Source: thedakotascout.com 12/18/23 South Dakota’s top prosecutor will push lawmakers to regulate a livestock tranquilizer being abused by drug dealers, make it a felony to create child pornography using Artificial Intelligence, and to clear up a conflict in the state’s sex offender laws. Attorney General Marty Jackley Monday released his top five legislative priorities ahead of South Dakota’s 99th Legislative Session, while announcing he will seek legislative changes that address not only xylazine, AI-generated child porn and sex offender laws, but also membership requirements on the South Dakota Open Meetings…
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SD: Advocates looking to add ‘stealthing’ to sexual assault laws
Source: dakotanewsnow.com 11/27/23 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Community advocates and now state legislators are looking to tackle a growing issue nationwide and in South Dakota this upcoming session in Pierre. That’s the growing trend of sex stealthing. It can already be tough for victims of sexual assault to speak up about their experience, or even report it in the first place. That’s the situation that Georgilee Flynn found herself in. “This is something that is near and dear to me, because I was a victim of stealthing,“…
Read MoreSD: House Judiciary Pass Sex Offender Petition Registry Removal Bill
Source: mykxlg.com 2/27/23 Some sex offenders who committed their crimes out of state could petition to get off the South Dakota state sex offenders list under a bill passed Friday morning by the House Judiciary Committee. SB 176 would allow an individual taken off an out-of-state sex offender list to petition to be removed from the South Dakota sex offender registry. It would also allow a person who committed a crime in the other state that was not an offense that would land them on the South Dakota registry to petition…
Read MoreSD: This South Dakota man was removed from sex offender registry after 10 years: ‘You still have the chance’
Source: news.yahoo.com 5/1/22 Taylor Hughes was stuck in Mitchell because the roads to Plankinton were closed. A spring snowstorm had blown in and the convicted sex offender had no way to get back to his home. It was 2018, and Hughes had three years left before he could petition to be removed from the sex offender registry. His mom had suggested he stay at her apartment for a day or two. If it was longer than three days though, Hughes was risking his chance to start over, since sex offenders…
Read MoreSD: Transient man sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in South Dakota
Source: drgnews.com 10/19/21 A transient man convicted of failure to register as a sex offender has been sentenced by a federal court judge in South Dakota. 55 year old Daniel James Cooper must spend 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Read the full article
Read MoreSD: Fixing South Dakota’s offender registries
[rstreet.org] My name is Eli Lehrer and I’m here to testify on H.B. 1244. I am president of the R Street Institute, a conservative think tank headquartered in Washington. I also serve as adviser to the Criminal Justice Task Force of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). My comments on this bill represent only my personal views and are not necessarily those of ALEC or of R Street. I have worked in association with the justice system for almost two decades and have written widely on corrections and policing issues…
Read MoreSD: Sex offender, human trafficking punishment increase bills move forward
[UPDATED 2/23/18 with realted link] Bills to toughen the punishment for attempted human trafficking of minors and repeatedly failing to register as a sex offender continue to make their way through the legislature. Senate Bill 61 would increase the penalty for sex offenders who fail more than once to register after moving to a new address. Currently law penalizes second offenses the same as first offenses, a class 6 felony. Under the bill, a second offense and any subsequent offense would be a class 5 felony. Full Article Related: without…
Read MoreSD: Letter – Celebrating freedom in the ‘Land of the Free’
As we prepare to stand watching and enjoying “the freedom parade,” with our children and grandchildren, we must think about the many families who are not allowed that privilege as a family. This single group of American citizens have been “labeled” sex offenders and are banished from public events where children are present, even if it means their own children will have to attend “without them.” How do we explain to those children that “our freedom” excludes their loved ones from attending “family” functions because of a poor choice they…
Read MoreSD: A second chance for sex offenders
South Dakota’s sex offenders were given a new avenue to get off the state registry, but few have taken the path to clearing their name. According to legislation passed in July 2010, sex offenders are placed into three tiers dependent upon their offenses. If they follow their treatment programs and don’t re-offend, people in the first and second tier are eligible to get off the sex offender registry entirely. Full Article
Read MoreMy Voice: Sex registry ‘does more harm than good’ (Opinion)
As citizens, we must be aware of what is going on in our Legislature. Prison is “big business;” educate yourself as to what is really happening in our society before you demand to know where every sex offender lives. America (the land of the free) is number one for incarcerating more of its citizens than any other country. There are currently 2.2 million incarcerated citizens in the nations’ prisons and jails. There are 3,432 registered sex offenders in South Dakota. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreMy Voice: Treatment, not prison, answer for sex offenses
On behalf of our 4,000-plus members, the Dakota Reform Sex Offender Laws Family Solutions is asking South Dakota Senate candidates to make this issue a campaign priority. Our mission — promote medical research, legislation and education to provide an empirically based, rational approach to dealing with sexually related offenses and stop the cycle of abuse to protect all children. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreSD: City defines where sex offender can be
The Hankinson City Council is trying to create a safe zone for children after a high-risk sex offender took up residence a few miles outside town. Last week, the council passed the first reading of an ordinance that prohibits a registered sexual predator from living within 800 feet of a school, childcare facility, child care institution, park, playground or other places where children regularly congregate. The ordinance also states it would be an offense for a sex offender to knowingly loiter on a public way within 400 feet of a…
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