[Huffington Post] Should cruise lines permit convicted sex offenders on their ships? Carnival the world’s largest cruise line is very careful, at least according to its website particular about who it will let on- if they are working on the ship as a vendor or crew member. According to Carnival’s website-it runs background checks at a seller expense which includes the following checks: Read more
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State Department revoking passports of child sex offenders
[NY Daily News] In compliance with a law passed last year, the federal government is curbing the liberties of convicted child sex offenders. On Wednesday, the State Department said it will begin revoking passports belonging to these individuals, forcing them to apply for a new document. Additionally, the updated passports will include a message on the inside back cover stating, “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to (U.S. law).” Read more
Read MoreNC: Fayetteville police captain charged with failure to report sex offender noncompliance
FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (WTVD) — The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has charged Fayetteville Police Captain ____ ____ with failure to report sex offender non-compliance. According to an arrest warrant, ____’s husband ____ ____, who is a registered sex offender, was with her at events with children present – which is a violation of his sex offender registry restrictions. Full Article
Read MoreNM: Two sex offender bills supported by Keller contained differences
SANTA FE – The 2011 sex offender legislation that’s surfaced as political ammunition against Tim Keller in Albuquerque’s mayoral race came about after repeated – and largely successful – lawsuits against New Mexico’s largest city for enacting local ordinances that went beyond what was then on the state’s books. Full Article
Read MoreU.S. Passports of Child Sex Offenders Will Note Their Convictions
[New York Times] The passports of Americans convicted of sex offenses against a child will soon bear a mark of their crimes. The State Department announced this week that a sentence noting their conviction would be added to the back inside cover of offenders’ passports. Once the State Department receives their names from the Department of Homeland Security, it will begin notifying affected sex offenders that their passports were being revoked and reissued with the new language. Smaller passport cards, which can be used only for very limited international travel,…
Read MoreACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of CA Registrant
ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Los Angeles last week on behalf of a California registrant who is on parole. According to the lawsuit, the registrant is being denied the ability to access social media as well as to attend and participate in church services. Subsequent to the filing of the complaint, the ACLU filed an application for a Preliminary Injunction this week. A hearing on the PI application will be held on November 27 at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 9C in the U.S. District Court, Central…
Read MoreIL: Sex offender charged with entering a school zone in Plainfield
A registered sex offender was charged with entering a school zone after he sought medical attention Oct. 25 at Plainfield East High School. Full Article
Read MoreOR: Staff told to report student sexual activity, including own kids
Salem-Keizer teachers and staff were recently told that when they learn, or suspect, a student is sexually active, they must report it to law enforcement or state officials. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments November 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreTrump administration reduces support for prisoner halfway houses
[Reuters] The administration of President Donald Trump has been quietly cutting support for halfway houses for federal prisoners, severing contracts with as many as 16 facilities in recent months, prompting concern that some inmates are being forced to stay behind bars longer than necessary. The Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long confirmed the cuts in response to an email inquiry from Reuters, and said they only affect areas with small populations or underutilized centers. “The Bureau remains firmly committed to these practices, but has had to make some modifications…
Read MoreScarlet-Letter Passports Are Unjust and Irrational
The notice, which will appear on the second-to-last page of U.S. passports, is officially known as an “endorsement,” but it is more like a badge of shame. “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor,” it says, “and is a covered sex offender pursuant to 22 United States Code Section 212b(c)(l).” The scary notation, which was revealed this week, is the State Department’s response to a 2016 law requiring that the passports of certain registered sex offenders include a “unique identifier” to help maintain their status as pariahs wherever…
Read MoreCA: Initiative Would Expand DNA Gathering, Restrict Early Parole
[CBS Sacramento] A Democratic lawmaker on Monday proposed a ballot measure that would bar certain convicted rapists and sex traffickers from earning credits to reduce their sentences and expand the list of crimes for which a perpetrator’s DNA is collected. Assemblyman Jim Cooper of Elk Grove said he’s taking the measure to California voters because Democratic leaders repeatedly stonewalled legislation to enact similar changes. “This initiative holds bad people accountable,” Cooper said at a news conference outside the Capitol flanked by prosecutors and law enforcement officers. Read more
Read MoreDoes Megan’s Law Put A Scarlet Letter On A Sex Offender’s Former Address?
Does the Megan’s Law website actually hurt some homeowners or renters? A La Puente woman says it does and that she has become the target of vandals. CBS2’s Randy Paige investigated and discovered a loophole in the law that could put future homeowners and renters at risk. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Homeless sex offender living on jail property Sheriff hopes to monitor, motivate future offenders with new plan
A unique plan hatched by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office has lead to five homeless registered sex offenders moving to permanent residences, and one to live in a tent on Boone County Jail property. Last week, a resident saw online that a registered sex offender had used the Whitestown Meijer store address as his own. The man was living in a car in the grocery store parking lot. The issue came to the attention of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, the only law enforcement agency in the county charged with…
Read MoreMA: Senate passes sweeping criminal justice bill after emotional debate
The Massachusetts Senate early Friday passed a sweeping bill that would upend state laws on crime and punishment, aiming to reduce the number of people ensnared in the thicket of the criminal justice system and ease the tough-on-crime approach of decades past. The vote was 27-10. Full Article
Read MoreState Department Press Release Reveals “Unique Identifier” for Passports
The U.S. State Department issued a press release on Friday, October 27, that revealed both the wording and placement of a “unique identifier” to be added to the passports of some, but not all, registrants. According to that press release, the language “The bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to 22 United States Code Section 212b(c)(1)” will be printed on the inside back cover of new passports issued to those convicted of a sex offense involving a minor and currently required to register as a sex offender…
Read MoreOH: Ohio judges can dismiss sex charges against kids under 13, justices rule
[The Columbus Dispatch] Juvenile court rules empower judges to dismiss some sex charges against children under age 13 charged with molesting a child close to their age, the Ohio Supreme Court declared Wednesday. The court was divided on the Franklin County case, voting 4-3 to overturn a decision by the Franklin County Court of Appeals. The 2013 case involved a 12-year-old boy charged with three delinquency counts of gross sexual imposition for conduct with a boy who was nearly 10 years old. Read more
Read MoreNM: Halloween Sex Offender Scare Is Largely Myth
[Albuquerque Journal] The spookiest time of the year is fast approaching, and you have likely already heard about local law enforcement officers preparing to keep your area free of danger on Halloween night. They may be visiting schools to counsel kids on safe practices, they may be warning drivers about watching out for children on Halloween night, and in communities across America officers are fanning out to knock on the doors of registered sex offenders. The idea behind police visits to local S.O.s (as sex offenders are referred to) is…
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