new partner that sits on the top of his car. “It doesn’t change my duties a lot. The license plate reader kind of does…
Read MoreIreland and US agree to share travel information of convicted child sex offenders
MINISTER SIMON COVENEY today secured approval to sign a letter of intent with the US to allow the exchange of international travel information of convicted child sex offenders. The approval by Cabinet today will allow An Garda Síochána to sign the letter of intent with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations to facilitate the sharing of travel information of sex offenders from the US to Ireland and vice versa. While such information has been shared in the past, this memorandum puts the agreement between the two countries on…
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