[ACSOL] The Governor of Colorado has issued an Executive Order that temporarily suspends the requirement to register in person during the pandemic. Specifically, the Order suspends the requirement that registrants provide a current photograph or a set of fingerprints to verify their identity during registration. As a result, registrants are allowed to register using alternate effective means determined by local law enforcement. The purpose of the Executive Order, issued on April 6, is to “mitigate the effects of the pandemic, prevent further spread, and protect against overwhelming our health care…
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CA: Los Angeles Superior Court Allows In-Person Registration to Continue
[ACSOL] A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department may continue to require in-person registration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling was made during a telephonic hearing in response to ACOL’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order. Although the judge noted that infection to COVID-19 is a “significant concern”, she interpreted state law requirements to obtain fingerprints and photos as to require that all registrants, including those at high risk due to age and/or medical condition, must register in person. She did not address…
Read MoreNY: NYC Bar Report to Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Call to Temporarily Suspend In-Person Reporting Requirements
[mitchellhamline.edu – 4/3/20] By NYC Bar Committee | April 3, 2020 Dear Governor Cuomo: The New York City Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Operations Committee and the Sex Offender Registration Act Working Group write this letter to urge the temporary suspension of in-person reporting requirements for people on the sex offender registry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. By continuing to require in-person reporting for the 8,050 New York City residents on the registry, all of whom have in-person reporting requirements at the same office in lower Manhattan, the health…
Read MorePennsylvania, Oregon Suspend In-Person Registration
[ACSOL] The States of Pennsylvania and Oregon have temporarily suspended in-person registration for all registrants in those state. Instead of in-person registration, Pennsylvania is allowing registrants to register by mail, if needed, and Oregon is allowing registrants to register by telephone. “Pennsylvania and Oregon are protecting the public, including registrants and their families, from further infection of COVID-19 by suspending in-person registration,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “These states are setting an example that should be followed by all 50 states in the nation.” In Pennsylvania, registrants are…
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 MoreCA: 60 Organizations Jointly Request Significant Parole and Probation Changes During Pandemic
[ACSOL] A group of 60 organizations, including ACSOL, are jointly requesting that parole and probation agencies in California modify existing supervision conditions, policies and practices to align with public health recommendations in order to protect the lives of more than 400,000 people under their supervision. Included in the request is the end of in-person registration. “ACSOL and its members need to share the list of requests with local county government officials, including county boards of supervisor, county probation departments and local sheriff’s departments,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This…
Read MoreNARSOL / ACSOL Phone Meeting March 29
NARSOL and ACSOL will once again join forces for a special Action News Alert phone meeting on the afternoon of Sunday, March 29, from 1 to 3 p.m. Pacific Time, 4 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time. A week ago, NARSOL issued a press release calling for all in-person verification checks of registrants to be suspended during the Coronavirus health crisis. On its blog, NARSOL is providing daily updates of where this is being done and where in-person visits are still required. During the phone meeting, ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: High Risk COVID-19 Registrants Required to Register in Person
As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the nation and the world, local law enforcement agencies continue to require all registrants – even those with multiple high-risk factors – to register in person. This requirement places in extreme danger “high risk” registrants as well as everyone who comes into contact with them. This requirement must be stopped immediately! According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), high risk factors include older than 65 and/or suffering from one or more chronic health problems including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension and cancer. …
Read MoreNM: Sex offenders say New Mexico depriving them of due process
[lcsun-news.com – 11/11/19] The question of whether sex offenders must register in New Mexico for crimes they committed in other states is making its way through the courts again. Eight plaintiffs, each listed as “John Doe,” have filed a petition in U.S. District Court in New Mexico, alleging the state Department of Public Safety and five county sheriffs failed to provide them due process in determining whether their out-of-state offense is “equivalent” to a New Mexico crime that would require them to register in this state. Albuquerque-based lawyers Susan Burgess-Farrell…
Read MoreFL: Oppose HB 987: Public Lodging Establishments
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 4/17/19] On April 10th, The Florida House of Representatives amended House Bill 987: Public Lodging Establishments, to require Persons required to register as sex offenders report to the Sheriff’s office where they will be staying, 48 hours before an intended stay at a Public Lodging Establishment, regardless of how long they will stay at the location! In addition, operators of a Public Lodging Establishment who have a Person required to register as a sex offender staying at or within 1000 feet of their establishment, must notify all…
Read MoreThe Concern for the Damage the Registry does to Young Offenders [opinion]
[sosen.org] Recently there has been major concern over youth being placed on the sex offender registry and a number of articles, not to mention some legislative attempts at change (such as Nebraska legislative bill 689), have been put forth to remove young people from the registry. The reason for this move is pointed out in articles such as ( http://jjie.org/2018/01/08/young-sex-offenders-shouldnt-have-to-register-its-ineffective-and-hurts-everyone-around-them/ ). The problem with articles such as these is they do not take into account the even more innocent victims of the sex offender registry, the children and families of…
Read MoreCT: Sentencing Commission Forwards Two Recommendations, Hit Pause On More Bail Changes
[ctnewsjunkie.com] HARTFORD, CT — A proposal that would allow some on the sex offender registry to petition to shorten their registration period or apply for removal from the registry was unanimously approved Thursday by the Sentencing Commission. The Sentencing Commission also approved recommending reducing misdemeanor sentencing from 365 days to 364 days. That one day would give immigration judges more discretion in deportation hearings. They decided to continue to study the issue of a constitutional amendment on pre-trial release and detention that would deny release to high-risk defendants and deny…
Read MoreThe Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and Depression in Adulthood [research paper]
[Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies] Abstract: Accounts of sexual abuse appear daily in the media. Rightfully, this issue demands attention. Juveniles may be victims; they may also be offenders who are subject to sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policies. Growing research finds that SORN policies fail to achieve intended public policy outcomes. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of SORN for juvenile offenders. This study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of these policies on this population. Merton’s concept of manifest and latent…
Read MoreMI: Animal abuse registry would be unfair, ineffective
We still have our doubts about Logan’s Law. It’s not a law yet, just a bill in the Michigan Legislature — again. First proposed in 2012, the law seeks to create an animal abuser registry to mirror the sex-offender registry that Michigan and many other states use to track those convicted of sexual assaults. The animal-abuse registry wouldn’t be a public list, although anyone with $10 could see it. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Sex offender workplace registry bill sparks debate
State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) has introduced a bill that would require convicted sex offenders to register with police in the locales where they work to plug a hole in the state’s registry system. The measure is viewed as a common-sense approach by Highland Park Police Chief Paul Shafer and others in law enforcement, and seen as overly punitive and burdensome by some advocates looking out for offenders’ rights. Full Article
Read MoreTX: For $1.4 million, Dallas sex offender registration doesn’t buy much
If the goal is more stigma and shame, the operation succeeds spectacularly. For starters, the entrance is hidden around back of Dallas police headquarters, behind a rusting door, next to a small sign: “Sex Offender Registration Entrance Only.” Inside, the atmosphere only gets worse. The dreary waiting room is almost always filled to capacity with people sitting glumly, waiting for hours to meet the strict reporting requirements of being a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read Morethe mystery of the missing sex offenders
A fear-mongering news report from Omaha’s KETV talks about sex offenders who go missing. According to Nebraska’s sex offender registry, there are more than 900 convicted offenders living in Douglas County alone. Chris White, a deputy U.S. marshal with the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force, said about 90 of those convicted offenders are hiding. “There are more people absconding every day. That number compiles [sic] unless we get after it,” White said. A multi-agency task force tracks down the missing sex offenders. “I assume that they’re reoffending, that they’re dropping off…
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