During a hearing today, the Senate Public Safety Committee stopped two bills, SB 976 and SB 1143, that would have harmed registrants as well as their families. The first of those bills (SB 976) would have expanded the definition of “violent felony” to include all felony sex offenses. That change could have resulted in longer prison sentences as well as no consideration for early parole. The second of those bills (SB 1143) would have required registrants convicted of an offense involving a minor to disclose their status as a registrant…
Read MoreTag: Parole
CA: Dangerous flaws in Proposition 57 could result in early release of sex offenders
Thanks to Proposition 57, hundreds of sex offenders could be released into our communities through an early parole program. As strong advocates for public safety and most importantly as mothers to our respective families, the prospect of having sexual predators leaving prison early is, to say the least, stomach churning. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Pair of bills aimed at release of sex offenders pass Public Safety Committee
A locally authored bill about where the state places sex offenders once they’re released from prison passed the Senate Committee on Public Safety on Monday. Senate Bill 1198, introduced by Sen. Scott Wilk, and Senate Bill 1199, which Wilk authored, address significant concerns about how the criminal justice system deals with individuals convicted of sex crimes. Full Article
Read MoreMonitoring the Use of Electronic Monitoring
One February night in 2009, our phone rang. It was two in the morning. My 95-year-old mother was on the line. She told me she was having chest pains, thought she was having a heart attack, and had already called 911. Since she lived less than a mile away, my immediate response should have been to rush to her side. Instead, I dialed the 1-800 number anyone on parole on an electronic monitoring device is required to call. The operator picked up after 15 minutes and told me I needed the…
Read MoreCA: Prop 57: Letting Californian Sex-Offenders On The Loose [Editorial]
Initially, Proposition 57 seemed to be a feasible solution to California’s prison overcrowding. It promised that nonviolent offenders would be offered parole if they had already served their primary sentences and did not pose any threat to society. However, this changed when Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner ruled that thousands of sexual offenders would be eligible for parole under Proposition 57’s “nonviolent crime” clause. On March 5, the state of California announced that it will appeal Judge Summer’s ruling by arguing that those convicted of sexual violence should…
Read MoreMN: 50-year conditional release or probation terms for sex offenders
[www.revisor.mn.gov] A bill for an act relating to public safety; requiring sex offenders to serve 50-year conditional release or probation terms; establishing intensive probation for certain sex offenders; Read the full bill
Read MoreCA: Federal Judge Grants Injunction in Favor of Registrant
U.S. District Court Judge Dean Pregerson issued today a preliminary injunction (PI) ordering the CA Department of Corrections and Parole (CDCR) to allow a registrant to attend and participate in church services as well as to access social media. The judge’s decision followed a hearing on December 11. According to court documents, CDCR prohibited the registrant from attending and preaching at church services although he is an ordained minister. In addition, CDCR prohibited the registrant from accessing social media. In its decision regarding the registrant’s access to social media, the…
Read MoreIL: For Illinois Sex Offenders, Six Years Can Turn Into Life In Prison
[WBEZ News radio] J.D. Lindenmeier completed his six-year prison sentence in 2011, but he hasn’t been released because he has nowhere to go. Inmates call these extra years behind bars “dead time.” The Rockford native committed a sex crime, and in order to get out of prison he has to meet the state’s long list of rigid parole requirements for those convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault. He could remain behind bars for the rest of his life if he doesn’t find appropriate housing. For Lindenmeier, that means finding a…
Read MorePA: Parole agents arrested sex offender 39 minutes too soon, court rules
If state parole agents had waited another 40 minutes to apprehend fleeing sex offender ____ ____, he wouldn’t have just beat a 46-month to 10-year prison sentence. Full Article
Read MorePOSTPONED: ACSOL will NOT fight bad parole conditions in L.A. 11/27
The date for the hearing in the ACLU case which was originally scheduled for Nov. 27 in Los Angeles has been delayed due to government request, so we will not be at the courthouse on Nov 27. There is not yet a new date. We will notify you as soon as we know what the new hearing date will be.
Read MoreACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of CA Registrant
ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Los Angeles last week on behalf of a California registrant who is on parole. According to the lawsuit, the registrant is being denied the ability to access social media as well as to attend and participate in church services. Subsequent to the filing of the complaint, the ACLU filed an application for a Preliminary Injunction this week. A hearing on the PI application will be held on November 27 at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 9C in the U.S. District Court, Central…
Read MoreNew documentary explores the false freedom of life on parole
There’s a story the mainstream media trumpets most loudly when it comes to parole, and it’s a frightening one: A violent criminal is released from prison, and within weeks or months of their release, a heinous, tragic crime is committed again. The lesson this story teaches the public is toxic, and largely inaccurate. When the only stories of parole we tell are those that end in bloodshed, “getting out on parole” becomes synonymous with fear, and imparts the idea that no one should ever receive parole. Read more
Read MoreIL: Sex Offenders Say Illinois Parole System Is Broken
CHICAGO (CN) – More than 4,000 sex offenders in Illinois face effective life sentences despite a court granting them parole because of restrictions on where they can live, seven men claim in a federal class action. Full Article
Read MoreNV: Court ruling gives state authorities trouble with tracking sex offenders
RENO, Nev. (News 4) — The state is having a hard time keeping track of its most heinous sex offenders because of a new Nevada Supreme Court ruling. Parole and Probation tracks 6,000 sex offenders in the state, with 1,000 on lifetime supervision. Staff make sure they’re registered as required by law — they confirm their address and make sure the offenders have no contact with their victims. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender parolees not required to post ‘do not disturb’ signs on Halloween
Last year, a Chula Vista sex offender parolee was instructed to post a “do not disturb” sign in front of his residence on Halloween night to ward off trick-or-treaters. What followed was a lawsuit filed by the California Reform Sex Offender Laws organization, as well as the parolee in San Diego County and another in Los Angeles. The policy, they argued, violated their civil rights and put their safety at risk. Posting signage was never part of existing policy, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which recently issued a memorandum to its…
Read MoreRate of Re-Offense Drops Again
According to a new report from the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the rate of re-offense for registrants on parole declined again in 2015. This is the third consecutive reduction in the rate of re-offense reported by the CDCR. The new CDCR report states that the rate of re-offense for registrants on parole was .6 percent in 2015. That rate compares to CDCR reported rates of .8 percent in 2014, 1.8 percent in 2013 and 1.9 percent in 2012. “The CDCR reports debunk the myth that registrants have…
Read MoreIN: Life parole lacks active monitoring
Earlier this year, 33-year-old ____ ____. was charged with molesting four local children. He recently agreed to plead guilty and to disclose details about even more victims. The Mishawaka man admitted to similar incidents before, in two other Indiana counties. He left prison in 2010, and as a sex offender on parole, he was subject to strict rules including no alcohol, drugs or pornography. He couldn’t be around children or change addresses without permission. That period of parole supervision, which included frequent contact with a parole officer and the possibility…
Read MoreNY: Gov. Cuomo orders Pokémon Go prohibition for sex offenders on parole
For sex offenders in New York, it will be Pokémon No Go. Gov. Cuomo Sunday ordered that the state make it a condition of parole for sex offenders that they stay away from Pokémon Go and similar interactive games, the Daily News has learned. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is barring all registered sex offenders under supervision from downloading, accessing, or playing such Internet gaming activities, under the directive. Full Article Related Pokémon NO! Disturbing investigation finds pokémon popping up at high-level sex offenders’ residences (NY Senator Jeffrey…
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