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CT: Lawmakers Missed an Opportunity to Reform Sex-Offender Registry

[law.com – 6/28/18] Two years ago, the Connecticut Legislature held hearings on a variety of bills that would have modified the state’s sex offender registry. Rather than adopt any change, because of the complexities of our sex offender laws the Legislature asked the state Sentencing Commission to study the effectiveness of the current sex offender registration requirements. The commission was to report back by 2018. Under current law, when sex offenders have served their sentences and are released into the community, they must register on a public sex offender registry.…

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ME: Registered sex offender among those honored at ceremony for murdered children

[narsol.org – 6/26/18] y Jackie Mundry . . . In 2006, William Elliot was sought out and shot because he was a registered sex offender. On Sunday, he will be honored by the Maine chapter of Parents of Murdered Children. His mother, Shirley Turner, says he was on this list because he had consensual sex with an underage girlfriend. “But he was 19 when he got involved with a young girl and ended up on the Maine sex offender registry,” she said. Read more  

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How Big Money Stymies S.O. Reform

[narsol.org – 6/30/18] By Michael M . . . When SORNA (Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, aka Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006) required the states to establish comprehensive minimum standards for their state sex offender registries, it created an unfunded mandate that left many states scrambling to comply or lose Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding from the federal government. Many states did not have sufficient funds earmarked for the creation of a whole new bureaucracy, especially one that depends so heavily…

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So you want to have a Registry for Community Safety

[sosen.org – 6/30/18] For those of you who believe we have to have a registry to protect our citizens. I have from time to time thought hard on this and I recognize the fact that there are people out there that just aren’t going to change their beliefs and attitudes towards other people and will continue harming others, so here’s my solution. If we have to have a registry, which I believe is unconstitutional, then let’s limit it to the most dangerous people. In order to be legal within the…

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Kenny Omega responds to fan complaints he booked a sex offender on CEO x NJPW show

[cagesideseats.com 6/30/18] While Jim Cornette may find himself upset over the main event of the CEO x NJPW: When Worlds Collide event featuring stuffed animals and what not, other fans of professional wrestling are upset about one wrestler getting booked on the show at all. Chasyn Rance, a registered sex offender, defeated Aaron Epic in the first dark match of the evening. Fans then took to Twitter to question Kenny Omega about the decision to have such a match on the show. His response: Read more  

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ACSOL 2018 Conference Videos Now Available

Videos from ACSOL’s 2018 conference held on June 15 and June 16 in Los Angeles are now available for viewing. The videos include three plenary speakers as well as five workshops. “We are pleased to share with the public most of the information shared during the 2018 conference,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “In order to help the maximum number of people, there is no cost to access the videos.” Plans have begun for the next ACSOL conference to be held in June 2019 at the same location. Details…

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OH: Ohio House updates ‘sexting’ law related to minors

[norwalkreflector.com – 6/27/18] COLUMBUS — State Reps. Brian Hill (R-Zanesville) and Jeff Rezabek (R-Clayton) today applauded the House for passing legislation they jointly sponsored that provides another option to Ohio’s courts when dealing with juveniles charged with possessing sexually explicit digital material, or engaging in “sexting” with a minor. It was one of several bills OK’d today by the Ohio House of Representatives. This bill takes into account the growing dilemma of juveniles who engage in “sexting” with other juveniles and the charges that may be filed by prosecutors by…

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Sex Offender, Registrant or Registered Citizen: Does Society Care About The Label?

[womenagainstregistry.org – 6/28/18] First I struggled with the label “sex offender”. The words sit in the mouth like a heavy after-taste. Then “registrant” became the catch-all phrase. It sounded less ominous, not quite as frightening but few outside our circle even knew what it referred to. Now I’m informed that the latest, I guess one could call it “politically correct” term being bandied about is “registered citizen”. I struggled with this term. I don’t know who the originator of the term is, someone said it’s been around for a quite…

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MA: Child Rapist Bill Triggers Debate Over Punishment, Process

[wbur.org – 6/27/18] Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito appealed to lawmakers Tuesday for new sentencing and civil commitment laws targeting repeat child rapists, but opponents of Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill argued the proposal is unnecessary and would be costly and ineffective. Baker’s proposal calls for changes to the civil commitment process under which sexually dangerous people are reviewed for possible release and for a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole for anyone who uses force to rape two or more children, or uses force to rape a child after being…

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NH: Police Investigate 20 Kids for Sexting, Charge No One (Thankfully)

[reason.com – 6/26/18] Let’s hear it for an unusually sensible police response to a case of high school sexting. The Nashua, New Hampshire, police received word in May that 10 or 20 students at Bishop Guertin High School had been snapping and swapping sexts. But then, rather than arresting these kids for making child porn, or threatening to register them as sex offenders, the police did something outrageously reasonable. They opted not to charge any of them. As Nashua’s Lieutenant Robert Page told WMUR TV: “To begin with, the laws…

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CA: Senate Public Safety Approves Weakened AB 514 [UPDATED]

[UPDATED 6/29/18 with court decisions regarding cities – see the end of this article] The Senate Public Safety Committee today approved a weakened version of Assembly Bill 514. The original version of AB 514 would have prohibited some individuals convicted of a sex offense involving a minor from living within 1,000 feet of day care centers. The bill would have applied to both registrants on parole as well as registrants not on parole. The amended version of AB 514 does not prohibit any individual convicted of a sex offense from…

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CA: Lawsuit Challenges New Prop. 57 Regulations

A lawsuit has been filed challenging new regulations issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that implement Proposition 57. The lawsuit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court on June 25. “In its new regulations, CDCR repeated its original mistake of excluding everyone convicted of a sex offense from the benefits of Proposition 57,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “As recognized by the Court in our first lawsuit, the agency lacks authority to change the public’s decision to provide the benefits of Proposition 57 to everyone convicted…

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IA: Supreme Court – registration for juvenile sex offenders is punishment

The boy’s lawyers argued that the fact that registration as a sex offender was mandatory constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The court’s majority opinion written by Chief Justice Mark Cady found that registration for juvenile sex offenders is punishment, but is not cruel and unusual. Article – towards the bottom Decision

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Emotional Support Group Meeting – June 23, Los Angeles

ACSOL will host an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday June 23, 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges.

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VA: Police: Scammers targeting elderly, sex offenders by demanding money with person info

[wset.com – 6/21/18] LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Virginia State Police said they have been alerted to an alarming increase in phone scams targeting seniors and convicted sex offenders. Police said scammers are threatening people into paying hundreds of dollars in gift cards. One popular scam making the rounds across the state is where the caller tells the person, most of the time an elderly person, on the phone that a relative has been arrested and incarcerated so they need money in order to be released from jail. Police said the…

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Sex offenders need not apply

[narsol.org – 6/22/18] By Mike W . . . At our core we cherish opportunity and equality as key American values. They define us. They make us who we are. Any obstacle that inhibits opportunity and equality is not only a major barrier; it is discrimination when it limits people unnecessarily. When discrimination is a barrier to opportunity, we have a responsibility to eliminate it. We must not tolerate discrimination in any form. One of these barriers to opportunity and equality is the sex offender registry. The registry is a…

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