CA: CDCR Kicks Off ‘Operation Boo’ Halloween Safety Campaign

Source: cdcr.ca.gov 10/28/24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Halloween is fast approaching, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is helping to keep kids and families safe. Throughout the week, CDCR parole agents will be providing safety tips for trick-or-treaters via social media and as part of a comprehensive parents’ guide on our 2024 Operation Boo webpage. (Follow us on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X)  THE BIGGER PICTURE: Hundreds of parole agents across the state, in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, will conduct compliance checks on sex offender supervised…

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TN: HB1617 Legislation Filed For Upcoming Session Will Push For Extension On Time Sex Offenders Are Included On Sex Offender Registry In Tennessee

Source: tennesseeconservativenews.com 12/13/24 [see HB1617 for update] The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] – The new General Session is just a few weeks away, and already a flurry of bills are being filed for introduction and consideration in what will be the 114th General Assembly. One of those bills, House Bill 1617 (HB1617), sponsored by Representative Bryan Richey (R-D20-Maryville), if signed into law will extend the amount of time a person who has been convicted of a sexual offense and obligated to register as a sex offender must remain on…

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U.S. Probation System a “Quagmire” That Sets Defendants Up to Fail

Source: prisonlegalnews.org 11/15/23 An article published in Reason on January 26, 2023, cited numerous problems in probation systems nationwide, describing them as a “quagmire.” For the article, the magazine, a publication of the Libertarian California-based Reason Foundation, profiled Jennifer Schroeder, who was handed a drug charge in Minnesota and ended up placed on probation for 40 years. There she joined over three million Americans who were on probation at the end of 2020, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. That’s over half the total number of people under…

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Guilty by association: When parole and probation rules disrupt support systems

Source: prisonpolicy.org 11/8/23 Requiring people on supervision to avoid others with criminal legal system contact can actually hinder their success in the community. We found that it’s common for probation and parole agencies to impose these “association” restrictions, tearing apart critical social networks and threatening to lock people up for harmless — and even helpful — interactions. For the 3.7 million people on parole or probation in the United States, the very people who can best support their success are often unable to help because of supervision conditions that prohibit…

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Sex Offender Registry Requirements Across the United States

Source: Probation Information probationinfo.org Can a registered sex offender go on vacation? Does a sex offender have to register if they visit a different state? It depends on the state, and how long the registrant will be there. Some jurisdictions require registrants to notify authorities immediately, while others allow limited stays without requiring registration. Registrants currently under supervision usually need permission from their Parole or Probation Officer before traveling and should always consult their supervising officer. This comparison chart is intended to be a quick reference guide to compare the…

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NY: Opinion: The case for fixing probation and parole

Source: cityandstateny.com 9/22/23 On Sept. 17, 2021, when I was running the notorious Rikers Island jails, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Less Is More act into law, reducing parole revocations for non-criminal, technical violations.  When she did so, she applied the act retroactively to all people incarcerated for 30 days or more for parole violations like drug use, missed appointments and curfew violations. Unfortunately, Isaabdul Karim had only been incarcerated for 29 days, missing his release opportunity by a single day. Two days later, Mr. Karim died of COVID-19 in…

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WY: Although Dept Of Corrections Wanted Child Sex Abuser On Probation, Wyo Supreme Court Says No

Source: cowboystatedaily.com 12/27/22 A Riverton man sentenced to a decade in prison for sexually abusing a 5-year-old while he was in his late teens is not entitled to have his sentence reduced to probation after completing Wyoming’s Youthful Offender Transition Program, the Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled.   Joshua ____, 22, was sentenced by Fremont County District Court in June 2021 to between eight and 12 years in prison for sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl when he was 17.   That sentence was reduced to between six and 10 years…

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States Can Shorten Probation and Protect Public Safety

Source: pewtrusts.org 12/3/20 More than 3.5 million, or 1 in 72, adults were on probation in the United States at the end of 2018—the most recent year for which U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data is available—more than triple the number in 1980.1 Nationwide, on any given day, more people are on probation than in prisons and jails and on parole combined. At its best, probation—court-ordered correctional supervision in the community—gives people the opportunity to remain with their families, maintain employment, and access services that can reduce their likelihood…

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MD: Maryland mom fighting to create tougher laws against child sex predators (HB531 and SB333)

[wjla.com – 1/28/21] A Maryland mom is back at it in Annapolis at the State House next week working to create tougher penalties for child sex abusers. Annie Kenny is fighting to pass the Sex Offender – Lifetime Supervision bill. The 2021 versions are HB531 and SB333. We first told you about Kenny in 2019. Mom wants Maryland sex offender laws changed to better protect children. The bill would mandate that anyone convicted of sexually abusing a minor in the State of Maryland, which makes them a Tier III Registered…

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England: WW2 veteran, 97, spared jail for sex offences over fears of COVID

[yahoo.com – 12/11/20] A World War Two veteran has avoided jail for sexually assaulting five women because of fears he may catch coronavirus in prison. Richard ____, 97, walked free from court despite “passing the custody threshold” and was instead given a 16 month sentence, suspended for two years. He was also put on the sex offenders register for ten years. Read the full article  

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WI: Out of the Shadows: After leaving prison sex offenders face a maze of rules and restrictions

[kenoshanews.com – 11/30/20] The list of potential restrictions is long and full of stumbling blocks. “You shall not gain nor attempt to gain access to the internet without prior agent approval.” “You shall not possess nor view any material that depicts any intimate parts of an adult.” “You shall not establish, pursue, nor maintain any dating, romantic or sexual relationship without prior agent approval.” “You shall not be present in any location frequented by minor children without prior agent approval.” The rules can be so strict that advocates worry that…

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FL: Divided Florida Court Revokes Sex Offender’s Probation After Bizarre Feud With Neighbors

[law.com – 7/17/20] A peculiar dispute between two South Florida neighbors came before the Fourth District Court of Appeal on Wednesday when it found that a registered sex offender’s three-year “campaign of harassment” against the couple next door violated his probation and warranted a prison sentence. Read the full article (must sign up)  

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Janice’s Journal: 20/20: The Year of Perfect Vision

We have now begun the year 2020. When I first used the year on a personal check, the digits of that number popped out at me. 2020. Where have I seen that before? The answer was easy. On a prescription for eyeglasses. No, my vision without glasses is not 20/20. However, the eyeglasses I have been prescribed and wear help me perfect my vision to 20/20 which helps me to see more clearly. What if the year 20/20 is meant to provide us all with opportunities to see more clearly?…

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Janice’s Journal: Georgia Law Punishes Registrants, Breaks Up Families

Registrants and their families are suffering in the State of Georgia. The cause of their greatest concern is a state law that prohibits anyone convicted of a sex offense that took place after July 1, 2008, from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of a long list of locations including schools, churches and any place “where children congregate”. As a result of this law, there are thousands of families in Georgia that are already homeless or could become homeless at a moment’s notice. One of those families includes a…

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RIT study: More than half of child pornography probationers had sexual contact with kids

More than half of the men on federal probation in western New York for child pornography possession had instances of “sexual contact with children that were previously unknown to legal authorities,” according to a local study. Though completed early in 2018, the study conducted by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology, or RIT, is now beginning to make ripples in federal court. One federal prosecutor recently included the study in a court filing as evidence that a large percentage of individuals who are attracted to child pornography are a…

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GA: DCS honors two Rome officers for work on sex offender law

Two Floyd County Department of Community Supervision officers received commendations Tuesday for the efforts to clarify the importance of ongoing supervision of sex offenders across the state of Georgia. Brandon Henderson and Cody Franklin were honored in front of their peers for raising questions that led to an amendment of state law this year. SB 174 was passed in 2017, which called for anyone who was on supervision, including sex offenders, but did not have any restitution owed, to be placed on unsupervised status after two years. “A lot of…

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