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Mother Behind Megan’s Law Speaks out Against Branding ‘Sexting’ Children as Child Pornographers

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[Associated Press as quoted by Huffington Post] The current insane trend of charging young people (usually girls) with various forms of child pornography for posting or texting sexual images of themselves has reached such a nadir that the very woman who brought about Megan’s Law (which forces convicted sex offenders to register their address with the state every ninety days) is now against it. The case that has caused such outcry involves a fourteen-year old girl who is being charged with ‘distribution of child pornography’ for posting 30 explicit images…

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I Shot a Sex Offender

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[Jewish Journal] I frequently write about the importance of listening to the other side on tough issues, but are some positions so odious that they never deserve a hearing? A couple of years ago, an Australian friend was directing a documentary about a difficult subject: child sex-abuse in his Jewish community. One of the interviewees was a former abuser who had gone on to live a normal family life for decades. My friend had filmed a conversation between this man and a well-known sex-abuse survivor who had become a whistleblower.…

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Smith’s Law Results in Important New Protections for Children Against Predators

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A new passport identifier for convicted pedophiles will help protect children from pedophiles looking to travel abroad, possibly to abuse children, said Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of legislation to create the identifier. “Child predators thrive on secrecy—a secrecy that allows them to commit heinous crimes against the weakest and most vulnerable,” Smith stated at a press conference on Friday in Trenton, N.J., about the passport protections included in his International Megan’s Law, which had several other provisions aimed at protecting children. “We know from law enforcement and media documentation…

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PA: This Vermont program might reduce sex offender recidivism. Could it work in Philly?

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Counting down his last days in prison, Greg thought about his daughter, and the grandson he’d never met. But his first days of freedom in Summer 2016 yielded more loss than gain. His fresh start was spoiled when Greg’s face appeared on the local television news. There were anticipatory town meetings, preceded by the police of his small Vermont town stepping up patrols, just for him. Within a couple months, Greg was asked to leave his stepfather’s house, before he ended up at a homeless shelter. Full Article

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MA: Tracking Sex Offenders: Chelsea PD first in state to try new tool

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[Boston 25 News] The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board is under scrutiny for losing track of hundreds of sex offenders. Just last month, the state auditor testified on Beacon Hill the state sex offender registry board does not have addresses for more than 1,700 sex offenders. Now, one local agency is using a new tool to track them. The Chelsea Police Department is the first in Massachusetts to use the program that’s both an investigative tool and a public alert system. Read more  

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KY: Children’s Advocacy Center Of The Bluegrass To Receive Funds Resulting From Federal Government’s Forfeiture And Sale Of Residence Owned By Two Men Convicted Of Child Abuse

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The United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the FBI, the Fayette Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Lexington Police Department, and the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass (CAC) jointly announced today that a portion of proceeds from the sale of the Lexington residence owned by two men convicted of child abuse will be shared with the CAC. Full Article

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VA: Petition claims DNA proves innocence of Virginia man sentenced to 100 years for 1990 rape of 10-year-old girl

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[Richmond Times-Dispatch] DNA proves a Virginia Beach man is innocent of the brutal 1990 rape of a 10-year-old girl who now doubts her courtroom identification of him as the assailant, contends a petition filed with the Virginia Supreme Court. ________, 45, convicted of rape, abduction, forcible sodomy and malicious wounding by a jury in 1991 and sentenced to 100 years in prison, has maintained his innocence, according to his lawyers with the Innocence Project at the University of Virginia School of Law.   Read more  

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IL: For Illinois Sex Offenders, Six Years Can Turn Into Life In Prison

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[WBEZ News radio] J.D. Lindenmeier completed his six-year prison sentence in 2011, but he hasn’t been released because he has nowhere to go. Inmates call these extra years behind bars “dead time.” The Rockford native committed a sex crime, and in order to get out of prison he has to meet the state’s long list of rigid parole requirements for those convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault. He could remain behind bars for the rest of his life if he doesn’t find appropriate housing. For Lindenmeier, that means finding a…

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Janice’s Journal: Say “No” to the Scarlet Letter

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The federal government has done it again. They have issued not one, but two, press releases that reveal both the proposed language and the placement of a “unique identifier” on the passports of some registrants. How many registrants? Although the exact number is unknown, it is estimated to include hundreds of thousands of American citizens. That bears repeating. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will be issued a Scarlet letter by the federal government. A mark that will limit if, and where, they can travel both overseas and domestically. On what…

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Understanding sex offenders: the untold story

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I’ve made people’s stories my life’s work. I’m a person who talks to people sitting next to me on airplanes. I engage people at grocery stores, and even while sitting in those flimsy robes in the hospital, waiting for a mammogram. I generally like people. And I constantly “interview” them, even when I’m not working. I consider myself open-minded. I’d rather ask questions than answer. I try not to judge. But one fall day last year, a random call to the newsroom caught me off guard: A co-worker shouted across…

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PA: Registered sex offenders resign from fire departments after ABC27 investigation

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ABC27 Investigator Kendra Nichols found two local fire departments with registered sex offenders, Londonderry Fire Company near Middletown and Citizens Fire Company of Highspire. At the time of the investigation, both registered sex offenders had the fire department addresses listed on the Megan’s Law website as places of employment. ABC27 told the Londonderry Fire Company the results of the search and it took action. Full Article

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GA: Can’t pay for a lie detector test? For one man that could mean jail

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A North Georgia homeless man may go to prison for 18 months because he cannot come up with $250 to take a court-ordered polygraph test. Such a move would seem to violate a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring it unconstitutional to jail someone for failing to pay a fee or fine. But the man’s attorney, McCracken Poston, said the state Department Community of Supervision is nonetheless pushing for the punishment. “It’s crazy,” Poston told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, saying his client, Robert Murphy, has been unable to find a job since…

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