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…
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LA: Louisiana sheriffs promoting new app that alerts parents if sex offenders contact children
[theadvocate.com – 10/16/19] Louisiana sheriffs are backing a new mobile app that will alert parents if a registered sex offender contacts their child. The app, Safe Virtual Neighborhood, is the newest development from OffenderWatch and parent company Watch Systems, a Covington-based company known for tracking sex offenders. Watch Systems and Louisiana’s law enforcement community have worked together since 2000, when the company launched its sex offender registry system. … The Safe Virtual Neighborhood app utilizes existing information collected in law enforcement offender databases and applies it to people’s personal mobile…
Read MoreLA: After admitting sex with 3 boys, substitute teacher spared jail and barred from class only two years
[usatoday.com – 4/5/19] After pleading guilty to having sex with three underage teenagers and sending lewd messages, a substitute teacher in Louisiana was spared jail and could even be headed back to the classroom, New Orlean’s station WDSU reports. As part of a plea deal, 34-year-old ______ pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. When she was arrested in 2016, the Terrebonne Parish instructor faced three felony charges, according to the report. A…
Read MoreCO, LA, VT: More states enact major “second chance” reforms
[ccresourcecenter.org 6/11/18] In recent weeks, three more states — Colorado, Louisiana and Vermont — have enacted laws intended to make it easier for people with a criminal record to find and keep employment, or otherwise to regain rights and status. We are just now noting Wyoming’s amendment in March of more than a dozen occupational licensing laws, to impose new limits on how criminal record may be taken into consideration by licensing agencies. In the first five months of 2018 alone, a total of 21 states have enacted legislation to…
Read MoreLA: Two sexual exploitation bills pass Louisiana Legislature
[kalb.com 5/18/18] Two bills targeting sexual exploitation passed through the Louisiana Legislature Friday. One would set policies for employers to detect victims of human trafficking, and the other would increase penalties for crimes involving prostitution. Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, wrote the bill that would relate to the trafficking victims, including employees of sexually oriented businesses like stores selling sexual materials and businesses with live sexual performances. The businesses would have to verify age and employment status of current and prospective employees and keep those records for three years. They also…
Read MoreLA: Two Louisiana elementary school students arrested for child porn over nude Snapchats
[fox59.com 4/20/18] SLIDELL, La. – Police arrested two Louisiana elementary school students after they allegedly distributed nude photos to classmates using a social media app. The Bonne Ecole Elementary students, a girl and a boy, were booked on charges of distribution of child pornography, according to the Slidell Police Department. The female student allegedly used Snapchat to send nude pictures of herself to the male student, who allegedly sent them to other classmates. Read more
Read MoreLA: Jury finds ______ guilty of 2nd degree murder in 2015 killing of his girlfriend’s convicted molester
[The Advocate] _____________, who confessed to fatally stabbing and strangling his girlfriend’s convicted molester inside the man’s Zachary trailer and stuffing his body into a 55-gallon container, was found guilty of second-degree murder Thursday in the brutal July 4, 2015, slaying. _____, 23, of Walker, faces a mandatory term of life in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 18 by state District Judge Tony Marabella. He will remain in custody until then. His girlfriend, _____, 20, also of Walker, pleaded guilty earlier this year to manslaughter, testified for the…
Read MoreLA: Residents Concerned about Proposed Sex Offender Hurricane Shelter
The word is spreading and folks are hearing about plans to provide an evacuation shelter for sex offenders in the northern part of East Baton Rouge Parish. A new state law requires that registered sex offenders are housed apart from everyone else in evacuations. WAFB’s Paul Gates says he’s talked with folks who live around the site near Zachary and Baker, and they’re not happy. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Registered sex offender’s murder being investigated as hate crime
An elderly man from Many was killed this morning after being shot in the chest. According to the Sabine Parish Coroner’s Office, sheriff’s deputies arrived in the 1300 block of Matthews Lodge Road — off of LA Hwy. 6 — after an alarm tech found the man in the doorway of a home. The victim, identified as 72-year-old _____ _____, was located lying face-up on the living room floor of his mobile home, just inside the front door. Deputies say an unknown suspect fired a single shot through the storm door,…
Read MoreLA: Debate builds over suggestion by child rape victim’s mother to create sex crimes arrest list
ST. TAMMANY – Should there be a public list for sex crimes arrests similar to the state’s convicted sex offender registry? The mother of an alleged child rape victim is making that suggestion after learning her child’s accused attacker had been free on bond for almost eight years, awaiting trial for child pornography charges. “I’d love to open up a dialogue because there’s no reason that what happened to my daughter should happen to anybody else’s daughter,” she said, “That way we can look at these people and say, hey,…
Read MoreLA: FAMM Praises Louisiana for Repeal of Mandatory Minimums
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) today commended Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards for signing into law SB 220, which repeals most of Louisiana’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws. The bill is a significant component of a larger criminal justice package that passed through the Louisiana legislature this session. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Here’s why some sex offenders eligible for early release have to stay in prison
More than 400 Louisiana prisoners who are otherwise eligible for early release can’t leave correctional facilities because they are unable to find an approved place to live that complies with the state’s sex offender requirements. Full Article
Read MoreLA: New scam targets registered sex offenders with arrest threat
NEW ORLEANS — A new scam is targeting registered sex offenders, claiming they missed court dates that never actually existed. The US Marshal’s Service is warning the public that scam artists claiming they are Deputy US Marshals or Federal Marshals are working to extort money from sex offenders over the phone. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Too Poor for Freedom: Sex Offender Registry and the Fourteenth Amendment
If a school mandated uniforms and suspended a child too poor to afford them, there would be an uproar. Media would excoriate the school for denying the impoverished an education due to their financial circumstances. Many would wonder at the cost of a uniform relative to the school’s budget, suggesting that the school simply offer the child a simple uniform. As ever, our instinctive notions of justice and fair play seem to end at criminal court. In the state of Louisiana, a person required to register as a sex offender…
Read MoreLA: JPSO unveils state-of-the-art sex offender ID system
The sheriff’s office announced Friday that the Sex Offender Registry and Identification System, or SORIS, captures a high-resolution digital picture of the offender’s iris. The system can tell the difference between twins, and even a person’s right and left eye. Full Article
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