Imagine someone offers you a cigarette, you accept and about halfway through smoking it they tell you the cigarette contains marijuana and they are arresting you for possession. The cigarette never actually contained marijuana and you never sought out drugs, but you get arrested anyhow. That’s how many who were arrested in sex offender stings feel. Last Friday, Tampa’s CBS affiliate, WTSP, had the courage to report on something that victims had been screaming about for years; Sex Offender stings. Only in this case it’s not an abused child who…
Read MoreTag: Florida
Do we really need new sex offender laws every time a child is killed?
First, we need to get out of the way the accusations, based on the title of this post, that I don’t care about the victims. I care about the victims much, much more than those who persist in supporting a system that all but ignores the victims and apparently doesn’t care about any victims except those victimized by registered sex offenders. Florida has just passed a plethora of laws, and is looking to pass more, under the guise of protecting children from those registered sex offenders. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreFL: Longer sentences linked to increased recidivism
Letter to the Editor – The conclusion of Florida’s 2014 Legislature will see children at greater risk, not safer. Principal among the proposals “strengthening” laws to protect children are measures to lengthen prison terms for sex crimes, and widening the range of sentences that lead to eligibility for civil commitment. The Colorado Department of Public Safety issued a report in February 2008, “What Works —Effective Recidivism Reduction and Risk-Focused Prevention Programs.” Numerous evidence-based studies were cited that uniformly and conclusively linked longer prison sentences with increased recidivism. Full Article
Read MoreFL: State senators fast track sex offender legislation
State senators are poised to pass landmark legislation aimed at better protecting Floridians from rapists and child molesters Tuesday, the first day of the annual Legislative session. “I don’t want to let one more day go by without making Florida scorched earth for sexual predators,” said Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville. The package of four bills would toughen sex-crime sentences, increase community monitoring, and keep more of the most dangerous offenders confined after their prison terms end. It would provide the most comprehensive overhaul of sex offender legislation in more than…
Read MoreFL: Eighth Grader Faces Child Pornography Charges
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla- A Pasco County eighth grader faces felony child pornography charges after deputies say he posted a nude picture of a 13-year-old girl on Facebook. Deputies said the 14-year-old boy had been exchanging pictures on an app but became angry when the girl stopped sending explicit photos. The girl, meanwhile told investigators she never expected to see those photos made public. The suspect’s mother, who said this was a case of two kids arguing and said that it shouldn’t have made escalated into adult felony charges. She also said the…
Read MoreFL: Village becomes refuge for sex offenders
Pahokee (United States) (AFP) – Deep in the swamps of southern Florida, Miracle Village lies miles away from the nearest town, surrounded by sugar cane fields. Nearby, the irrigation canals are swarming with alligators. While the name suggests an idyllic rural getaway, the former plantation near Pahokee now is almost exclusively home to men who spent time in prison for sex crimes. Full Article
Read MoreFL: law enforcement may have entrapped alleged sexual predators
PINELLAS COUNTY, Florida – A document obtained by 10 News indicates law enforcement may have crossed the line when trying to round up alleged sexual predators over the weekend — and defense attorneys say entrapment cases could be built around the evidence. The multi-agency sting, led by the Pinellas Co. Sheriff’s Office and Clearwater Police Department, netted 35 arrests in “Operation Home Alone.” The effort was coordinated by the region’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. ICAC guidelines instruct undercover officers to “allow the investigative target to set the tone, pace, and…
Read MoreFL: Idea to put signs in sex offender’s yards brought up to Port Orange council
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Port Orange City Council members met Tuesday night to discuss a proposal to put signs up in the yards of sexual predators that let everyone know just who is living in their neighborhoods. The issue came about when a group of parents pushed to have a sexual offender moved away from a nearby elementary school. They got what they wanted when the man moved away. Full Article
Read MoreFL: Black swan crash lands on Florida SVP program
Dan Montaldi’s words were prophetic. Speaking to Salon magazine last year, the former director of Florida’s civil commitment program for sex offenders called innovative rehabilitation programs “fragile flowers.” The backlash from one bad deed that makes the news can bring an otherwise successful enterprise crashing down. Full Article
Read MoreBubba the Love Sponge warns communities about sexual offenders
It’s nearly Halloween. A time for little ghouls and goblins to dress up for Trick or Treat. Tampa radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge is worried about some real scary people. Bubba asked listeners to let him know where sexual offenders are located in their neighborhoods. He says he then went onto the FDLE web site to verify the information and went says he went one step further to verify the offenders information on individual county law enforcement web sites. Bubba then had yard signs printed on a red background with bold…
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