The opening of Bill Cosby’s sex assault trial on Monday highlights a quirk of the U.S. legal system, in which standards vary widely from state to state on how much time prosecutors have to file criminal charges after an alleged assault. Full Article
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IL: Supreme Court asked to review McLean County sex offender issue
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review a case against a Normal man to determine the constitutionality of Illinois’ rules mandating that sex offenders report all their internet activity to authorities. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Starting over – Task force examining sex offender laws
At the end of June, ____ ____ will mark the 20th anniversary of two life-changing milestones: the year he was convicted at 21 of sexually abusing a teenage girl, and two decades without an arrest for another sex offense. ____ spent 60 days in jail and served two years’ probation for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 1997. His identity also was included on a statewide sex offender registry for 10 years. Removal from the registry made it easier for ____ to start over in the community. But in November 2011,…
Read MoreOverhaul of sexual offender registry is on right track
Once in a while, politicians in Sacramento get things right. The overhaul of the state’s sex offender registry proposed by Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, and Sen. Joel Anderson, R-San Diego, is one of those rare occurrences of a bipartisan solutions that works. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Man Exonerated After Serving More Than 25 Years for a Rape DNA Testing Proves He Didn’t Commit
A judge today granted a motion by the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office to dismiss the 1992 rape charges against William Barnhouse based on new DNA evidence proving Barnhouse’s innocence of the crime. With Delaware County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Arnold’s consent, the Innocence Project and the Wrongful Conviction Clinic at Indiana University McKinney persuaded a Delaware County court to reverse Barnhouse’s conviction on March 8, 2017 based on this new evidence. Further proceedings in the case were scheduled for May. Arnold’s decision to dismiss the indictment against Barnhouse, who has dealt…
Read MoreCanada: Officials advise Goodale to rethink plan of public sex offender database
Federal officials have advised Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to put the brakes on setting up a publicly accessible database of high-risk child sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: It Was a Miracle!
On the floor of the Senate yesterday, the Senate passed the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421). It was a miracle! It was the first time, after three unsuccessful attempts, that a legislative body approved a tiered registry bill. The miracle maker is the bill’s author, Senator Scott Wiener, who assumed authorship of the bill after its original author withdrew. It is Senator Wiener who saw and spoke the truth about the registry….how it is broken and bloated….so bloated that is has become useless. It is Senator Wiener who gathered the support…
Read MoreIs it Good Policy to Regulate the Passports of Sex Offenders?
The days of overseas travel may soon be over for Australia’s convicted child sex offenders. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she planned to introduce legislation that would cancel the passports of about 20,000 people on the national child sex offender register. The new legislation will “make Australia a world leader in protecting vulnerable children from child sex tourism,” according to the foreign minister’s office. Full article
Read MoreSenate Passes Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421)
The Senate today, in a vote of 24 to 10, passed the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421). Prior to the vote, the bill’s author — Sen. Scott Wiener — explained why a tiered registry is necessary. His views were supported by Sen. Nancy Skinner, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, as well as co-author Sen. Joel Anderson. During his presentation, Sen. Wiener describe the current registry as broken and outdated. He added that the registry, which includes more than 100,000 people, is so large that it is useless. Sen. Anderson subsequently stated…
Read MoreHouse Overwhelmingly Supports Bill Subjecting Teen Sexters to 15-Years in Federal Prison
Teens who text each other explicit images could be subject to 15 years in federal prison under a new bill that just passed the House of Representatives. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, has called the measure “deadly and counterproductive.” Full Article
Read MoreRoot & Rebound: Join us in SoCal in June!
Know Your Rights Training for People Directly Impacted & Their Families (Free) Fair Chance Training for Workforce Development (Training Fee) Conference on Constitutional Rights of Sex Offenders (Training Fee) Space is limited so RSVP today! WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14th, 2017 ‘Know Your Rights’ TrainingWe For individuals who are formerly incarcerated & their family members. WHERE: El Proyecto Worksource Center 9024 Laurel Canyon, Sun Valley, CA 91352WHEN: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.In collaboration with the Center for Living and Learning, Root & Rebound will hold a training in the San Fernando Valley to speak with directly impacted individuals and…
Read MoreDOJ, FBI Executives Approved Running a Child Porn Site
The FBI decision to briefly run a large dark web child pornography site was done in close consultation with the Department of Justice, and was approved by executives from both agencies, according to a court transcript reviewed by Motherboard. Full Article
Read MoreHe had sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend and was almost deported. Now he can stay
______ ______ ______ was a legal permanent resident of the U.S. after immigrating from Mexico. Then he had sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend when he was 20, went to jail and faced deportation back to Mexico. http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article153329569.html
Read MoreIf Drunk Drivers Were Treated like Sex Offenders…
Nobody likes sex offenders. People aren’t very fond of drunk drivers, either. In fact persons convicted of DUI, DWI are thousands of times more likely to be involved in the same type of crime again, and kill or injure far more people including children and young adults each year than previously convicted sex offenders. But no matter how egregious the crime, both groups are entitled to the same rights under our Constitution. In particular, after they complete their punishment, they should be DONE and able to start over. If they…
Read MoreAUS: Australia to strip convicted paedophiles of passports
Convicted paedophiles will have their passports cancelled to prevent them travelling overseas to offend again under tough new laws which Australia Tuesday (May 30) hailed as a “world first”. Legislation will be introduced to parliament this month making it illegal for registered offenders to leave or attempt to leave the country as part of a crackdown on child-sex tourism. Full Article Related http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/child-sex-offenders-to-lose-passports/news-story/57c0c2fb70412cf456f8166ab3cb53ed http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11866342 http://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article153295749.html http://m.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11866342
Read MoreTX: Gooden, Nichols pass sex offender legislation
Last weekend, legislation that allows smaller cities to enact the same regulations as larger cities on where sex offenders can reside, finally passed both houses of the Texas Legislature. Full Article
Read MoreToday’s scarlet letter — the sex offender registry — is risky justice for youth (Commentary)
It was heartbreaking to read recently about Naperville 16-year-old Corey Walgren, who committed suicide following being threatened with sex offender registration for allegedly audiotaping a consensual sexual encounter with a classmate. For those of us who regularly work with youth on the sex offender registry, it also highlighted a truth that we know too well: Placement on the registry is a modern scarlet letter that can lead our young clients to want to take their own lives. Full Commentary Related http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-naperville-north-suicide-lawsuit-20170524-story.html
Read MoreAK: Alaska Cops Fight for the Right to Sexually Exploit Prostitution Suspects
Once again, cops are arguing that they need to be allowed to have sex with suspects in order to investigate prostitution allegations. And once again, lawmakers and journalists are acting like exploitation and assault of sex workers by law enforcement is a rare occurrence, rather than a national epidemic. Full Article
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