The next CA RSOL meeting in Los Angeles will take place on July 26 at 10 am, at the usual location – the ACLU building at 1313 W. 8th Street in Los Angeles. Registrants, family and friends, supporters and professionals are welcome to attend. Media and Government officials are not invited in order to ensure everyone’s privacy. Topics of discussion will include changes in the laws as well as pending litigation and advocacy strategies. Please join us on July 26 – Show up, Stand up, Speak up!
Read MoreMore News
Board wants to remove low-risk sex offenders from registry
Sacramento — The state board that oversees California’s sex offender registration laws wants to thin out and overhaul the registry because they say it has grown too big and does not help law enforcement or the public differentiate between offenders who pose significant risks and those not likely to reoffend. Full Article CASOMB Report
Read MoreIs Our Approach to Sex Offender Risk and Policy on the Mark?
Sex offender registration laws and policies appear to have been based on popular misconceptions regarding sex offenders. That is, law and policy were based on the premise that ALL sex offenders are a danger to society, a danger to children, strangers to their victims, and likely to reoffend (Levenson & D’Amora, 2007). However, this is not the case. Full Editorial
Read MoreLA: Sex offenders to face tougher registration penalties
WEST MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) – Thursday, Governor Bobby Jindal signed bill HB 638 into law. It toughens the laws for sex offenders and child predators who fail to register with the state. Governor Jindal said, “In Louisiana, we need to protect our children and citizens from offenders of the most lewd and vile crimes. This law makes it a criminal offense and will require jail time for convicted offenders who provide false information and who fail to register with the state in the time frame required by law. Hopefully, these offenders…
Read MoreNH: State’s sex-offender registry overreaches (Editorial)
The N.H. Supreme Court is pondering the fate of a man convicted, several decades ago, of sexually assaulting his teenage stepdaughter. The man has served out his prison sentence, undergone years of counseling and been deemed “rehabilitated” by the court. Now in his 60s, he is disabled. None of which would be fodder for the state’s highest court, except that since he was released from prison in 1990, the state has repeatedly enacted laws calling for those convicted of sexual assault against children to register with the police, so a…
Read MoreWA: Wanted sex offender lists false address to shock of family in that home
VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) – Deputies are searching for a convicted child molester in Clark County, and investigators know ____ ____ isn’t at the address he gave to them. Upon his recent release from jail on drug charges, _____, 38, listed his address as a home in Vancouver. That was a huge shock to the family who actually lives there, since they have no idea who he is. Full Article
Read MoreACTION ALERT: What has the U.S. House done with the International Megan’s Law bill?
In my post of the 21st I basically explained how the U.S. House VIOLATED its own rules of procedure when passing International Megan’s Law act (HR-4573). I find it very disturbing that lawmakers expect the nation to follow rules while they violate them with impunity, but I guess that is some kind of a lawmaker’s code. Commentary
Read MoreIL: Farnham campaign touted his record ‘targeting predators’
ELGIN — Backers of former state Rep. Keith Farnham of Elgin — who is facing federal charges alleging he had child pornography on his computers — had used his record “targeting predators” as a selling point on a piece of 2010 campaign literature. Full Article
Read MoreSouth Tahoe scrapping ban on sex offenders
South Lake Tahoe City Council reluctantly voted to repeal an ordinance that bans sex offenders from parks and other public areas in the city following decisions by California courts that such laws are unconstitutional. Full Article Also see: FEDERAL LAWSUIT CHALLENGES SOUTH LAKE TAHOE ORDINANCE
Read MoreFullerton City Council Revises Sex Offender Ordinance
The Fullerton City Council voted 4 to 1 to revise its sex offender ordinance by removing all presence restrictions. The vote took place on May 21 and a second vote is required to finalize the Council’s decision. “The City of Fullerton is to be commended for its decision to remove presence restrictions from its ordinance,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “After the revisions become effective, registered citizens will be free to visit parks and other recreational areas within the city without the fear of arrest.” Fullerton is 1 of…
Read MoreOf sex trafficking and International Megan’s Law and cabbages and kings
A piece of legislation called International Megan’s Law—HR 4573—passed the U.S. House of Representatives, according to this article, June 20. The bill’s sponsor, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, has been pushing this bill, in various forms, for years. It is aimed at sex trafficking in general and will largely affect American registrants traveling out of the country, but named after Megan Kanka, a seven year old child who was murdered twenty years ago, and touted as “…the model needed for the U.S. to persuade other countries to take action to stop both…
Read MoreWA: Woman says her husband is mistaken for a sex offender
A Rancho Reata woman claims that a recently released photo of a sex offender is causing trouble for her husband. The two men reportedly look alike, and neighbors are confusing Kristin Daniel’s husband for a convicted sex offender who lives about a mile away. Full Article
Read MoreNY: Dozens charged in child porn case in NYC area
NEW YORK (AP) — Seemingly respectable members of the mainstream — a police officer, a paramedic, a rabbi, an airline pilot, an architect, a Boy Scout leader — were caught using the Internet to collect and trade child pornography, federal officials said Wednesday. Full Article
Read MoreInternational Megan’s Law passes House of Representatives
WASHINGTON — The United States House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting children from roving convicted sexual predators who travel abroad. The International Megan’s Law, H.R. 4573, which was authored by Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4), establishes a model framework for international law enforcement notifications when convicted child-sex offenders who pose a danger to children arrive in a destination country. Full Article H.R. 4573
Read MoreHuntington Beach repeals sex offender park ban
HUNTINGTON BEACH – After one lawsuit and threats of lawsuits from civil rights groups, Huntington Beach has joined the list of Orange County cities that have repealed an ordinance that bans registered sex offenders from entering parks without permission from the police chief. Full Article
Read MoreLiving with 290: Is There a Silver Lining Somewhere?
In 2000 I was convicted of one count of 311.4, a misdemeanor, but lifetime on the registry, nevertheless. This transgression resonated from a relationship with a girlfriend who was six-months away from her 18th birthday, and me being three-months into my 21st year. Before all of this, the relationship lasted three years, and the victim’s parents approved – that is, until an altercation erupted that led me to impulsively strike her. This miscalculation of emotion invariably caused the Tustin Police Department to introduce a domestic violence investigation into the significance…
Read MoreUS Sex Offender Registration Laws
How to Stay Compliant by Meeting State Registration Requirements Registered citizens must meet registration requirements in the states they visit as well the states in which they reside. State visitor requirements vary widely from 48 hours in Florida to 10 days in Hawaii. These requirements apply regardless of whether the visit is a vacation, business trip or school-related activity. “It is essential for registered citizens to remain compliant when they visit another state,” said CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “In order to remain compliant, registered citizens must know the requirements…
Read MoreMore Cities Repealing Bans Against Sex Offenders in Parks
Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Yorba Linda this week join the list of Orange County cities pulling back from local bans on sex offenders in parks in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling that said they didn’t comply with state laws. Full Article
Read More