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Janice's Journal
General News Feed
How Safe Are Trick-or-Treaters?
States, municipalities, and parole departments have adopted policies banning known sex offenders from Halloween activities, based on the worry that there is unusual risk on these days. The existence of this risk has not been empirically established. National Incident-Base Reporting System crime report data from 1997 through 2005 were used to examine daily population adjusted rates from 67,045 nonfamilial sex crimes against children aged...
“BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.”
It’s Halloween again. It’s my first Halloween since being released from prison. and until Monday, I didn’t really care. Seriously, I didn’t care. I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween. It was always a pain-in-the-ass “holiday” where it’s socially permissible for kids I don’t know to bang on my door. Annoying. Go away. But if I don’t give them candy, I’m the asshole....
L.A. school board fires Rafe Esquith, one of nation’s most lauded teachers
Flowery praise of teachers is a standard part of speeches by superintendents, school board members and principals. But they never mention a sad truth. If our most energetic and effective educators make others look bad, someone is eventually going to punish them for that. Full Article
Campaign: Keep CCA out of Dallas
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) is trying to move into Dallas. Let's say no! Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, makes a huge profit off of locking up people and even entire immigrant families. Now, this deplorable company with a history of inhumane treatment and a plethora of human rights violations has set its sights on winning an 80 YEAR contract with Dallas County....
“I Am The Creepy Guy at the Park”
Yesterday was a beautiful day, I think you will agree. I decided to take a short walk from my house on Hamilton Street to Dana Park, which I have been coming to almost daily since 1989, the year my son was born. As I often do, I brought my camera, sat on a bench for about 10 minutes, did one lap around the park...
Orange home to fifth-highest amount of sex offenders in O.C.
The Panther, Chapman University Student Paper - The city of Orange has the fifth highest number of registered sex offenders among the 34 cities in Orange County, according to Megan’s Law’s, a website that lists registered sex offenders in California. Orange has 91 registered sex offenders, 24 of which are within a 2-mile radius of Chapman University. Eighteen of the offenders were arrested for performing...
Lawsuit challenges Halloween sex offender requirement [update 3 with more media links]
This story has been picked up by Reuters News Service and was on the main page of US msn.com (screenshot). http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-sex-offender-sues-over-halloween-sign-and-rules/ SAN DIEGO — The group California Reform Sex Offender Laws and a sex offender on parole filed a lawsuit in San Diego federal court Wednesday challenging a requirement that sex offenders on parole post a sign on the front door of their home...
FL: Unmanned Drones and Sex Offenders
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- A state lawmaker from Central Florida has filed a bill that would make it a crime for registered sex offenders to use a remote control drone to spy on kids or take their pictures. Senator Dorothy Hukill of Port Orange says predators are required to stay away from schools, playgrounds and other places where children gather... but there's nothing in the law about...
CA RSOL Challenges Halloween Sign Requirement in Federal Court [updated with complaint]
California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL) and a registrant on parole filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging a requirement that registrants on parole post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween. The requirement is levied by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) as a blanket restriction on all registrant parolees in San Diego. “CDCR’s requirement...
UK: Internet child sex abusers urged to get help in new campaign
A national video campaign has been launched to encourage people who view images of child sexual abuse online to seek help. The initiative is modelled on anti-drink drive and anti-knife crime campaigns. Full Article
We are all sex offenders now — Happy Halloween.
2008 - One can almost bet that a politician is, right this moment, concocting some new stupid piece of legislation. And he will crow if he manages to pass the new absurdity into law -- and the more absurd it is, the more likely it is that it will pass. Consider that we are now about to enter Halloween. It is not a holiday...
OK: One State Just Announced Plans To Castrate Sex Offenders
According to recent reports, Oklahoma State Senator mark Allen has just proposed a bill that seeks to chemically castrate violent sex offenders. The proposal follows the lead of Florida and California. Under the new measure, first time sex offenders could undergo the procedure for early release. Second time offenders would have no choice in the matter. Full Article
OH: Convicted sex offender seeks chance to take Ohio bar exam
The Ohio Supreme Court is debating whether a convicted sex offender who wants to be a lawyer should be allowed to take the state bar exam. The court scheduled a Tuesday hearing for the request by ____ ____, a former Army officer convicted in military court of sex-related offenses after his arrest in 1998 in an FBI sting operation in which he thought he...
Withdrawn Plea, Vacated Convictions Included in Ever Expanding Reach of Sex Offender Registration
SORNA, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, became law in 2006. We recently posted a piece about how the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals have expanded the definition of what constitutes a sex offense under the law. These two circuits were following the trend in SORNA cases. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Kebodeaux said “SORNA’s general...
Justice Can Be Served Without Putting Kids Behind Bars
Last month, the Seattle City Council resolved to end the practice of putting young lawbreakers behind bars. Resolution 31614, which passed unanimously, is a commitment to "eliminate the need to detain or incarcerate youth" by cutting off the "school-to-prison pipeline" and finding alternatives to incarceration. Full Article
Canada: American Sentenced For Possession Of Child Pornography . . . Of Cartoon Characters
There is an interesting criminal case in Canada where American ____ ____ 25, of Murrells Inlet, S.C., is under arrest for possession of child pornography. However, the images were not of human beings but cartoon characters. Canada treats sexual cartoon images as pornography – a view widely rejected in the United States as inimical to free speech protections. Full Article
Is sexting the new first base?
A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that sexual texts are considered the new normal for young people. Local law enforcement say a growing number are pre-teens. Full Article
WI: Legislator proposes child abuse registry
SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -Tonight, children, many of them at-risk and abused, are putting the final touches on routines. They’re getting a special moment at their big dance in Saginaw. They’re Elijah’s Warriors, named in memory of 6-year-old Elijah Dillard. "Never, we never want to hear that story again, we never want to hear any child go near that story," said Omarr Dillard. In 2014,...
New California Law Cracks Down On Cheating Prosecutors
California prosecutors who deliberately withhold evidence from defense attorneys may face harsher punishment under a new law passed after a wave of misconduct scandals. Full Article
MT: Whitefish man says detective ‘coached’ false child molestation allegations
The battle of one Whitefish man to clear his name as a child molester has landed in the Montana Supreme Court. In a recent court brief, ____ ____ and his lawyers alleged Flathead County District Court abused its discretion multiple times, and requested the high court enter a judgment in favor of ____. Convicted of sexual assault and deviate sexual conduct in 1995, ____...