Source: sltrib.com 1/23/24 A recent investigation from The Tribune and ProPublica showed the damaging effects a polygraph test had on one Utahn who reported that his therapist had touched him inappropriately during sessions. Utah could soon ban government officials from asking alleged sexual assault victims to undergo a polygraph test — joining a growing list of states that bar the practice. Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said she has introduced legislation banning polygraph tests in hopes that it will remove a barrier that could prevent someone from reporting they…
Read MoreTag: Utah
UT: Audit confirms hundreds of convicted sex offenders missing from Utah’s registr
Source: ksl.com 12/16/23 SALT LAKE CITY — An internal audit of Utah’s Sex Offender Registry confirmed what a recent KSL investigation uncovered: More than 100 convicted sex offenders were missing from the registry. For over a year, the KSL Investigators reviewed Utah’s registry, cross-referencing it with public records from Utah’s parole board, online court records, inmate databases, and information gathered by knocking on doors in several neighborhoods. While people with criminal convictions that require them to be on the registry do sometimes attempt to skirt the law, the KSL Investigators…
Read MoreUT: Newly created sex offense management board looking into issues with Utah’s registry
Source: ksltv.com 11/2/23 SALT LAKE CITY — What might have looked like any other public meeting at the Utah Capitol Wednesday was actually a new step forward for the state, according to Dr. Michele Leslie. “We’re one of the few states who have some kind of management board,” she said. “And it is a really big step for this state.” Wednesday’s meeting was the second public meeting of Utah’s newly created Sex Offense Management Board. The Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice hired Leslie, a doctor of psychology with…
Read MoreUT: More than 100 convicted sex offenders missing from the registry
Source: youtube.com / KSL 10/26/23 The Utah Department of Corrections is auditing the state’s sex offender registry and hiring additional staff after the KSL Investigators discovered more than 100 convicted sex offenders missing from the registry. Watch the video
Read MoreUT: Utah considers making phone numbers, email addresses searchable in sex offender registry
Source: msn.com 6/16/23 Changes could be happening to the Utah Sex Offender Registry. Lawmakers and the Utah Attorney General’s Office are planning to add more “searchable” details available to the public, but some victims’ advocates said crucial information will be left off, in certain cases. According to state law, people on the sex offender registry are required to provide information to law enforcement, like their names and aliases, their general description, a DNA sample and their work information. Currently, not all that information is searchable to the general public, like…
Read MoreUT: Convicted sex offender says change is possible, but more treatments needed
Source: ksl.com 5/30/23 SALT LAKE CITY — Isaac knows that he served time in the Utah State Prison for a reason. He understands the public expects there to be consequences for his actions. But what Isaac would like the public, including policymakers, to also recognize is that there are many inmates who want to turn their lives around. However, unless more resources and support are provided — particularly for mental health counseling — some inmates will fall right back into their old habits once they are released. “Ultimately, (prison) is…
Read MoreUT: Utah Governor signs bill H.B. 139 to allow some lifetime offenders to petition the courts for registry removal
Source: le.utah.gov 3/14/23 Utah Governor signed bill H.B. 139 to allow lifetime-offenders, convicted in another jurisdiction, the ability to Petition the Courts to be removed from the registry after living in the State for two consecutive years (at least 183 per years), with the intent of primarily residing in Utah, and meeting other conditions. This is available 20 years after release from confinement, or if no confinement from sentencing – as long as you have no class A mis., felony, or capital felony in the last 20 years. There is…
Read MoreUT: Utah Signs Law Limiting Social Media Use
Source: esguniversity.substack.com 3/26/23 On Thursday, Utah became the first state to enact legislation that restricts children and teens from using social media without their parents’ consent. Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed two bills into law aimed at limiting when and where anyone younger than 18 years old can interact online, and to stop companies from luring minors to certain websites. Under the law that’s due to take effect on March 1, 2024, social media companies will have to instate a curfew for minors in the state, barring them from using their…
Read MoreUT: New bill would place certain minors on the Utah sex offender registry
Source: kslnewsradio.com 1/4/23 SALT LAKE CITY — Utah doesn’t require minors to register or follow sex offender guidelines, but a proposed bill in the 2023 Utah Legislative Session might change that. Utah’s registry, the Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry, currently has around 7,000 registrants, something that H.B. 122 would surely change. KSL’s Legal Analyst Greg Skordas said that Utah’s registry has historically been exclusively for adults, but HB122 would allow for juveniles to be added to the list, depending on the crime. “Certain minors, who commit offenses that would be…
Read MoreUT: Utah woman says justice system failed to protect her from an accused serial predator
Source: ksltv.com 12/13/22 Vanessa Clark is in disbelief. “I can’t believe that he was able to do what he did,” she told the KSL Investigators. On Nov. 7, Clark reported to law enforcement that she was raped by Joshua Homer, 26, after he invited her over to his home in Vineyard. Clark said the two initially connected through an online dating app and were meeting up for the first time. “It’s something that lives with you every single day now,” she said. “It’s just kind of hard to go forward.”…
Read MoreUT: Audit: Staff shortage at Division of Adult Probation and Parole contributing to repeat offenses
Source: ksl.com 11/16/22 A legislative audit blames recent “serious crimes” committed by people on probation or parole on high turnover rates and inexperience on one of Utah’s parole boards. The Utah Department of Correction’s Division of Adult Probation and Parole lacks the staff to adequately supervise and screen sex offenders and offenders with mental illnesses, according to the Legislative Auditor General Office’s new audit. The office presented its findings to the Legislative Audit Subcommittee on Tuesday, along with two other audits addressing the Board of Pardons and Parole, and cooperation…
Read MoreUT: TRICK OR RETREAT: Why doesn’t Utah have sex offender laws for Halloween?
Source: abc4.com 10/27/22 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Several states across the country have different laws limiting what sex offenders can do around children on Halloween. This includes not being allowed to pass out candy, display decorations, dress up in a costume or answer the door to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. However, Utah does not have any of those laws. … ABC4 News asked multiple police agencies in Utah how often they see registered sex offenders creating problems on Halloween. Both the West Jordan Police Department and Unified Police…
Read MoreUT: Utah Court of Appeals reverses sex offender’s conviction, claiming state failed to prosecute case for 2 years
Source: fox13now.com 10/17/22 SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Court of Appeals has reversed a sex offender’s conviction after they say prosecutors failed to notify him they’d charged him or were prosecuting him. In to a 74-page document filed by the Utah Court of Appeals on Friday, Judge Ryan Harris said the appellant, Chad Hintze, wasn’t made aware of a charge against him for two years. The charge, according to the documents, stemmed from an incident in June of 2016 in which Hintze and a teenage girl were eating and…
Read MoreUT: Former prosecutor for AG’s Child Protection Unit arrested in child porn investigation
Source: ksl.com 8/25/22 SPANISH FORK — A man who used to work for the Child Protection Division of the Utah Attorney General’s Office has been arrested and accused of possessing child pornography. Gary ___, 66, of Spanish Fork, was arrested Wednesday by Utah County sheriff’s deputies for investigation of six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The investigation began Aug. 4 when investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of suspected child pornography being uploaded on a social media app. Police say the…
Read MoreUT: Senator will not pursue sex offender registry amendment removing the term “sex offender” and some presence restrictions
Source: kslnewsradio.com 1/6/22 SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that would have proposed changes to the Sex Offender Registry in Utah will not move forward in the 2022 legislative session after all. Sen. Michael Kennedy, R-Alpine, initially filed SB0052 late in 2021. It would have potentially allowed registered sex offenders to go to places like schools and parks, if they are with an adult. The bill would also have replaced the term “sex offender” with registrant. Read the full story
Read MoreUtah Action Alert: Support Senate Bill 52 to lessen restrictions on sex offenders
Source: ksl.com 12/30/21 SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that could come up in the 2022 legislative session would change restrictions for sex offenders. The bill is sponsored by Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine. The bill that could come up in next month’s legislative session would amend the state’s sex offender registry. Senate Bill 0052 would allow registered sex offenders to go to places like schools and parks, if they are with an adult. Also, if passed, the bill would replace the term “sex offender” with “registrant.” Read the…
Read MoreUT: Request from registered sex offender to change taxi driver ordinance raises bigger questions
Source: stgeorgeutah.com 8/8/21 A local resident’s request to the Cedar City Council for an exemption to one of its ordinances has raised the question of when – or if – a convicted sex offender who has since served their time and been crime-free should be allowed to have the same freedoms to pursue a living as other citizens. The issue first came up in May when Enoch resident Jamie Sherman spoke to the City Council during the public comment portion of the agenda. Sherman told the council that he and…
Read MoreUT: Lawmaker wants voters to decide on time limits for raising old claims of sex abuse
[deseret.com – 4/7/21] Since the Utah Supreme Court struck down a state law reviving old claims of sexual abuse, a state lawmaker says she will propose a ballot measure allowing voters to effectively bring it back. “I’m committed to that,” Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said Wednesday. “I will be doing that during the 2022 session.” Romero made the comment at a news conference recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, saying it can take years for people to accept what happened to them early in life, often at…
Read More