[waff.com – 3/22/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – One week ago, Huntsville City and non-profit leaders announced that people living in a large homeless camp known as “tent city” would have to move. It was located on Mill Street, and was inside of the Church Street construction zone. We went to the location today and there are still a lot of tents, clothes, and personal items scattered all around the camp, where dozens of people used to live. We’re told everyone has moved, but when it comes to sex offenders, several…
Read MoreTag: Alabama
AL: Mill Street tent camp residents concerned over relocation
[whnt.com – 3/16/21] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Several residents of a tent camp on Mill Street are expressing their concerns over the forced move to a different location. Some homeless Huntsville residents have until the end of the week to move as the city works on flood mitigation on Mill Street. While some may transition to service centers, many won’t or can’t. Instead, they will be moved to another tent camp on Derrick Street, but that presents another problem. People living at the Mill Street tent camp say there are several…
Read MoreAL: News 5 Investigates Female sex offenders
[wkrg.com – 2/17/21] MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — In February, two women have been arrested for sexually abusing minors. On Feb. 5, WKRG News 5 brought you the story of ______ a former Ruckel Middle School teacher charged with having a sexual relationship with a student. On Feb. 16, ______ was charged with sexually abusing a young child. Research shows women make up a small percentage of sexual predators. Research into sex offenders historically mostly focused on men. The Department of Justice reports the first articles on female sex offenders didn’t…
Read MoreAL: SPLC sues Alabama officials for overly severe sex-offender law that punishes children for life
____ ____ met ____ ____ when their mutual friends introduced them at a local skating rink. He was 14 and she was 12. Over time, the two became a young couple, going out on movie dates, hanging out with friends at each other’s houses, and attending school dances together. Eventually, the high school sweethearts got married, bought a house, and had three children. They’ve been married now for 20 years. But this otherwise happy love story has a sad twist: When Herbert was 17 and Candi was 15, her mother…
Read MoreAL: Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law
[cnn.com – 6/10/19] Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed a bill into law that requires someone convicted of a sex offense against a child under the age of 13 to begin chemical castration a month before being released from custody. The law requires individuals convicted of such an offense to continue treatments until a court deems the treatment is no longer necessary. It says offenders must pay for the treatment, and they can’t be denied parole solely based on an inability to pay. “This bill is a step…
Read MoreAL: Alabama’s state legislature just passed a bill to chemically castrate child sex offenders
[insider.com – 6/5/19] Alabama’s state legislature passed a bill Tuesday that will require convicted child sex offenders to undergo chemical castration prior to their release, raising questions about the legality and ethics of castration. According to the legislation, known as House Bill 379, a person convicted of a sexual offense involving anyone under the age of 13 will be required, as a condition of parole, “to undergo chemical castration treatment in addition to any other penalty or condition prescribed by law.” The person will be obligated to pay for the…
Read MoreAL: House passes chemical castration bill
[alreporter.com – 5/23/19] NOTE: PLEASE MOVE DISCUSSION TO AN UPDATED ARTICLE WITH A QUOTE FROM JANICE: AL: Alabama’s state legislature just passed a bill to chemically castrate child sex offenders The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday requiring that child rapists be chemically castrated for the rest of their lives once released from prison. House Bill 379 is sponsored by State Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford. Hurst said his original idea was for surgical castration, but after much research of the issue, he instead opted for…
Read MoreAL: District Court Determines Alabama Laws to be Punishment
Doe v. Marshall – decided February 11, 2019 Conclusion: Alabama can prosecute sex offenses to the full extent of the law. It can also act to protect its citizens from recidivist sex offenders. But the State denies that ASORCNA is designed to “punish” offenders. And once a person serves his full sentence, he enjoys the full protection of the Constitution. Harris, 772 F.3d at 572; accord Packingham, 137 S. Ct. at 1737. Sex offenders are not second-class citizens, and anyone who thinks otherwise would do well to remember Thomas Paine’s wisdom: “He that would make his own…
Read MoreAL: Governor ceremonially signs juvenile sex offender bill
[wbrc.com 5/21/18] MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) – Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey put her signature on a score of legislation. Although the signing was just for the camera (the laws were already signed in private about a month ago), it still had a special meaning for the Cook family. “Amazing, it was the biggest blessing for us to experience this today,” Kristina Cook said. Ivey put her signature on a bill that will require each school district to come up with rules on how to deal with juvenile sex offenders. The bill…
Read MoreAL: Eye spy a sex offender: Jeffco Sheriff’s Office touts use of iris scans in fighting crime
[al.com 4/19/18] When an inmate was recently booked into the Jefferson County Jail, he lied about who he was and when he was born. At one time, it could have been hours or days before lawmen discovered his true identity, but biometric technology now being used by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office gave them his correct identity in a matter of seconds based on a previous arrest in Atlanta. The sheriff’s office nine months ago became the first law enforcement agency in Alabama to implement the Inmate Recognition & Identification…
Read MoreAL: Juvenile sex offender notification bill passes
[montgomeryadvertiser.com] A bill changing the way schools deal with juvenile sex offenders in the classroom is headed to the governor’s desk. State Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, sponsored the legislation. The Senate on Tuesday afternoon concurred with amendments added in the House version, clearing the way for the bill to get the governor’s signature making it law. Chambliss’ bill expands the pool of people notified of low risk juvenile sex offenders to include the superintendent of education and each individual board of education member. It also addresses enrollment of convicted juvenile…
Read MoreAL: Colbert County Sheriff issues apology following “miscommunication” in sex offender notification
[whnt.com] Tuscumbia, Ala. – Colbert County’s top law enforcement officer issued an apology first thing Monday morning. A lack of communication with other law enforcement agencies in the county led to a delay in residents being notified of a sex offender registration. There are 122 registered sex offenders in Colbert County. It’s part of Sheriff Frank Williamson’s job to keep up with them. Recently, however, one registration slipped through the cracks. “I want to apologize for my part in that miscommunication,” stated Williamson. Read more
Read MoreAL: Will state legislators render teachers ‘improper’ sex cops?
[al.com] We want schools to be educational safe havens for our children. At the same time, public policies designed to make schools safer may carry unintended consequences. Legislation making teachers liable for policing “improper sexual conduct” is winding its way through the Alabama Legislature, and it shouldn’t become law without serious vetting by legislators. Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Autauga County) introduced SB26 responding to a constituent family’s preference that juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs) not be “mainstreamed” in Alabama’s public schools. At the beginning of this school year, the family’s son spotted…
Read MoreAL: Federal jury finds man caught in Columbus child sex sting not guilty
It took a federal jury slightly more than an hour Wednesday to find an Auburn, Ala., man accused of being a child sexual predator not guilty. Full Article
Read MoreAL: Bill would change school reporting, enrollment for juvenile sex offenders
[decaturdaily.com] MONTGOMERY — Juvenile sex offenders who are considered high or moderate risks for repeating such crimes would not be allowed to attend traditional public schools under proposed legislation in the Statehouse. Senate Bill 26 also would require the State Board of Education to develop by next year a policy for the supervision and monitoring of juvenile sex offender students considered by courts to be low risk for offending again. “Essentially, we’re trying to give those who are responsible for the care of children all the information that they need,”…
Read MoreAL: Alabama schools struggle with juvenile sex offenders in classrooms
[montgomeryadvertiser.com] PRATTVILLE — The parents of a young Autauga County sex crime victim want something done. Three years ago, their daughter was victimized by a then-14-year-old boy. What happened next combines the heartache of a family trying to get back to “normal,” a young man paying his debt to society, old wounds being reopened and a bureaucratic maze of board of education meetings and potential legislative action. Read more
Read MoreAL: Signs in Yards & Chemical Castration: Bad Legislation to oppose during the 2018 Alabama legislative season
[reformalabama.blogspot.com] The following bills MUST BE opposed during this legislative season. SB195 By Senators Ward and Shelnutt RFD Judiciary Rd 1 18-JAN-18 Under existing law, community notification of sex offenders requires a flyer be mailed or hand delivered to required residences. The existing law also provides any other method reasonably expected to provide notification may be utilized. This bill would further authorize local law enforcement to post public notices on the property where adult sex offenders who are subject to community notification reside. Reason this is bad: This means the…
Read MoreAL: Teacher Accused of Sex with Students Gets Charges Thrown Out as Unconstitutional
DECATUR, Ala. – An Alabama teacher accused of having sex with two of her students succeeded in having her charges thrown out on constitutional grounds, Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson confirmed Thursday. Carrie Witt was facing potential prison time for allegedly having sex with two students between 16 and 19 years old while she taught at Decatur High School. Read more
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