Source: jamestownsun.com 1/23/25 The House voted 62-29 in favor of a bill that would allow registered sex offenders to ask the courts to remove them from the state registry earlier than what’s currently provided in law. BISMARCK — The North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday, Jan. 23, that would allow low-risk sex offenders to ask the court to strike them from the state registry early. Introduced by Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, House Bill 1231 would create a process in which sex offenders could apply for a petition that would…
Read MoreTag: North Dakota
ND: Lawmakers discuss adding computer-generated images to definition of child pornography
Source: northdakotamonitor.com 1/20/25 Possessing a computer-generated image of child pornography would be punishable as a felony in North Dakota under a bill discussed Monday by state lawmakers. House Bill 1386 adds images created by artificial intelligence to state law prohibiting the possession of child pornography. Deputy Attorney General Claire Ness strongly urged members of the House Judiciary Committee to advance the bill. “Computer-generated images and artificial intelligence have opened a new world for the cruel individuals who make, possess, or trade (child sexual abuse materials),” Ness said. The bill would make possessing computer-generated…
Read MoreND: Bill would allow sex offenders to petition to remove themselves from state registry
Source: inforum.com 1/17/25 MINOT — House Bill 1231, introduced by state Rep. Jason Dockter, would create a petition through which convicted sex offenders could petition the courts to remove themselves from the state’s offender registry, which Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s office maintains. This is an excellent idea. We ought to do away with the offender registry, as it is a resource-hogging exercise in futility, but let’s talk about the legislation before us first. “After seven years of registration, a sexual offender assigned a low-risk level by the attorney general may petition the sentencing…
Read MoreND: North Dakota’s sex offender registry gets update to provide residents more information
Source: kfyrtv.com 6/25/22 BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – In 1947, California became the first state in the US to have a sex offender registry program and, over the years, other states followed suit. North Dakota’s law was passed in 1991. The registries are meant to give residents the tools to protect themselves from victimization. Now, North Dakota’s registry is getting an upgrade to provide residents more information. The website, sexoffender.nd.gov, will now display photos of all offenders regardless of risk level and offer additional search functions to determine offender location and…
Read MoreND: Shouldn’t we ask if ‘bias crime’ legislation actually works?
[thedickinsonpress.com – 3/23/21] Fargo-area politicians and activists will no doubt have a lot of success milking this issue for notoriety, and donations, but even if they’re successful in implementing a policy, and even if that local policy withstands legal scrutiny under state law, it isn’t likely to change much of anything. MINOT, N.D. — Bias crime laws, the new lingo for hate crime laws, are, from the perspective of public policy, not all that unlike policies the death penalty or sex offender laws. They’re all great for politicians who want…
Read MoreND: Committee hears push to seal certain criminal records
[thedickinsonpress.com – 2/15/21] Individuals must be free of convictions for three years to have a misdemeanor charge sealed and five years for a felony charge. The time requirement begins after conviction of the crime. Crimes that are considered violent or that require registering as a sex offender are not eligible. Read the full article
Read MoreND: Should North Dakota Extend the Statue of Limitations for Prosecuting Sexual Abuse?
[hot975fm.com – 1/5/21] … But three North Dakota lawmakers are working to make sure other victims get the justice they deserve. The lawmakers had been planning bills that would extend the statute of limitations for reporting and prosecuting sex crimes before the Attorney General made his decision. Learn more about the potential bills here. Read the full article and links to the proposed bills Related: Lawmakers seek to extend North Dakota statutes of limitation in child sex abuse cases [inforum.com – 1/5/21 – REQUIRES FREE REGISTRATION] FARGO — Three state legislators, a Republican and two…
Read MoreND: Yet another way COVID-19 has changed life: Fargo sex offenders can now register remotely
[inforum.com – 3/29/20] FARGO — The Fargo Police Department is allowing sex offenders to register by phone in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, while other local law enforcement agencies continue the registration process with few changes. Fargo police made the switch March 19, the same day it closed the lobby of its headquarters. The department is making several adjustments to its operations to limit contact amid the global pandemic, and having sex offenders register via phone is one of them. “If a new registrant who has never…
Read MoreND: Jamestown attracts disproportionate number of sex offenders
A disproportionate number of registered sex offenders live in Jamestown compared to other cities in the state, according to Scott Edinger, Jamestown chief of police. Full Article
Read MoreND: Satisfied with sex offender registry as it is (Editorial)
As shown on a large, colored map in Sunday’s Grand Forks Herald, sex offenders are among us. Most sex offenders in Grand Forks are considered by the state of North Dakota to be low-risk; however, a half-dozen in the city are high-risk offenders and, according to the state, deserve a higher level of scrutiny. Full Article
Read MoreND: North Dakota works to track registered sex offenders
[inforum.com – 9/2/18] Keeping track track of sex offenders in North Dakota requires technology and the teamwork of law enforcement and communities across the state. There are among nearly 1,900 sex offenders in the state, according to Liz Brocker, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. A website for the Attorney General’s Office tracks the locations of sex offenders in the state, based on their residence or place of employment. Staff with the office work extensively to keep the website up to date with extensive information on offenders,…
Read MoreND: N. D. Supreme Court destroys some electronics, returns others to family
[narsol.org] By Andrea Johnson . . . The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled [Feb. 22] that the state can destroy convicted sex offender______’s laptop and portable hard drive, but must return his X-Box and PlayStation to his family. ______, 38, of Minot, is serving 10 years in prison for child porn possession. He had appealed North Central District Court Judge Doug Mattson’s decision ordering his electronics be destroyed. He argued that the old Xbox and PlayStation 2 were not used in his crimes and are not forfeitable property. The Supreme…
Read MoreND: Despite research, lawmakers OK bill keeping high-risk sex offenders from living near schools
North Dakota’s on track to have its first statewide restriction on where high-risk sex offenders can live, with lawmakers voting almost unanimously for a bill that would prohibit such offenders from residing within 500 feet of a school. House Bill 1334, which has received little media attention, quietly passed the House in February and the Senate this week. The bill has not yet been sent to Gov. Doug Burgum, who generally does not comment on legislation before it reaches his desk, his spokesman Mike Nowatzki said Thursday, March 30. Over…
Read MoreND: Monitoring sex offenders effective
Tory Jacobson was a detective sergeant with the Moorhead Police Department in 2003 when he came up with an idea about how to keep better track of registered sex offenders. The law at the time required people convicted of certain crimes to keep law enforcement agencies informed of their whereabouts. The burden was and still remains on the offender to remain compliant, or face possible incarceration. The problem: Noncompliance wasn’t always immediately apparent, leading in some cases to a lag time between when an offender stopped following the rules and…
Read MoreND: Man Sentenced to Prison For Sexual Conversations with Minors
… Judge Gary Lee ordered ____ ____ to spend six years in prison, followed by five years of probation, and a lifetime requirement to register of a sex offender. Judge Gary Lee told ____ that the prison time was a minor worry in his life. The judge said the lifetime sex offender label was much more damaging, adding, quote, “Your life is over.” Full Article
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