Thursday was National Missing Children’s Day, a day meant to highlight the problem of child abduction. And while there have been advancements in laws and technology to keep children safe and help families, an organization known for protecting kids thinks says we spend too much money in at least one area. “There is huge hysteria around released sex offenders when they are not usually the problem,” said Alison Feigh, the program director at the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center Feigh said children are harmed most often by people they know, trust and have access to –…
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WI: Sex offenders challenge Milwaukee residency restrictions
Six registered sex offenders are suing the City of Milwaukee over an ordinance that virtually bans them from living in the city, arguing the rules violate their constitutional rights. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Brandon middle school students facing felony child pornography charges
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputies put the cuffs on two boys and two girls on Friday. All four are facing various child pornography charges. Full Article Corporal Larry McKinnon explains a 12-year-old boy took video of a juvenile victim performing a sex act on him. That defendant then shared the video with a 14-year-old boy who posted it on Instagram. Two other 12-year-old girls also received the video and are also now facing charges.
Read MoreAB 558 Released from Suspense File
Today the Assembly Appropriations Committee released AB 558 from its Suspense File. As a result, the bill will be voted upon by all members of the Assembly on or before June 2. “The committee’s decision is a significant blow to the rights of registrants who were convicted of misdemeanors and other low level offenses,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “In the past, the state legislature wisely decided not to post this information on a public website and that wisdom should be continued.” As currently written, AB 558 would eliminate exemptions…
Read MoreTiered Registry Bill Released from Senate Appropriations Committee
Today the Senate Appropriations Committee released the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421) from its Suspense File. As a result, the bill’s author — Senator Scott Wiener — will take the bill to the floor of the Senate no later than Friday, June 2. While on the Senate floor, every senator will have an opportunity to vote for or against the Tiered Registry Bill. “It’s time to Show Up, Stand Up and Speak Up,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This is the time for registrants, family members and supporters to call…
Read MoreMA: Our view – SJC ruling makes sex offenders ‘invisible’ to the public
____ had already served a lengthy prison sentence for rape when, police say, he posted a fake apartment listing on Craigslist earlier this month, luring a woman to his Swampscott apartment, where he beat and sexually assaulted her. The victim of ‘_’_’s alleged May 3 attack should have been able to learn of his criminal past before meeting him. And his neighbors in Swampscott deserved to know a sexual predator was living nearby. However, thanks to a highly questionable ruling two years ago by the Supreme Judicial Court, no one…
Read MoreNY: Sex offender’s future home goes up in flames amid neighborhood outcry
Residents of a Long Island neighborhood were so afraid that a kiddie-perv teacher was about to move in that someone posted fliers alerting everyone — and on Tuesday, his family’s under-construction home was burned to the ground. Full Article
Read MoreJudge Rules Fontana’s “No Registrant” Policy is Preempted by State Law
A Superior Court Judge issued a tentative ruling on May 23 that a Fontana Unified School District Policy which prohibits all registrants from visiting schools in that district is preempted by state law and therefore must be stopped. The judge’s final ruling in this case is expected within 30 days. “This is a tremendous victory for registrant parents whose children attend schools in the Fontana school district,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “It also sends a clear message to other school districts that have or are considering similar policies.”…
Read MoreIL: School disciplinary incident ends with a Naperville teen’s suicide: ‘They scared him to death’
…The following day, Naperville police suspected that Corey — who had no criminal history and had never been in serious trouble at school — had video on his phone of a consensual sexual encounter with a 16-year-old classmate and possibly played it for friends. At lunchtime, he was called into the dean’s office. There, with a police officer and campus dean, Corey was questioned about possessing and possibly sharing “child pornography,” allegedly threatened that he’d be put on the state’s sex offender registry, then was left alone to wait for…
Read MoreL.A. group wants sex offenders to be included in Prop 57’s early release
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (Yes, that’s a thing) claims that state prison officials have undermined Prop 57’s parole process, by not including sex offenders for consideration for early release. Full Article
Read MoreID: Lawsuit over Idaho’s sex-offender registry laws expands to 134 plaintiffs
A lawsuit filed last year by 104 sex offenders challenging Idaho’s laws that require registration and community notification of sex offenders has been expanded to 134 sex offenders. They say the laws violate an array of constitutional rights, from the prohibition on double jeopardy to freedom of religion. Full Article
Read MoreThe Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017 Passes in the House of Representatives
Today, the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2017, which would allow the protections of the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act to continue saving the lives of children throughout the nation, passed in the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. Full Press Release Also see https://judiciary.house.gov/press-release/goodlatte-floor-statement-targeting-child-predators-act/ https://judiciary.house.gov/press-release/goodlatte-floor-statement-global-child-protection-act/ https://judiciary.house.gov/issue/preventing-crimes-against-children/
Read MoreMO: Missouri to remove hundreds of GPS monitoring devices recently put on sex offenders
Hundreds of sex offenders will soon have GPS monitoring devices removed from their ankles after Missouri officials recently required that they wear the bulky devices, according to a preliminary injunction filed in Cole County Circuit Court on Monday. Full Article
Read MoreWhen you can legally have sex with a 17-year-old, can you be prosecuted for possessing lewd nude photos of her?
From Commonwealth v. Kushmanick, which was decided last year by a Pennsylvania appellate court, but which I just came across last week (all quotes are from the opinion): 1. The facts: Kushmanick started dating S.C. when he was 18 or 19, and she was 16 (according to defendant, just a week shy of her 17th birthday). The age of consent for sexual activity generally in Pennsylvania is 16. (There is the possibility that someone may be prosecuted for “corrupting the morals of a minor” when the minor is 16 or 17,…
Read MoreDebate over sex offenders moves to court as California undertakes prison parole overhaul
A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is claiming California prison officials have undermined last fall’s ballot measure to overhaul the state’s parole process by excluding sex offenders from consideration for early release. The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, which advocates for the rights of those convicted of sex crimes and their families, says the exemption — written into newly released guidelines to implement Proposition 57 — “impermissibly restricts and impairs the scope” of the initiative. Full Article
Read MoreMN: sex offenders seek to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court
A group of Minnesota sex offenders has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to examine whether the state is violating the Constitution by confining people indefinitely in prison-like treatment centers after they have already completed their criminal sentences. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Next Two Weeks Could Make Huge Difference
The next two weeks could make a huge difference in the lives of more than 100,000 registrants and their families. That difference could be a decision by the Senate Appropriations Committee to release the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421) from the committee’s Suspense File on May 25, the deadline for this action to be taken. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s decision will be based, in part, upon the budget analysis for SB 421. Therefore, it is important to understand what the analysis has to say. First, the budget analysis for SB…
Read MoreLiving with 290: Does THIS part of PC 290 exist?
I was just “in-person verified” by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Dept. today, and informed that PC 290 REQUIRES that each individual registrant have their registration verified IN PERSON TWICE YEARLY. Does ANYONE KNOW WHETHER THIS ANY PART OF PC 290 “REQUIRES” THIS? If so, please post a response. If not, please refer me to an attorney who I can contact that will SUE THIS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OUT OF EXISTENCE OVER THIS.
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