[http://ccresourcecenter.org – 6/29/18] We’ve noted in recent posts the numerous states that, just in the past three or four months, have enacted broad occupational licensing reforms affecting people with a criminal record. Many of these new laws have been influenced by a model developed by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a libertarian public interest law firm that has been litigating and lobbying to reduce barriers to work for more than two decades. In turn, states like Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee and Wisconsin have built upon IJ’s model to enact even more…
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MO: Letters: Readers discuss Luke Heimlich
[amp.kansascity.com – 7/2/19] It seems as if every time the name Jason Kander appears in any newspaper, it is qualified with “rising star” or some similar phrase that provides Kander with more credibility than just using his name would. Are reporters allowing publicity managers to direct their writing, or are all reporters just really taken with him? The last Missouri candidate with an ego similar to Kander’s had to quit his office. Allow Kander to earn his respect. Don’t anoint him. Read more
Read MoreFor formerly incarcerated, little room in Airbnb’s sharing economy
[usatoday.com – 6/28/18] Airbnb doesn’t care about people like me. I learned this the hard way a few months ago when I tried to find accommodation in Washington, D.C. After chaperoning two busloads of youth from New York City for the March for Our Lives, I decided to stay a couple more days. The other chaperones agreed to ride the bus back to New York City with the kids, and I logged into my new Airbnb account for the first time to find a place to spend the night. Soon…
Read MoreNY: Ruling Appears To Give Sex Offenders A Pass On Facebook
[wwnytv.com – 6/29/18] It’s a case out of Essex County called the People v. Ellis. “Their decision was that Facebook accounts did not have to be registered if you are a sex offender,” said Leanne Moser, Lewis County District Attorney. New York state law requires sex offenders to register their Internet providers and any Internet identifiers that they use, but the court in Essex County decided Facebook is not either of those. Right now, courts in the north country have to follow the ruling, unless there is another contrary ruling…
Read MoreNE: Nebraska FEARLESS the subject of newly-published article: creation and how it helps registered citizens and their families
[nebfacts.blogspot.com – 6/26/18] Nebraskans Unafraid’s FEARLESS is the subject of a newly-published research paper. The paper, written by Lisa Sample, Brooke Cooley, and Tusty ten Bensel, looks at the creation of FEARLESS and how it helps registered citizens and their families. Here is the abstract from the article. The term sex offender carries expectations that include a continuous level of sexual criminal risk and untreatable mental health conditions that govern sex offending behaviors. These role expectations by the public can socially isolate individuals who have been convicted of a crime…
Read MoreVA: Longer sentences for violent sex predators
[fredericksburg.com – 7/2/18] THE Commonwealth of Virginia recently announced plans to expand a facility that treats convicted sex offenders who have served their prison sentences, but are considered too dangerous to release back into the community. It is alarming that the center has already exceeded its initial residency projections just 10 years after opening in 2008. The Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation in Burkeville will increase its current capacity from 258 to 450 beds to make room for former inmates classified as sexually violent predators (SVPs). The $110 million project…
Read MorePublic Officials and Accountability
[sosen.org – 7/3/18] What would happen if we would require our government employees to be able to pass a written tests where they had to show proof that they understood the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, as well as other matters pertaining to citizenship within this country? Then after these people became employees of the government they would be held accountable both civilly and criminally for actions that violated other people’s constitutional protected rights. No more immunity for people in the government, I believe at…
Read MoreWHY SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES KEEP GROWING EVEN AS SEXUAL VIOLENCE RATES FALL
Quentin (not his real name) was convicted eight years ago of child pornography possession in Florida. He served his time and has since moved to another state. But his sentence required his photo and other personal details to appear on Florida’s sex offender registry, and there they will stay for the rest of his life, even if he never sets foot in the state again. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Dismantling at-risk inmate housing brings hurdles
Special California prisons intended to protect gang informants, disgraced cops and child molesters have become so violent, gang-riddled and crowded that officials are dismantling what’s become the United States’ largest protective custody program. Full Article
Read MoreCT: 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.…
Read MoreME: 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
Read MoreHow 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…
Read MoreSo 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…
Read MoreKenny 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
Read MoreACSOL 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…
Read MoreOH: 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…
Read MoreSex 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…
Read MoreMA: 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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