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TX: Fort Worth Considers Tougher Sex Offender Residency Rules Near Schools And Parks

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Source: dallasexpress.com 10/16/25 [Texas residents: consider taking action with calls, letters, showing up to hearings, etc.]   Fort Worth officials are considering new residency limits that would bar certain registered sex offenders from living near schools, parks, and other child-safety zones. The proposal would bar offenders whose victims were under 17 from residing within 1,000 feet of designated areas such as playgrounds, public pools, and youth centers, according to city attorney Trey Qualls. Council member Charles Lauersdorf said he favors a stricter version. “To those currently sitting in prison who…

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ICE Agent Who Took Upskirt Photos of Flight Attendant Says It Wasn’t a Crime Because He Was Sneaky

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Source: reason.com 10/16/25 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Billy Olvera just wanted more cookies—or so he told an American Airlines flight attendant. Meanwhile, he used the ruse to take photos and videos of the attendant’s butt, legs, and feet. A police examination of his phone uncovered 23 photos and 20 videos of the flight attendant, who goes by A.G. in court documents. Olvera’s “clandestine video voyeurism,” as his lawyer would later describe it, took place while Olvera was on duty, working as a deportation officer transporting a detainee on a…

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CO: Colorado Child Porn Law Didn’t Ban Deepfake Porn Until Recent Amendments, Court Holds

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Source: reason.com 10/14/25 From In the Interest of Juvenile: S.G.H., decided yesterday by the Colorado Supreme Court, written by Justice Carlos A. Samour, Jr.: S.G.H., a young teenager, … is accused of using a generative-AI tool to blend authentic images of three classmates’ actual faces and clothed bodies with computer-generated images portraying naked intimate body parts to make it appear as though the classmates are nude…. Every state has laws prohibiting the nonconsensual distribution of authentic intimate images, and the federal government recently enacted a similar measure. But “few laws in the United…

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CA: Governor Signs Senate Bill 680 That Will Expand Registry

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Source: ACSOL Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Senate Bill 680 that will expand the sex offender registry starting on January 1, 2026.  That bill will require individuals convicted of Penal 261.5, unlawful intercourse, on or after that date to register.  The bill also states that individuals convicted of that offense will be assigned to Tier 1 which requires registration for at least 10 years. “While we regret that this bill has become law today, we are grateful that the original bill was amended to ensure that those previously convicted of Penal…

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CA: Woman charged in shooting at Fresno sex offender home

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Source: yourcentralvalley.com 10/13/25 FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The woman accused of opening fire in a home for registered sex offenders was in court on Monday. 45-year-old Jennifer Cedano faces four felony charges, including assault with a semi-automatic firearm. Investigators say on Aug. 30, she broke into a home in Fresno’s Old Fig Garden, where several sex offenders live, and opened fire. One man sustained a gunshot wound to his lower body.  … Read the full article  

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Punishment by Another Name

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Source: sentencing.substack.com 10/13/25 This term, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Ellingburg v. United States, which asks whether criminal restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA) constitutes punishment for purposes of the Ex Post Facto Clause. The Clause prohibits retroactive increases of criminal punishments, ensuring that the government cannot change the rules after the fact to impose harsher penalties. Criminal restitution — the money paid by a defendant to a victim — has grown into one of the most troubling, yet least examined, features of modern criminal sentencing. Unlike criminal…

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You Paid Your Debt, So Why Are You Still in Prison?

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Source: substack.com 10/11/25 Most of us have heard the phrase “paid your debt to society.” It wasn’t just a catchy line — it once meant something real. When prisons were first called penitentiaries, the idea was rooted in penitence — serving your time, reflecting, and then rejoining society with a clean slate. Back then, once you finished your sentence, you were done. Your debt was settled. You went home, got back to work, and reintegrated into your community. You weren’t branded forever by the worst moment of your life. But somewhere along the way, America abandoned…

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IN: Funding loss could force several former inmates, including sex offenders, out of Indy rehab housing

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Source: wthr.com 10/10/25 An Indianapolis rehabilitation program for people just out of prison is running out of money. Without new funding, several former inmates, including registered sex offenders, could lose housing and supervision. The one-story brick home on the northeast side doesn’t draw much attention. No noise from inside. No decorations. A paper sign reading “no trick-or-treat household” stands ready by the inner doorway.   Eight registered sex offenders live here. For these men rebuilding from their past, this house is the difference between a roof and a relapse, a…

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MO: Missouri City Reverses Position on Halloween Sign Enforcement

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The City of Hazelwood, Missouri, has reversed its original position regarding enforcement of a state law declared unconstitutional by a federal district court.  In letters dated October 1, 2025, and mailed to all registrants residing in that city, the Hazelwood Chief of Police stated that registrants must post a sign on their home on Halloween.   “It was difficult to understand why the Hazelwood Chief of Police would make such a significant mistake,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “That city, after all, is a party in the lawsuit that successfully…

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MO: Missouri City Threatens to Enforce Halloween Sign Requirement Despite Statewide Injunction

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The City of Hazelwood, Missouri, has mailed letters to all registrants in that city stating that the City will enforce this year a state law that has been declared unconstitutional.  That law requires registrants to post a sign on their home on Halloween. A federal district court judge issued a statewide permanent injunction on October 2, 2024, which prohibits enforcement of that state law.  The Attorney General of Missouri appealed the district court judge’s decision to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and oral arguments were conducted last month.   In…

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FL: The Parents Who Wrote Florida’s Sex Offender Laws

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Source: YouTube 10/5/25 Stacey Dooley explores the extreme sex offender laws in Florida, focusing on the controversial 2,500-foot residency restrictions. Meet offenders like Chris Dawson in Miracle Village and Brandon, forced into a Miami homeless camp, who desperately seek rehabilitation and a second chance. Their stories are juxtaposed with the unwavering stance of… Watch the video  

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EU’s new Entry/Exit System launches this week. What to know about visas, insurance and delays

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Source: msn.com 10/5 As the 12 October launch of the six-month rollout of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) approaches, a number of myths and misconceptions about what it really means for travellers have surfaced. While some claim that non-EU travellers will need to prove their travel insurance, others believe that the EES is being implemented as punishment for Brexit.   But how much of the speculation is true and which claims are myths? We took a look at some of the most common misconceptions.  … The EES system will only apply…

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Webinar: “A Careful Grace”: Integrating Offenders into the Church

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Source: Southern Baptist Convention Not every church is called to minister to convicted sex offenders. When churches minister to sex offenders, they must implement a careful grace that is based upon an educated understanding of offenders and how they act. A careful grace starts with putting the needs of children and survivors first. A careful grace embraces the reality that actions must have consequences. A careful grace requires church leaders and workers to be trained in child protection, and our churches to have clear and effective safeguarding policies and procedures. Only within a context…

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PA: Being suspected of child abuse can land you in this Pa. database — even without a conviction

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Source: timesleader.com 10/2/25 To protect kids, Pennsylvania maintains a registry of people convicted and suspected of child abuse and neglect. The registry is used for background checks across the commonwealth, and in theory, it keeps those who could harm children away from schools, workplaces and other sensitive settings. But the state places people on the list without legal proceedings in which they or an attorney can mount a defense. A lawsuit pending in Commonwealth Court alleges this violates a person’s right to due process and reputation under the Pennsylvania Constitution. As that…

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