BOSTON – In a ruling that could affect dozens of Massachusetts communities, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court on Friday agreed an ordinance limiting where sex offenders can live in the city of Lynn cannot stand. Several registered sex offenders sued the city after local officials enacted an ordinance in 2011 that prevented Level 2 and 3 offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or park. A level 3 offender has been deemed the most likely to commit another crime, according to the state Sex Offender Registry. Full Article…
Read MoreTag: Massachusetts
MA: Worcester’s sex-offender ordinance awaits court ruling on Lynn measure
WORCESTER — Local efforts to restrict where Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders can live in the city have been put on hold, pending the outcome of a legal challenge to a similar ordinance adopted by another community that is now before the state Supreme Judicial Court. Councilor-at-Large Morris A. Bergman, chairman of the City Council Public Safety Committee, said it is his understanding that arguments regarding that residency ordinance are expected to be made before the SJC in April, with a decision likely to come out in June.…
Read MoreMA: Sex-offender restrictions back on burner in Worcester
There has been an ongoing debate in Worcester over the past several years about whether the city should restrict where Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders can live. City councilors have talked about the need for an ordinance that would restrict those sex offenders from living within certain distances of public parks, schools, day care centers and other areas where young children may congregate. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Outraged Mom, Allegedly Assaults Neighbor Who Faces Child Porn Charges
A Massachusetts mom faces felony charges after she admitted to assaulting her neighbor, who had returned home after being arrested on child porn charges. According to a police report obtained by The Smoking Gun, Nicole Pelletier, 42, entered Gary Spring’s condo through an unlocked door the evening of Sept. 22. Full Article
Read MoreMA: SJC upholds GPS monitoring of sex offenders
The state’s highest court has rejected a challenge to the state law that requires GPS monitoring during probation for people convicted of certain sex offenses involving a child. The court said the law gave judges no discretion on whether to impose the GPS monitoring during probation, and the Legislature had good reasons for enacting the law. Full Article
Read MoreMA: National Geographic photos not child porn, court rules
The state’s highest court has tossed out a child pornography case against a convicted child rapist who had photocopies of pictures of naked children from a National Geographic magazine, a sociology textbook, and a naturist catalogue in his state prison cell. Full Article Related MA: Porn debate over National Geographic photo goes to SJC (CA RSOL) Decision
Read MoreMA: SJC sex offender ruling another affront against Massachusetts residents (Op-Ed)
The state’s highest judicial entity; the Supreme Judicial Court reached another stunning milestone in delivering an affront to the sensibilities and protections of law-abiding citizens on July 11th. In a 6 to 1 decision the justices ruled that life-time parole for sex-offenders is unconstitutional. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreSex Offenders Cannot Even Be Garbage Men?
Anyone that is a registered citizen or has a loved one or friend who is, knows first-hand how difficult it is for a registrant to find employment. First, there are restrictions on where a registrant can work; not only geographically but also in which positions. Second, there is the stigma of hiring a registrant and the potential social and economic backlash that might come when clients or customers of that business learn of the employee’s history. Now, some recent articles have exposed a third challenge… employers can be liable for…
Read MoreMA: SJC ruling leads to release of sex offenders
SALEM — Dozens of sex offenders have been released from custody in the two weeks since the state’s highest court ruled that the state’s lifetime community parole law violates the state constitution, the county’s chief prosecutor said this week. And District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said he’s concerned that they’re hitting the street with almost no advance notice. “It’s a dire safety issue for us to have these people on the street with no notice,” said Blodgett, who believes as many as 40 offenders are being released in Essex County as…
Read MoreMA: Quincy councilors upset sex offender was employed by city’s trash hauler
A registered sex offender worked for almost a year for the company that collects residential trash in Quincy, violating terms of the city’s $3.5 million contract with the Boston-based hauler, Sunrise Scavenger, said Ward 4 City Councilor Brian Palmucci. Palmucci called the breach a public safety issue, a concern echoed by Ward 6 City Councilor Brian McNamee, who wants city leaders to prevent it from happening again. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Most sex convicts do not win release
Despite the release of a convicted sex offender who is now accused of raping and beating a woman at knifepoint Sunday, state courts are much more likely than not to keep convicted sex offenders locked up indefinitely after they finish their prison sentences. Between 2010 and 2012, juries and judges sent 57 of the 83 convicts who sought release back to detention, even though their sentences were up, according to statistics kept by the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association. Full Article
Read MoreMA: US Marshals, police team up to hunt ‘predators’
A partnership between the US Marshals and state and local police has sharply increased arrests of sex offenders who fail to register. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Court Says Sex Offender Law Not Retroactive
BOSTON (AP) — The state’s highest court has ruled that Massachusetts cannot retroactively post information about thousands of registered sex offenders on the Internet. Full Article Related: July 2013 Ruling / Preliminary InjunctionAppellant’s Brief SJC ruling keeps 6,000 Level 2 sex offenders off state web registry
Read MoreMA: Lawmaker wants to ban sex offenders from lottery winnings
UXBRIDGE — A veteran lawmaker said Tuesday he is working on a bill that would ban convicted sex offenders from payouts by the state lottery. State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was reacting to the recent arrest of a convicted Level 3 sex offender in his hometown. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Court overturns escort’s sex offender label
BOSTON (AP) — The state’s highest court on Wednesday overturned the classification of a former escort service manager as a low-level sex offender, finding that the state’s Sex Offender Registry Board should have considered research showing women are less likely than men to commit new sex offenses. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Sex offender’s speech ignites debate over registry system
A high-level sex offender in Belmont, Massachusetts surprised many when he showed up to a town meeting that was held to address concerns about sex offenders like him living in the area. Carl Peterson told those in attendance that he was convicted of sexually assaulting his young niece 12 years ago. The event sparked a debate over possible misconceptions about the ‘sex offender’ label and the efficacy of the registry system. Full Article
Read MoreMA: I’m the Level 3 Sex Offender All Of You Have Been Talking About
The tall, middle-aged man strode to the microphone in front of approximately 100 citizens in the Belmont High School auditorium Thursday night, Sept. 19. Wearing loose-fitting jeans, a T-shirt and unbutton shirt combo over a slight paunch, the man could be anyone of thousands of parents or guardians ready to speak about school fees, the latest round of test scores or if the town can afford a new High School. He was anything but. “My name is ____ ____. ‘I’m the level 3 sex offender all of you have been talking about,”…
Read More