Jason was 14 years old when he met his first girlfriend, a 13-year-old neighbor of the foster family with whom he lived. After a few months of dating, his girlfriend’s mother walked in on the teenagers engaging in consensual oral sex and called the police. Jason was arrested and charged with child molestation. He was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court and placed on the California Sex Offender Registry. Before he was old enough to drive, Jason was branded a sex offender on a public, searchable website. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreTag: Juveniles
TN: Teen rapists to be charged as adults, added to sex offender registry under bills
One lawmaker is pushing for harsher penalties for teens convicted of rape in Tennessee. The new legislation comes after two then-13-year-old boys were convicted of holding down a Clarksville girl, raping her and filming it. Just when the girl’s family thought they would get justice, a judge handed down a sentence of only six months in juvenile detention for one boy and six months probation at home for the other. Neither boy was added to the state’s sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MoreMD: The Absurdity Of Charging 10-Year-Olds As Sex Offenders
A ten-year boy has just been charged as a sex offender as a result of a schoolyard game of tag that got out of control. As reported by the local CBS news affiliate: “the fourth-grade students were playing a game of tag that escalated when a boy began making inappropriate comments and movements toward the girls. One of the boys also wrapped his arms around one of the girls.” Full Article Related https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/11/22/10-year-old-boy-charged-sex-offense-marbury-maryland-school/
Read MoreLA: Court sidesteps issue on juvenile sex offenders
Louisiana’s Supreme Court has sidestepped, for now, the question of whether juveniles convicted of sex crimes can be required to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. The case involved a man convicted of having molested his younger sister when he was 14 years old. He was ordered held in juvenile custody until age 21. After his release, he sought relief from the sex registration requirement. The high court on Tuesday ruled that because he was no longer in custody, he was ineligible to file for post-conviction…
Read MoreA Q&A on Megan’s Law: Should it apply to child offenders?
Dr. Elizabeth J. Letourneau did the first study looking at the consequences of Megan’s Law on juveniles. She found that kids rarely commit a second offense, and that the people they are most likely to hurt are themselves. She spoke with Julie O’Connor of the Star-Ledger’s editorial board. Below is an edited transcript. Full ArticleFull Article
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 MoreNJ: He was labeled a sex offender as a teen. Now he is challenging the law that made him register as one.
At a glance, the 23-year-old has a stellar resume. He graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University, where he was a part of an Honors Academic Society and routinely on the Dean’s list. During college, he tutored others in calculus and was a teacher’s assistant. He also volunteered at the Jewish Relief Agency collecting, packaging and distributing goods to disadvantaged families. The Union County resident now works as a financial analyst-at-large for an international telecommunications company in the tri-state area. But each year he must check in with law enforcement. He…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Court Decision an Important Point on Path to Tipping Point
Another court has spoken the truth: registration is punishment. That court is Division III of the Colorado Court of Appeals. The case is People v. In the Interest of T.B. which was decided last week. This is a case that could be overlooked. After all, this court in only one of several courts of appeal in the state of Colorado. And the plaintiff in this case was a juvenile when he was convicted. The reason the case should not be overlooked is that it is an important data point on…
Read MoreCO: Colorado Sex-Offender Registry Takes Another Brutal Hit
Colorado’s sex-offender registry, already under legal siege, just took another hit. On June 20, the Colorado Court of Appeals determined that the lifetime registration requirement for Coloradans found guilty of two or more sex offenses when they were juveniles qualifies as punishment under the Eighth Amendment. The 2-1 decision means that a lower court can now consider whether that rule is unconstitutional — and such a finding would strike another blow against a law-enforcement concept that’s become increasingly controversial. Full Article Decision
Read MoreRemove Children from Sex-Offender Registries
There are good reasons to reconsider some aspects of the 1994 Crime Bill, because we’ve had a chance to see the unintended consequences. One feature of the 1994 law that has had baleful unanticipated effects was the adoption of sex-offender registries. At the time, experts advised that sex offenders never reformed. To protect the community from those found guilty of such offenses after their return to society, registries would require them to identify themselves (sometimes even with signs in their windows). Understandably, penalties were particularly harsh for anyone who harmed…
Read MoreNCJFCJ Releases Resolution for Sex Offender Requirements for Youth Under Age 18
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) released its latest resolution regarding sex offender requirements for youth under the age of 18. Research shows that placing youth on sex offender registries does not advance public safety and can actually make communities less safe. Research also shows that re-offending rates for youth who offend sexually are extremely low and that juvenile sexual re-offense risk assessments have been validated for predicting sexual re-offending. Full Press Release RELATED LINKS: KY: Grayson County Sheriff’s Office warns of “sexting” trend among teens [wbko.com -3/28/19]
Read MoreIL: Court tosses lawsuit in sex-video suicide case
A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit brought against a suburban Chicago school by parents of a student who killed himself after staff warned him he may have to register as a sex offender because they suspected he made a video of himself having sex with a classmate without her knowledge. Full Article Opinion https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilndce/1:2017cv04036/340584/114/0.pdf?ts=1547809387
Read MoreOR: Living with a label
For most youth, childhood is a seemingly innocent and simple time, typically full of school work, play time and life lessons. But when a child becomes a registered sex offender when they are as young as 10, those years are full of probation, detention and life lessons of another kind: living with a label. Full Article
Read MoreWhen stealing LEGOs adds to a lifetime of consequences
A petition argues that people seeking to escape the sex offender registry, including those put on it as children, deserve more than a single shot. Full Article
Read MoreNE: Federal judge pulls stay that kept juveniles off sex offender registry
A federal judge Monday lifted the stay he issued last month that had kept the Nebraska State Patrol from putting juveniles on its sex offender registry if they weren’t tried as adults. Full Article
Read MoreNE: Judge – Keep juvenile sex offenders off registry
A federal judge has told Nebraska to keep juvenile sex offenders off the state sex offender registry if they weren’t tried as adults — at least for now. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Tuesday’s order from U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf gives a temporary reprieve to dozens of people who received letters from the Nebraska State Patrol telling them they must register as sex offenders. The letters cited a recent Nebraska Supreme Court decision. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Supreme Court – registration for juvenile sex offenders is punishment
The boy’s lawyers argued that the fact that registration as a sex offender was mandatory constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The court’s majority opinion written by Chief Justice Mark Cady found that registration for juvenile sex offenders is punishment, but is not cruel and unusual. Article – towards the bottom Decision
Read MoreNJ: Science and Law Evolve Together, Sex Offender Registry Case Reminds Us
This is how law and social science are meant to intersect. The case reminds us that, as our knowledge of human behavior evolves, our approach to legal issues will evolve as well. Full Article Decision
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