Articles to Stay Informed:

Why Sex Offender Laws Do More Harm Than Good, ACLU of NJ:
http://www.aclu-nj.org/issues/criminaljustice/whysexoffenderlawsdomoreha.htm

Pentagon Workers Tied to Child Porn, July 23, 2010:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/07/pentagon_workers_tied_to_child.html

Disabled Inmate Freed After Home is Found for Him (Virginia), July 23, 2010:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/22/priz22-ar-346380/

'Sex Offender Hunter' Arrested (FL), July 23, 2010:
http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/july/126575/Sex-offender-hunter-arrested

Senate Votes to Move Forward on $30B Loan Fund for Small Businesses, July 22, 2010:
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/banking-financial-institutions/110515-senate-votes-to-move-forward-on-30-billion-loan-fund

Ga. Eases Laws on Sex Offenders, July 19, 2010:
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?list=~%5Cnews%5Clists%5Clocal%20and%20state&id=484696

Ga. Softens Once Lauded Strict Sex Offender Law, July 19, 2010:
http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12830185

D.C. Circuit Vacates Sex Offender's Computer Restrictions, July 19, 2010:
http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202463689600&DC_Circuit_Vacates_Sex_Offenders_Computer_Restrictions

Fine, But What About All the Other Predators Out There? (IL) July 19, 2010:
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/07/predators.html

NY Senate Eases Sexting Law, July 19, 2010:
http://www.wbng.com/news/state/NY-Senate-Eases-Sexting-Law-98761484.html

APA Study Challenges Stereotypes of Adolescent Sex Offenders, July 19, 2010:
http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Research_270/APA_Study_Challenges_Stereotypes_of_Adolescent_Sex_Offenders.shtml

Manual for Private Juvenile Prison Guards: ‘Drive Fingers Into Young Person’s Groin’, July 19, 2010:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/07/19/manual-for-private-juvenile-prison-guards-drive-fingers-into-young-persons-groin/#

Oklahoma City Man Files Suit Over False Background Check Information, July 18, 2010:
http://newsok.com/city-man-sues-companies-over-background-check/article/3477214

McDonnell Restores Rights to 506 Eligible Felons (Virginia), July 17, 2010:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/17/fels17-ar-317118/

D.C. Circuit Vacates Sex Offender's Computer Restrictions, July 16, 2010:
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/07/dc-circuit-vacates-sex-offenders-computer-restrictions.html

Gov. Paterson Signs Law Forcing NYPD to Delete Stop and Frisk Database (NY), July 16, 2010:
Gov. Paterson Friday signed into law the controversial stop and frisk legislation that forces the NYPD to delete the names of people questioned - but not arrested - from its electronic database.
More than 2.5 million such encounters have been logged into the database since 2004, with police calling it a vital tool in fighting crime.
But critics have long contended it's an assault on a generation of minorities.
"Not every police procedure contributes to the lowering of crime," Paterson said. "This procedure is a prime example of that."
The NYPD lobbied furiously for Paterson to veto the bill.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met twice with Paterson, pushing the
governor to spike the legislation.
He even tried to broker a compromise, suggesting the names be kept for a year before being purged.
But Paterson said such a database is un-American.
Kelly tried to sway Paterson by presenting a list of 178 crimes -- including 17 murders -- in which arrests were made with the use of the database.
Paterson, however, said "not one of them substantiates" the need for the database.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/07/16/2010-07-16_gov_paterson_signs_law_forcing_nypd_to_delete_stop_and_frisk_database.html

Paterson Signs Bill Limiting Stop-and-Frisk Data (NY) July 16, 2010:
Police officials in New York City can no longer electronically store the names and addresses of people stopped in the street to be questioned but found to have done nothing wrong, under a bill Gov. David A. Paterson signed into law on Friday.
Mr. Paterson said, “my conscience will not let me veto this bill.”
“There is a principle – which is compatible with the presumption of innocence, and is deeply ingrained in our sense of justice – that individuals wrongly accused of a crime should suffer neither stigma nor adverse consequences by virtue of an arrest or criminal accusation not resulting in conviction,” Mr. Paterson said.
Mr. Paterson was joined by the sponsors of the bill – Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Eric L. Adams – who voiced their support for the governor’s decision and said the issue boiled down to finding a balance between law and order and civil liberties.
“This is a tremendous victory for all fair-minded New Yorkers,” Assemblyman Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, said.
He said he believed that “reasonable efforts” to attain public safety must be “tempered by the privacy rights of law abiding people.”
Mr. Adams, a Brooklyn Democrat who had served 22 years on the Police Department before being elected to the Senate, said, “We do not allow the police in our country to hold the personal information of innocent people regardless of their ethnicity. This is wrong.”
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/16/paterson-signs-bill-limiting-street-stop-data/

House Passes Hate Legislation...Must be Stopped in Senate, July 16, 2010:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/House-passes-hate-legislat-by-Paul-Kruger-100715-216.html

Residents Honored for Helping Change State Law (Virginia), July 15, 2010:
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/residents_honored_for_helping_change_state_law/58247/

Interesting Research on Sex Offender Registration and Home Sales, July 15, 2010:
Our results indicate that the presence of a nearby registered sex offender reduces home values by approximately 9%.  Moreover, these same homes take as much as 10% longer to sell than homes not located near registered sex offenders. 
http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2010/07/interesting-research-on-sex-offender-registration-and-home-sales.html

Woman Setting Up Cams to Watch Sex Offenders, July 15, 2010:
http://www.wftv.com/countybycounty/24269462/detail.html

Neighborhood Cameras: Snooping or Safety? (FL) July 14, 2010:
http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/july/121815/Video-cams:-Snooping-or-safety

Report: State Department Unaware of Ability to Limit Passports to Sex Offenders, July 15, 2010:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/15/thousands-sex-offenders-issued-passports-travel-abroad/

Circle of Support Helps Sex Offenders Find Right Path, July 15, 2010:
http://www.kingstonthisweek.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2670117
(A great idea from Canada’s Salvation Army Correctional and Justice Services Freedom Ministries)

In Depth: Amanda’s Law Goes Into Effect (TN/KY), July 15, 2010:
http://www.wfpl.org/2010/07/15/in-depth-amandas-law-goes-into-effect/

Critics Blast Governor's State Board Vacancies (CA), July 14, 2010:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/14/critics-blast-governors-state-board-vacancies/

Keeping the State Fair Sex Offender Free (CA), July 14, 2010:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Keeping-the-State-Fair-Sex-Offender-Free-98434739.html

Thousands of Sex Offenders Receive U.S. Passports, July 13, 2010:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/13/sex.offenders.passports/index.html?hpt=C2

Schools to Examine Sexting (Virginia), July 13, 2010:
Proposed change to family life course goes before board
http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2010/07/schools-to-examine-sexting.php

No Extension of Unemployment Benefits in Sight for the Long-Term Jobless, July 13, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205144.html?hpid=topnews

2010 Unemployment Extension Best Case Scenario -- Bill Could Be Signed by Week's End, July 12, 2010:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5577406/2010_unemployment_extension_best_case.html

Sexually Violent Predator Program Strapped for Cash, July 12, 2010:
http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-civil-commitment-running-out-of-money100712,0,5401821.story

Unemployment Benefits and Sex Offender Laws, July 12, 2010:
http://michiganmessenger.com/39511/unemployment-benefits-and-sex-offender-laws

Judges, State Duel Over Sex Registry, July 12, 2010:
Court rulings cloud who’s being tracked
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100712/LOCAL03/307129994

State Struggles to Place Aging Inmates After Release (Virginia), July 12, 2010:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/12/priz12-ar-288262/

Sex Offender Registry Questioned (NE), July 11, 2010:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100711/NEWS01/707119915

Club’s Opening Forces State to Move Sex Offenders (IN), July 11, 2010:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100711/LOCAL/307119867/1002/LOCAL

States Resisting Adam Walsh Act: California, 46 Others Argue Law is Flawed, July 9, 2010:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/09/states-resisting-adam-walsh-act/

Chelsea's Law Threatens To Force San Francisco Sex Offenders Into Homelessness For Life, July 9, 2010:
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/07/chelseas_law_threatens_to_forc.php

Va. Sexual Predator Program Faces $26M Shortfall, July 9, 2010:
http://wjz.com/wireapnewsva/Va.s.civil.2.1795603.html

US Legal System Should Differentiate Between Types of Sex Offenders, July 9, 2010:
Marc Klaas is the founder of the KlaasKids Foundation. His daughter, Polly, was kidnapped from her own slumber party, raped and later murdered by a repeat sexual predator when she was 12 years old. Since Polly's death, Klaas has devoted his life to protecting children.
In Miami, sex offender laws have become increasingly harsh, making it nearly impossible for them to even live in the city. Klaas said he fully understands the laws and where they come from. He can relate to the fear many feel. However, Klaas said distinctions need to be made between the types of offenders and laws need to address them differently.
“I don’t believe that all sex offenders should be considered in the same boat. The “Romeo and Juliet” scenarios are very different from the John Couey type of scenarios and I think that society has to understand that,” said Klaas.
Klaas argued that the legal system needs to ensure the worst of the predators are put in prison and those who are lesser offenders should enter programs where they can be observed and tracked.
He also said that the system needs to “weed out” those who are 19 year old men who have sex with their 16 year old girlfriends and those who get caught simply urinating in public.
There should be different levels at which sex offenders are evaluated, however hysteria has prevented that from happening, said Klaas. Media and political conversations and coverage of sexual offenders fail to differentiate between different cases and types of offenders, causing the public to lump them into a single category.
http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-07-09/us-legal-sex-offenders.html
(Yes!)

Sex Offender Violated Probation at 'Toy Story', July 9, 2010:
http://www.freep.com/article/20100709/NEWS05/7090356/Sex-offender-violated-probation-at-Toy-Story-

Top of Utah Cities Charging $25 Sex Offender Fees, July 8, 2010:
http://www.standard.net/topics/sex-abuse/2010/07/08/top-utah-cities-charging-25-sex-offender-fees

State Lawmakers Set to Vote on Neumann's DNA Collection Bill (NC), July 6, 2010:
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina has opposed the bill. Its lobbyists argue that demanding DNA from those simply accused of a crime undermines the presumption of innocence and is also an unconstitutional search.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/bill-48788-neumann-dna.html

Parents Push to Ban Sex Offenders From Parks (AL), July 5, 2010:
http://www.whnt.com/news/shoals/whnt-parents-push-to-ban-sex-offenders-from-parks,0,3704919.story

Romeo, Romeo, A Sex Offender? Or Merely Young? July 5, 2010:
http://normpattis.blogspot.com/2010/07/romeo-romeo-sex-offender-or-merely.html
(A Must Read!)

Sex Offenders Have Fewer Places in TN to Start Over Because of Law, July 5, 2010:
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=126104&catid=2

`No-Fly' List Often Snares Wrong Persons, July 4, 2010:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/04/1715114/no-fly-list-often-snares-wrong.html
(This has nothing to do with Sex Offenders but it has to do with freedom of movement which we all understand with the pending International Megan's Law and OAG SORNA Supplement.)

Churches Grapple with Whether to Welcome Convicted Sex Offenders, July 3, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070205128.html

Sex Offenders Banned from Parks (AL), June 3, 2010:
http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/x1703948294/Sex-offenders-banned-from-parks

Dad in trouble for 'Toy Story 3' (MI), July 3, 2010:
Cheryl Carpenter, a Redford Township lawyer who specializes in issues related to the sex offender registry, disagreed that seeing "Toy Story 3" was a probation violation.
She said it is "deeply troubling" when courts add probation requirements that go beyond the state mandate prohibiting registered sex offenders from working, living or hanging around within 1,000 feet of a school.
"When they add a probation requirement, it has to be rationally related to rehabilitation," Carpenter said. "In this case, it's a father taking his children somewhere for entertainment, for children's entertainment."
http://www.freep.com/article/20100703/NEWS05/7030371/Dad-in-trouble-for-Toy-Story-3-
(A father takes his family to see a movie and now his probation officer says he was in violation of the rules to stay away from where children gather. But yet the probation rules never stated movie theaters and registered offenders aren’t prohibited from movie theaters in Michigan. Talk about a set-up to by the state to fail)

Wrongly Accused Teen's Treatment Should Alarm All Parents (FL), July 3, 2010:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-07-03/news/os-mike-thomas-column-edwin-mcfarlane20100702_1_student-records-court-hearing-court-order

7th Circuit Rules Against Traveling Sex Offenders, July 2, 2010:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/07/02/28588.htm

Police Reopen Minnesota Abduction Cold Case (Jacob Wetterling), July 2, 2010:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-02-jacob-wetterling_N.htm

Iowa Supreme Court Throws Out Sexual Predator Convictions Against Two Men, July 2, 2010:
http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/07/02/iowa-supreme-court-throws-out-sexual-predator-convictions-against-two-men/

The Conversation: The Sex Offender Registry, July 2, 2010:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/02/sex-offender-registry-megans-law-forbes-woman-time-children.html?boxes=Homepagechannels

Sexually Violent Predator Program Needs More Funds (Virginia), July 1, 2010:
http://virginia.statehousenewsonline.com/290/sexually-violent-predator-program-needs-more-funds/

Sex Offender Restrictions Spur Debate (ME), July 1, 2010:
Bangor residents propose 750-foot housing boundary
Denise Lord, associate commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, said there are no data that suggest enforcing residency restrictions on sex offenders is successful.
“The research is clear that restrictions don’t improve public safety,” she said. “In fact, areas that have imposed restrictions have had negative impacts … like pushing offenders underground.”
“Despite what people think, recidivism rates [for sex offenders] are low and when they do reoffend, the victim is known to the perpetrator,” she said. “So if the public wants to take precautions, family members can and should do that. But it’s much easier to manage when you know where offenders are, rather than forcing them underground, which is what happens when restrictions are imposed.”
Marble agreed and pointed to the very public case in Florida recently where dozens of sex offenders were forced to live under a bridge because they had nowhere else to go.
“The cycle we’re in right now is one of fear and anger, and we’re looking for people to blame,” he said. “They are an easy target.”
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/147711.html

How The Recession Hurts Private Prisons, June 30, 2010:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/30/how-the-recession-hurts-private-prisons.html

Pa. House Passes Teen Sexting Bill, June 30, 2010:
A local lawmaker's bill designed to keep teens caught sexting from ending up on the state's sex offender registry has been approved by the state House of Representatives.
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/local/ci_15409666

Some Offenders To Be Removed From Registry (SD), June 30, 2010:
Starting July 1, nearly 40 sex offenders currently on South Dakota's sex offender registry will be taken off the list, and hundreds more could be removed in the next decade. It's because of what's called a tiered registry; created during this year's legislative session. 
On July 1, South Dakota's Attorney General will automatically take 37 sex offenders off the registry. Those cases are misdemeanor indecent exposures, which the legislature has decided are not offenses that require registration any more. The new law also allows certain statutory rape cases to eventually be taken off the list as well.
The registry is meant to give South Dakotans a glimpse at some of the most dangerous criminals living in their neighborhoods. The attorney general says removing some of those offenders will actually make the registry stronger. 
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6371.cfm?Id=101907

'Ferris Bueller' Actor Omits Sex Offender Update, June 30, 2010:
http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment/Jeffrey.Jones.offender.2.1781911.html
(The actor who was the principal in Ferris Bueller's day off, as well as in the Crucible, Sleepy Hollow and Beetlejuice, just to name a few is a registered sex offender and he has failed to register for the second time).

Chelsea's Law Amended in State Senate (CA), June 29, 2010:
Major changes were announced Tuesday for Chelsea's Law as it passed another key vote in Sacramento. The bill's author now says the cost of putting more sex offenders in prison will be paid for by reducing sentences for other criminals.
http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=12731366

Law Enforcement: Inexcusable (Virginia), June 29, 2010:
In theory, asset-forfeiture seizures make excellent sense. They deprive criminal syndicates of the tools of their trade, and they provide much-needed funds for law-enforcement agencies. In reality, they're a hot mess. As Scott Bullock of the Institute for Justice wrote in these pages a couple of months ago, "Virginia ranks as one of the very worst states for civil forfeiture abuse." His group's report, Policing for Profit, gave our state a D-minus.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jun/29/ED-SEIZ29-ar-236503/

Teacher Sues State Over Sex Law (Virginia) June 29, 2010:
A teacher convicted of having consensual sex with a "mature" student in 1993 says Virginia unfairly reclassified her as a "sexually violent" offender, requiring her to register as such for the rest of her life.
 "Because of her 2008 reclassification, approximately 15 years after her offense, Jane Doe now has a continuing duty to register for life," according to the complaint.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/30/28492.htm

New Law Strengthens Sex-Offender Registration (WA), June 27, 2010:
The legislation, SSB 6414, requires any Washington resident who has been required to register as a sex offender in another state to also register in Washington, even if the out-of-state offense would not have been a crime in Washington.
http://tdn.com/news/local/article_0e2c01b6-8282-11df-9a8f-001cc4c002e0.html

Sex Offenders, Lawyers and the Burden of a Voice, June 26, 2010:
http://defendingsexcrimes.blogspot.com/2010/06/sex-offenders-lawyers-and-burden-of.html
(National RSOL Conference)

Lack of ID Card Sends Sex Offender Back to Jail, June 26, 2010:
http://enewscourier.com/local/x383284172/Lack-of-ID-card-sends-sex-offender-back-to-jail

Status Change Means Officials Must Keep Close Watch of Sex Offenders (OH), June 25, 2010:
The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled unconstitutional a two-year-old state law that reclassified thousands of people convicted of sex crimes before Jan. 1, 2008, as the worst kinds of sexual predators.
It's a positive for those serving their time with the title of "sex offender," many of whom find it difficult to obtain employment, Sheriff's Deputy John Baumgardt said.
Baumgardt, who oversees the sex offender registration at the Sheriff's Office, said he knows of two offenders who are registered as homeless because they can't find work.
"I think most of the people that I deal with made a mistake, and it's time to let them get on with their lives," Baumgardt said. "By putting them back to where they were at, this gives them a chance.
"It's going to make it easier for some of them to get jobs and get back on their feet. Some of these people have just had atrocious times trying to get jobs."
The change also will lighten the workload at the Sheriff's Office, as many offenders who might have been required to register four times a year now must register only once a year, Baumgardt said.
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20100625/NEWS01/6250301/1002/Status-change-means-officials-must-keep-close-watch-of-sex-offenders

Shred Your Sex Offender Map, June 25, 2010:
If anything, the sex offender registry is making our kids LESS safe.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/24/sex-offender-registry-child-abuse-opinions-columnists-lenore-skenazy.html

Visual Barrier Mandated for Sex Offender, June 25, 2010:
Man on house arrest to have barrier put up to block view of nearby yard.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Visual-barrier-mandated-for-sex-offender-.html

UD Study Says State (DE) Wastes Millions of Dollars on Treating Low-Risk Juvenile Sex Offenders, June 25, 2010:
University of Delaware professor Chrysanthi S. Leon, J.D., Ph.D., will speak about the overuse of sex offender registration and residency laws in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 26 in the opening session of the conference of the national group, Reform Sex Offender Laws.
http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2010/06/25/news/doc4c254dfcb23a3729767149.txt

Springfield Barber College Open to All -- Including Ex-Offenders, June 25, 2010:
Illinois doesn’t bar ex-offenders, other than sex offenders, from obtaining barber licenses.
http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1237304902/Springfield-barber-college-open-to-all-including-ex-offenders

A Call For Reform of Sex Offender Legislation, June 24, 2010:
http://defendingsexcrimes.blogspot.com/2010/06/call-for-reform-of-sex-offender.html

Sex Offenders Near Schools in Lorain Told to Move with Short Notice (OH), June 24, 2010:
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/sex-offenders-near-schools-in-lorain-told-to-move-with-short-notice

Teen Drops Suit Against School Officials in ‘Sexting’ Case (Virginia) June 24, 2010:
http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/student_drops_lawsuit_in_bedford_county_sexting_case/28098/

Sex Offenders Forced to Move: 150 Notices Sent Out Stating They Live Too Close to Schools, Parks (OH), June 24, 2010:
http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2010/06/24/news/mj2934750.txt

State Senate Votes to Shield Teen 'Sexting' from Harsh Criminal Penalties (NY), June 23, 2010:
"The sex offender laws were intended to go after people we consider sexual predators, not some kids caught in a youthful indiscretion," Zebrowski said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/06/23/2010-06-23_be_gentle_to_teen_sexters_pols.html

Sex Offenders Told to Register or Else (IN), June 21, 2010:
"In the state of Indiana, it's a felony for them not to possess a valid ID card with the correct address," said Sgt. Dalstrom.
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/sex-offenders-told-to-register-or-else

More Than 400 Convicted Sex Offenders Now Off State Registry (ME), June 21, 2010:  
Last December, the court ruled that some changes made to the sex offender registry had gone a little too far. "There are very few offenses where you would escape the registration requirement," says Attorney General Janet Mills, "the only constitutional question that has arisen, the only legitimate one, was the ex post facto one, where they tried retroactively applying the law."
Some convicted sex offenders who had already been sentenced were told their sentence had changed. Instead of being required to register as a sex offender in their communities for 10 or 15 years, they had to register for life. The Maine Civil Liberties Union was part of the group that challenged the new laws being applied retroactively. "You can't create new punishments for activities that have already happened," says Zachary Heiden, a legal director for the MCLU, "the cumulative affect of the legislature's actions were punishment for people for offenses they had already committed, and the constitution says you can't do that."
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court agreed and lawmakers in Augusta came up with a solution:
http://www.wabi.tv/news/12508/more-than-400-convicted-sex-offenders-now-off-state-registry

Rape, Psychiatry, and Constitutional Rights—Hard Cases Make For Very Bad Law, June 21, 2010:
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/blog/couchincrisis/content/article/10168/1595945

Ohio Court Rules on Sex Offender Classification, June 21, 2010:
http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=81762

JP State Rep Candidate Fires Convicted Sex Offender on Staff (MA), June 21, 2010:http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1262937&srvc=next_article

Minnesota Sex Offenders Inch Closer to Freedom, June 21, 2010:
http://www.twincities.com/ci_15342386?nclick_check=1

Sexual Predator Treatment Squeezes Budgets, June 21, 2010:
'They had no idea 10 years ago ... what this program was going to cost'
Now these "civil commitment" programs are costing states hundreds of millions of dollars more than anyone envisioned, and they've created a political quandary for lawmakers who need to cut spending but don't want to be seen as soft on rapists and child molesters.
"I've heard people in a lot of the states quietly say, 'Oh, my God, I wish we'd never gotten this law,'" said W. Lawrence Fitch, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Law. "No one would ever dare offer repeal because it's just untenable."
The heavy financial burden of treating confined sex offenders has left lawmakers with less money as they make agonizing cuts to areas like education and health care. Politicians who spent years cracking down on sex crimes now struggle to pay for their tougher laws.
"It's easy to say, 'Lock everybody up and throw away the key,'" said state Rep. Michael Paymar, a St. Paul Democrat who heads a public safety budget panel. "But it's just not practical."
In most states, the number of confined sex offenders has steadily increased, requiring ever-greater spending.
Iowa spends nearly $7 million to confine 80 offenders, almost double 2005's $3.6 million budget for 48 patients. Virginia's program has swelled from 45 patients five years ago to more than 200 this year, with annual costs climbing from $10 million to almost $16 million.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37819608/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Standoff Over Sex Offenders, June 20, 2010:
http://thecrimereport.org/2010/06/20/standoff-over-sex-offenders/

Schumer: Close Loopholes in Sex Offender Law, June 20, 2010:
State laws nationwide prohibit sex offenders from working as school teachers and coaches, but most laws don't cover karate instructors, youth coaches, carnival workers, clowns, magicians, or dance instructors in the private sector when public funds aren't involved.
Sen. Charles Schumer of New York wants to change those circumstances, and is proposing a national measure that would apply to sex offenders in these and other jobs even when their employers don't get public funds. The measure would cover people who are paid or volunteer to do the work.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=943076

Greater Restrictions on Sex Offenders Proposed by NY Sen. Schumer, June 20, 2010:  http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/37723/

NH Sex Offender Claims Religious Rights Denied, June 19, 2010:
A New Hampshire sex offender is asking the state's highest court to allow him to go to church with a chaperone.
The case of 35-year-old Jonathan Perfetto of Manchester marks the first time the New Hampshire Supreme Court is being asked to rule on whether a probation condition that effectively bars church attendance violates a person's constitutional rights to religious freedom.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jVfmefXqjo3Kj0SrIx3w_8N5jTkwD9GEETOG3

Chesapeake Sex Therapist gets 22 years for Child Pornography (Virginia), June 19, 2010:
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/06/sex-addict-therapist-sentenced-friday-norfolk?cid=ltst

Justin M. Bloxom Act Clears La. House, June 18, 2010:
If it clears the last hurdle, the law will prohibit registered sex offenders from driving taxi cabs, limousines and buses. It also would make service-type jobs, where entry would be required into homes, and the operation of carnival or amusement rides off-limits.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100618/NEWS01/6180313/1060

NYC Going After Teen 'Sexting' -- In The Home, June 18, 2010:
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/sexting.nyc.sexting.2.1760507.html

Lawmaker Works to Close Sex Offender Loophole (NC), June 18, 2010:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/abc11_investigates&id=7506807

Calif. Bill Seeks More Limits on Sex Offenders, June 17, 2010:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15318983?nclick_check=1

Report: SoCal Sex Offender GPS Alerts Backlogged, June 16, 2010:
Monitors worn by convicted sex offenders in Southern California have sent out more than 31,000 alerts this spring, backlogging authorities who are struggling to review them for potential violations, according to a published report Wednesday.
Records obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune show that some of the unresolved alerts date back to March.
The alerts from GPS trackers included low batteries, lost signals and potentially more serious problems such as offenders entering or leaving restricted areas or cutting the straps on their ankle bracelets, the newspaper reported.
The state spends about $60 million a year to track about 7,000 convicted sex offenders via GPS.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15308902

Amber's Law Rejected by Senate Committee (CA), June 16, 2010:
http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Ambers-Law-Rejected-by-Senate-Committee/fb4x8ktmaUGnPOU6MKP-4Q.cspx

Miley Cyrus Upskirt Shot: Child Porn? June 15, 2010:
Blogger Perez Hilton posts a link to an alleged upskirt photo of the 17-year-old -- and could face serious charges
http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/06/15/miley_cyrus_upskirt/

Hi...I'm Your Sex Offender Neighbor, June 15, 2010:
Can I Borrow a Cup of Compassion?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/201006/hiim-your-sex-offender-neighbor

Court: No Civil Commitment For Army Sex Offender, June 14, 2010:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ― A federal appeals panel says sex offenders convicted in military court but housed by the Bureau of Prisons are not eligible for civil commitment.
http://wjz.com/wireapnewsva/Appeals.court.Military.2.1751027.html

Roll Call: Sex Offenders Flagged for FHA Mortgages, June 13, 2010
The House passed an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas, to the FHA Reform Act (H.R. 5072) that will require individuals applying for a mortgage from the Federal Housing Administration to certify that they have not been convicted of a sex offense against a minor. Proponents said taxpayers should not be fiscally responsible to cover loans made to convicted child sex offenders and that the amendment would extend the same type of restrictions already in place for Section 8 housing, which bans sex offenders from obtaining housing or subsidies under the program. The vote Thursday was 420 yeas to 4 nays.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20100613_16_A15_WASHIN195002&rss_lnk=1
(See Bulletin Board Posting #235)

Restrictive Sex Offender Registration Rules Force Some Underground, June 13, 2010:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/06/sex_offenders_flout_increasing.html

Do Sex Offender Registration Laws Actually Make us Safer?  June 13, 2010:
"We think that these type of laws are well intended, but they are misguided and very limiting," Cleveland Rape Crisis Center President and CEO Megan O'Bryan said.
O'Bryan said laws create a false sense of security for the public and concentrate a vast amount of resources and attention toward a small number of offenders -- the very few who are caught and prosecuted.
The concept also capitalizes on the fear of stranger attacks, when family members, friends or acquaintances commit most sex crimes.
"Just like the public needs to be educated about these issues, so do the lawmakers," O'Bryan said.
Lawmakers need to support prevention, education and treatment for both victims and perpetrators of sexual assault, she said.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/06/do_sex_offender_registration_l.html

Sex Offenders Want Restrictions Lifted (OH) June 13, 2010:
Sheriffs not reacting yet to court’s ruling
http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/06/13/copy/sex-offenders-want-restrictions-lifted.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

New Law Makes Life Easier for Some Sex Offenders (GA), June 12, 2010:
http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/7909384/article-New-law-makes-life-easier-for-some-sex-offenders?instance=home_news

Schools: No Say on Offender Neighbors (KS) June 11, 2010:
http://cjonline.com/news/education/2010-06-11/schools_no_say_on_offender_neighbors

Iowa Supreme Court Rules in Sex Offender Treatment Case, June 11, 2010:
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/06/11/iowa-supreme-court-rules-in-sex-offender-treatment-case/

Murrieta Children Threatened in 'Manifesto' by Man Claiming to be Sex Offender, June 10, 2010:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_sletter11.238d09f.html

ACLU Calls Proposed Child Safety Zones 'Unlawful' (CT), June 10, 2010:
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/greenwich-post/news/local/61076-aclu-calls-proposed-child-safety-zones-unlawful.html

Panel Discusses Sex-Offender Registry (TX), June 10, 2010:
Adam Walsh compliance also taken up by senators.
"We recommend that we not implement the Adam Walsh Act in the State of Texas," said Liles Arnold, chairman of the Texas Council on Sex Offender Treatment . "Basically, the research on registration notification, to date, suggests that it's really not accomplishing what we want it to accomplish,. Which is, fundamentally increasing community safety by reducing sex offender recidivism, making the public aware of where dangerous individuals were, and be better able to protect themselves and protect their children."
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/panel-discusses-sex-offender-registry

Update: Prosecutor: RI Sex-Offender Registry Bill on Hold, June 10, 2010:
http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/06/a-bill-that-would-have.html

Conn. Judge Accused of 'Empathy' Toward Sex Offenders Gets Senate Panel OK, June 10, 2010:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/panel-approves-judicial-nominee-despite-concern-conduct-serial-killer-case/?test=latestnews

Should Homeless Sex Offenders Be Allowed To Stay In Shelters Near Schools? June 10, 2010:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1661656/Michigan.News/Should.Homeless.
Sex.Offenders.Be.Allowed.To.Stay.In.Shelters.Near.Schools

Richmond Schools Could Lift Cell Phone Ban (Virginia) June 9, 2010:
Richmond school leaders consider letting students bring cell phones on campus and creating tough rules on sexting.
http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-richmond-school-cell-phone-ban-proposal,0,3265798.story

‘Sexting’ Legislation Clears Senate (LA), June 9, 2010:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/95928019.html

Lawsuit Divides Mobile Home Park, June 9, 2010:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/lawsuit-divides-mobile-home-park/1100910

Another ‘Sexting’ Investigation Under Way (Virginia), June 8, 2010:
http://www.swvatoday.com/news/article/another_sexting_investigation_under_way/7643/

Big Changes to Georgia Sex Offender Law, June 8, 2010:
It is essentially a rewrite of Georgia’s sex offender law which many critics have called unconstitutional.
Now registered sex offenders convicted before June 4th, 2003 are no longer restricted from living and working near places where children congregate like schools, day cares and parks.
The law also lets sex offenders who have done their time petition a superior court to have them removed from the sex offender’s registry.
The law helps people like Wendy Whitaker. The Augusta woman was forced to move out of her home because of consensual sex with a 15-year-old when she was 17.
The act, now considered a misdemeanor, landed her on the sex offender registry.
Whittaker is currently the lead plaintiff in a class action law suit against the state filed by the Southern Center for Human Rights.
http://www.gpb.org/news/2010/06/08/big-changes-to-georgia-sex-offender-law

High Court Asks if Sex Offender Case Is Moot, June 7, 2010:
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Montana Supreme Court for guidance on whether a juvenile can challenge national requirements to register as a sex offender. The state court's answers will help the justices decide if the case is moot.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/07/27869.htm

California Civil Commitment for Sexual Offenders: Is it working and who benefits? June 6, 2010: 
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/06/18650020.php

Sex-Offender Crackdown Faces Hurdles in California, June 6, 2010:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/6/sex-offender-crackdown-faces-hurdles-in-california/

Still Soldiering On, June 6, 2010:
Military sexual assault victims push Department of Defense and VA to make changes.
He knows that his status as a Megan’s Law offender may give some people pause. But he does not believe it should impact his credibility in terms of advocating for MST victims.
“If anything this gives me a very unique position in telling the story about how a sexual assault on me as a child and the aggravation of the rapes in the military essentially caused me to continue the perpetuation of the cycle,” he said. “This is my way of trying to remedy and correct my misdeeds and prevent other victims from the silent suffering.”
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Still_soldiering_on_06-06-2010.html

Coming to a Halfway House Near You, June 6, 2010:
http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=602:coming-to-a-halfway-house-near-
you&catid=37:neighborhood-correspondents-belle-meade&Itemid=153

"Sexting" Leads to Child Porn Charges for Teens, June 5, 2010:
Distribution of Nude Photos among Teenagers via Cell Phone Catches Attention of Prosecutors, Principals in Pennsylvania
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/05/eveningnews/main6552438.shtml?tag=contentBody;featuredPost-PE

New Sex Offender Laws In Georgia, June 4, 2010:
A sex offender who was convicted or committed a crime before June 4, 2003, will not have any restrictions on where they live,work, or volunteer.
Sex offenders can live within 1,000 feet of a school or a place where children gather if they own the property. They are also no longer prohibited from taking part in some church activities or Bible studies.
Another big change, homeless sex offenders are no longer at risk of going to prison for failing to have a fixed address.
Judges will now have the discrection to exempt some registered sex offenders from restrictrions on where they are allowed to work.
One of the biggest changes, judges are allowed to remove convicted sex offenders from the state registry after they’ve completed their sentence.
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/95656144.html

Ohio to Begin Sex Offender Reclassifications, June 4, 2010:
The Ohio Attorney General must reclassify 26,000 sex offenders following a court decision finding parts of an Ohio law unconstitutional.
Attorney General Richard Cordray said his office will reclassify the offenders through the state sex offender database and notify the defendants of their new status.
Cordray called Thursday's ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court a narrow decision that doesn't affect the intent of the law to toughen registration rules for sex offenders.
The court said Ohio lawmakers violated the constitution by forcing state officials to change convicts' classifications.
The ruling means that sex offenders convicted before the law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, would revert back to former classifications.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-to-begin-sex-offender-reclassifications-746020.html

Reaction Mixed as Some of Walsh Law Ruled Unconstitutional (OH), June 4, 2010:
"I think it was a correct ruling," said defense attorney Jason Price, of Lancaster.
Price said people understand that when someone does something wrong and they get sentenced to your punishment, it is the price he or she pays.
When a judge sentences someone, and the appeals process is done, that should be it, Price said.
Under the sections of the law ruled unconstitutional, Price said the legislature added additional provisions or punishments to what the judges already had ordered.
But there is a big difference between an 18-year-old who has sex with a 15-year-old girlfriend and a person who has sex with a 5-year-old, Price said.
Most people think sexual offenders should punished, Price said.
"It makes them an easy target," Price said.
But judges should have some discretion in their rulings and legislatures should not be able to add punishment to cases already decided, Price said.
http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20100604/NEWS01/6040308

Court Rejects Part of Sex Offender Law (OH), June 4, 2010:
Ohio Supreme Court change will affect the status for 26,000 in the state
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/court-rejects-part-of-sex-offender-law--745411.html

Court Rules Against State's Sex Offender Rules (OH), June 4, 2010:
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100604/NEWS01/6040308

Justices Give Break to 26,000 Ohio Sex Offenders, June 3, 2010:
Court says reclassification in 2008 under new law was wrong
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/06/03/a-sex-offender.html?sid=101

Ohio Court: Revert To Old Sex Offender Classes, June 3, 2010:
http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/jun/03/ohio-court-revert-old-sex-offender-classes-ar-96664/

Miami’s Tent City in Retrospective, June 2, 2010:
http://blastmagazine.com/the-page-one-story/2010/06/miamis-tent-city-in-retrospective/

Registry Law Doesn't Apply to All Sex Offenders, Supreme Court Rules, June 1, 2010:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0601/Registry-law-doesn-t-apply-to-all-sex-offenders-Supreme-Court-rules

Sex Offender Law Can't Be Applied Retroactively, June 1, 2010:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/01/27708.htm

Court: No Backdating Sex Offender Registry, June 1, 2010:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/01/Court-No-backdating-sex-offender-registry/UPI-64251275425351/

Supreme Court Says Sex Registry Rule Not Retroactive, June 1, 2010:
http://www.leagle.com/unsecure/page.htm?shortname=insco20100601004t

Bill Aims to Remove 'Label for Life' for Teens Caught 'Sexting' (OH), May 30, 2010:  http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2010/05/30/front/2074840.txt

Sex Offenders Falling Through Cracks, May 29, 2010:
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/sex-95421-registrant-offenses.html

I-Team: Change Coming For Sex Predators In Hotels, May 28, 2010:
http://cbs4.com/iteam/sex.offender.hotels.2.1719368.html

States Struggle To Control Sex Offender Costs, May 28, 2010:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127220896

California Rejects Limits on Sex Offender Internet Use, May 28, 2010:
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_15188389?nclick_check=1

'Chelsea's Law' Passes Assembly Committee (CA), May 28, 2010:
Bill would cost hundreds of millions, analyst says
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/28/chelseas-law-passes-assembly-committee/

Facebook Backs Runner's Efforts To Keep Sex Offenders Off Social Networking Sites (CA), May 28, 2010:
http://hometownstation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20471:runner-facebook-clarita-2010-12-47&catid=26:local-news&Itemid=97

That's Right, Palin's Previous Neighbors Were Recovering Drug Addicts and Alcoholics, May 28, 2010:
Palin quickly made the media rounds. Nailing herself to the rhetorical cross, the half-term governor and full-time Fox News flak, attacked McGinniss as a "creepy" "odd character," claiming his moving in next door was "sick." She feared him "peering" through her windows, and whipped the right-wing mob into a get-McGinnis frenzy. (The McGinniss death threats have already been spotted.) 
All of this, of course, was based on nothing more than Palin's unbending hatred for the press and an intense desire to continue her full-time job of playing the media victim.
(Palin could have objected to McGinniss moving in without playing the sex offender card.) http://mediamatters.org/blog/201005280010

Appeals Court Changes Rules for Young Adults as Sex Offenders (WI), May 26, 2010:
http://www.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/may/26/appeals-court-changes-rules-young-adults-sex-offen/

Bill Would Limit Sex Offenders’ Internet Use (CA), May 26, 2010:
Others urge caution. Even the California Sex Offender Management Board, in its recent recommendations to the governor, cited time constraints facing parole agents.
“There are so many social networking sites of various types that it may be virtually impossible to enforce,” the board said in its report.
Paul Sutton , a San Diego State University criminal justice professor, suggested that lawmakers tread carefully. For example, monitoring Internet use “is all but impossible” and some registered sex offenders need the Internet for work or use it to find jobs.
“There are an awful lot of bad ideas merged into a giant fiasco under the pretext of catching sex offenders,” he said.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/26/bill-would-limit-sex-offenders-internet-use/

Man Turns Life Around, But Must Register as Sex Offender, May 26, 2010:
http://www.connectmidmichigan.com/news/story.aspx?id=462626

Special ID Needed for Sex Offenders: Amber's Dad, May 25, 2010:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Special-ID-Needed-for-Sex-Offenders-Ambers-Dad-94821294.html

Keeping Sex Offenders Off Golf Courses (IL), May 25, 2010:
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/05/ofcourse.html

Opinion: Even Sex Offenders Have Rights in Need of Protection, May 24, 2010:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100524/OPINION01/5240305/Even-sex-offenders-have-rights-in-need
-of-protection

Facts and Fiction about Sex Offenders, May 24, 2010:
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/24500-facts-and-fiction-about-sex-offenders

Parts Of Chelsea's Law May Become Federal Law, May 21, 2010:
The Kings said Boxer's Violence Against Children Act, which will be introduced later this year, would take elements from Chelsea's Law.
Sources told 10News the bill would look at the parole measures, including lifetime GPS monitoring for certain offenders and longer parole terms.
http://www.10news.com/news/23640637/detail.html

Pataskala Tells Sex Offenders To Move Out (OH) May 21, 2010:
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/crimetracker10/stories/2010/05/21/story-pataskala-sex-offender-move-out-orders.html?sid=102

Sex Offender Label Requires Hearing, Court Rules (TX), May 21, 2010:
Texas has been unconstitutionally designating some prison inmates as sexual criminals without giving them an appropriate hearing, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
The ruling could affect as many as 6,900 prison inmates who have never been convicted of a sex offense although they may be sexual predators.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7016583.html

Judge Weinstein Takes On Child Pornography Laws, May 21, 2010:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/nyregion/22judge.html?sq=defiant judge takes&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all
(A MUST Read!)

Paying for the Sins of the Fathers, and of Others, Too, May 21, 2010:
Until last year, proposals to change the statute of limitations would not have affected public bodies and fallen largely on the church. After much debate, the bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, a Queens Democrat, was amended to include governments and their employees.
Suddenly, lobbyists and advocates for school boards, counties and small towns spoke out.
“Statutes of limitation exist for a reason,” said Bob Lowry, the deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. “How can anyone go back 40 years and ascertain what happened? Witnesses, responsible authorities, even the perpetrator himself or herself, may have passed away.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/nyregion/28about.html

Trying to Smooth Reentry for Ex-Offenders (MI) May 21, 2010:
http://www.wwmt.com/articles/margin-1376841-bottom-reentry.html

Sex Offender Safety Display Might Return to Downtown New Bedford Library (MA), May 21, 2010:
Once a public source of information that flicked through a slide show of local Level 3 sex offenders, the boxy Dell monitor has sat blank next to the circulation desk near the main entrance of the downtown New Bedford Free Public Library for months.
The computer was installed immediately after the rape of a 6-year-old boy at the library in late January 2008.
Reached Thursday afternoon, New Bedford Police Chief Ronald E. Teachman said the service was shut down because people had lodged court challenges against their presence on the sex offender registry.
Court injunctions relating to those appeals, Teachman said, might have prompted his department to discontinue the slide show. But he could not specifically identify the people who were appealing and did not know for certain how long the computer had been shut down.
The system might not be down for much longer, however. Teachman said a technician will attend to the computer today and ensure that all the information on the slide show is up to date and accurate.
Information about local sex offenders could again be viewed in the library as soon as today, he said.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100521/NEWS/5210316

Editorial: For the Real Sex Offenders (CO), May 21, 2010:
http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_15129619?source=commented

Court Upholds Miami-Dade Sex Offender Law, May 20, 2010:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/20/1638262/court-upholds-dades-position.html

5 Teens Arrested in Sexting Incidents (Virginia), May 20, 2010:
The new cases spotlight some of the difficulties localities in the region face when dealing with the issue.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/247454

A Peak Inside Bodyke? May 20, 2010:
Ohio Supreme Court
http://briefcase8.com/2010/05/20/a-peak-inside-bodyke/

Supreme Court Says Feds Can Detain Sex Offenders Indefinitely: Why That's Dangerous, May 20, 2010:
http://www.alternet.org/story/146946/

Scots Sex Offenders Win Human Rights Fight, May 20, 2010:
Judges have ruled the system that places sex offenders in Scotland on a register for life with no way of being removed is in breach of their human rights.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/scots-sex-offenders-win-human-rights-fight-1.1029070

When the Feds Decide Who's Sexually Dangerous, May 20, 2010:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/05/when-the-feds-decide-whos-sexually-dangerous/57005/

Throwing Away the Key, May 19, 2010:
Is a lifetime in jail the best way to deal with sex offenders?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/238212

Policy Limits Residences of Sex Offenders, May 19, 2010:
There will be few places for a convicted sex offender to live or frequent in Bay City thanks to a strategy developed by Bay City police detective Chad Krenek.
Thats because most multi-unit residential complexes where an offender might live and the places they are forbidden to visit have been identified and mapped and predominantly those areas overlap and cover most of Bay City.
Using a Bay City map, the next step was drawing a 1,000-foot perimeter around multi-unit residences and the putting the same boundaries around schools, day-care facilities, playgrounds, youth centers, public swimming pools, video arcades or children-oriented restaurants - places where the ordinance forbids sexual offenders from going.
Now that the mapping is completed, the city attorney said all of the city's convicted sexual offenders will be given the Bay City map that shows where they can't live and can't appear. They also will be issued a bumper sticker that states, "Sexual Predator's Vehicle," and a copy of the city ordinance.
It will take about a month for police to contact every one of the city's 27 offenders and present them with all three items.
"That gives them absolute notice," said Pendergraft.
http://baycitytribune.com/story.lasso?ewcd=fa1dfc1c733424f5

Sexually Dangerous Can Be Imprisoned Indefinitely: Can Politicians Be "Sexually Dangerous"? May 18, 2010:
A distinction should be made: This decision probably has more bearing on sexually violent predators and little bearing on sex offenders. While research polls and reporters may rarely differentiate the two and while the public may not either, there is a definitive legal differentiation that is made by the Sexual Violent Predator Act of 1995.
"Sexually violent predators" are strictly people deemed to have a mental disorder that would lead them to "re-offend." It "requires anyone convicted of two sexually violent offenses to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if a mental disorder makes it likely they will re-offend. If they are classified a [sexually violent predator], the district attorney can file a petition to commit. If a court or jury finds evidence is strong, the person may be committed to a secure state hospital for an indeterminate amount of time.
The Supreme Court decision reinforces public attitudes toward sex offenders (which are probably similar if not more lenient than attitudes toward sexual predators). A Gallup poll in 2005 found that at least two-thirds of Americans support the use of the registry to track sex offenders and have little sympathy for arguments against the registry that would suggest the lists would lead to harassment of people.
Presumably, the same group that expressed little concern about the registry is the same group that is significantly afraid of child molesters in their community. The poll found two-thirds think a convicted child molester probably lives in their neighborhood. And, even more important is the fact that this Gallup poll found that 65% think sex offenders (or child molesters) cannot be rehabilitated.
There is little concern for the rights or civil liberties of anyone committing foul sex acts.
It's not surprising that Americans would be so afraid that "sexually dangerous" people are out there waiting to get them or believe that offenders or predators could not be rehabilitated. Popular shows like all the versions of "Law & Order" (especially "Law & Order: SVU"), all the versions of "CSI," and any true crime show on television sensationalize the danger of "sexually dangerous" criminals.
What this decision does is impose morality (as the Supreme Court likes to do), further criminalize people, and increase suspect culture in America.
If the intention of this decision is to prevent sex crimes in the long term, it's next to impossible to prove this will have any impact. The decision gets America no closer to solving the problem sexual predators present to society.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Sexually-Dangerous-Can-Be-by-Kevin-Gosztola-100518-472.html

Guantanamo for Paedophiles, May 18, 2010:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2010/05/guantanamo_paedophiles

Sexual Offender Shenanigans, May 18, 2010:
The potential for abuse of the federal sexual offender statute is too great. What happens when gang members are deemed too violent to be released after their prison terms are up? What happens when spousal abusers are considered too dangerous to hit the streets? How about those who conspire against the government in any way? Will they somehow find themselves not only sentenced to prison, but also later held without criminal trials in mental health units?
Sound far-fetched? Well, smart, democratic, free societies that hope to stay that way need to see the seeds of authoritarianism when they are planted. The federal sex offender law is such a seed. It blurs the boundaries between punishment for crimes and enforced psychiatric care for sick people (who can’t control themselves). In so doing, it gives the government the power to lie in court and coerces the mental health care system to cover its backside.
Inappropriate government power is best sold to the public when it is said to apply only to the most hated folks among us. It’s funny (actually, it’s scary), though, how quickly that power could be applied to the rest of us.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593102,00.html

Changes Would Give Sex-Offender Law Flexibility, May 18, 2010:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2010-05-17-walsh-act_N.htm

Colo. Senator Admits Brother-in-law Went Through Sex-offender Treatment Program that She Criticized, May 18, 2010:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15107460

Gubernatorial Candidate Wants To Create 'Pedophile Island' To Banish Sex Offenders (CA) May 18, 2010:
One of the Orange County Republican's main campaign promises is to turn Santa Rosa Island off Santa Barbara into "Pedophile Island" where convicted molesters would be housed. Not only that, but they'd be charged with building infrastructure and creating civil society.
Hughes argues that pedophiles released from prison end up back in neighborhoods where they'll strike again. So, he says, put them on the island instead. In fact, under his plan, pedophiles would have to either leave California, stay in prison or go to the island upon their release.
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/pedophile-island/

Florida Implements Adam Walsh Act Sex Offender Law, May 18, 2010:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=156221&catid=3

Florida Enhances Sex Offender Registration And Notification, May 18, 2010:
http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/florida-enhances-sex-offender-registration-and-notification-31241.html

Two NH Sex Offender Bills Killed, May 18, 2010:
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/24567-two-nh-sex-offender-bills-killed-

Sex Offender Ordinance Being Prepared (ND), May 18, 2010:
http://www.kfgo.com/news_Detail.php?ID=10976

"Justin Bloxom Bill" heads to LA Senate, May 18, 2010:
The "Justin Bloxom Bill" makes it a felony for a registered sex offender to work in a number of occupations that have the potential to put them in contact with children.  Penalties provide for fines of up to $10,000 and five to ten years at hard labor without the possibility of parole for at least three years.
Caddo Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland is one of those helping to refine the bill, so that "it's something  that we can use, that it's not an exercise in futility where the court can't strike it down as being unconstitutional or over broad."  Of particular concern, Holland says, is how broadly some of the job descriptions included in the bill could be interpreted. 
Carnival workers and amusement ride operators were included in the original bill, but were removed before it was unanimously passed out of the committee on Tuesday. "What about the guy that owns the lunch wagon that sells hot dogs that happens to have a cooler and have a few ice cream bars in there, and he's selling those to workers at Calumet.  Is that somebody that we want to call an ice cream truck driver, so it's things like that that we want to try to carefully tailor so that we don't cast the net too broadly."
SB 780 still includes workers who go into homes, like air conditioning repair and pest control services.  Once better-defined, ice cream truck drivers and carnival workers could go back in the bill, along with other occupations. "Perhaps some additional employment that these offenders will not be allowed to do," says Sen. Cheek, "Frankly for the protection of the general public, but especially for the protection of minors" 
Holland is also concerned about a provision in the proposed bill that would have made the law retroactive.  "We can't make it a felony for somebody to do that if they already have that job.  It just violates fundamental fairness. So we've got to figure out a way to make sure that the law only applies to the people that attempt to get those jobs in the future, but that we also try to protect the public against people that have convictions and have those jobs now."  Instead, sex offenders who already work in those occupations would be required to post notices on their vehicles. 
Holland says a change in the law that would have required sex offenders to register for life was removed from the bill on Tuesday. Holland says that, too, would have cast too broad a net in encompassing all sex offenders instead of taking the nature and severity of the offense into consideration.  The revised bill could make it to the Senate floor in about two weeks.  Click here for a link to the proposed bill.  
http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=12503881

University of Richmond School of Law Articles:

• Making the Punishment Fit the (Computer) Crime: Rebooting Notions of Possession for the  Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography Offenses
• Sexting and Teenagers: OMG R U Going 2 Jail???
• Protecting the Children: Challenges that Result In, and Consequences Resulting From, Inconsistent Prosecution of Child Pornography Cases in a Technical World
• http://lawreview.richmond.edu/prosecute-the-cheerleader-save-the-world-asserting-federal-jurisdiction-over-child-pornography-crimes-committed-through-sexting/

Kagan Wins Case on Imprisonment of Sex Offenders, May 17, 2010:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/17/1441903/kagan-wins-case-on-imprisonment.html

Supreme Court Says Federal Officials Can Indefinitely Hold Sexually Dangerous Prisoners, May 17, 2010:
http://www.ctnow.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-supreme-court-sex-offender-law,0,3562380.story

Supreme Court Rules on Life Terms for Juveniles, May 17, 2010:
By 6-3 Vote Says, Unless Convicted of Murder, Teenagers Cannot Be Sentenced to Life With No Chance of Parole
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/17/national/main6491436.shtml

Virginia Nonviolent Felons Remain in Limbo on Restoration of Civil Rights, May 17, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/16/AR2010051602988.html

Public Schools Mainstream Registered Sex Offenders (WA), May 17, 2010:
http://www.kirotv.com/news/23581175/detail.html

MY VIEW: Penalties for Sex Offenders Out of Step, May 16, 2010:
http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2010/05/my_view_penalties_for_sex_offe.html

Mindy's Law Set To Protect Kids From Sex Offenders (IL) May 16, 2010:
Under Measure, No One Convicted Before Registry Took Effect Would Be Able To Skirt Requirement. Tens of Thosands of Names are about to be added to the list
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/mindys.law.sex.2.1697650.html

Walsh Act Changes are a Win for States, May 16, 2010:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=485308

Va. Tries to Make Internet Safer, May 16, 2010:
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20100516/NEWS01/5160338

Shouldn't We Try to Make it is Easy for Sex Offenders to Know of Legal Restrictions? May 15, 2010:   http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2010/05/shouldnt-we-try-to-make-it-is-easy-for-sex-offenders-to-know-of-legal-restrictions.html

Sex Offenders, Advocates Push for Va. Law Notice, May 15, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/15/AR2010051501870.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/05/sex-offenders-advocates-push-va-law-notice?cid=ltst
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0510/736351.html
http://wjz.com/wireapnewsva/Sex.offenders.advocates.2.1695973.html
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0510/736351.html
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20100516/NEWS01/5160342
http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=newsleader&sParam=33538979.story

Editorial: Do Sex Offenders Need a Place of Their Own? May 15, 2010:
http://poststar.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_213dcf9a-6082-11df-84a8-001cc4c03286.html

California Sex Offender Gets Life for Raping, Murdering Teens, May 15, 2010:
Mary Duval, chief executive officer for the Sex Offender Solutions and Education Network, an advocacy group for registered sex offenders, said anger-induced legislation is not the answer.
"If the current reform efforts focus on punishing and restricting all former sex offenders instead of those who are the most dangerous, the goal of protecting children will once again be foiled due to anger, fear and misinformation ruling the day," she said. "The facts of the Chelsea King and Amber DuBois cases should be enough to persuade politicians and the families to look for better answers."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/14/california.gardner.sentencing/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

Are Sex-Offender Registries Expanding Too Much? May 15, 2010:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/health_med_fit/article/I-REGI0413_20100513-183407/344281/

Northern Georgia Sees Child Predators Everywhere May 14, 2010:
Regardless of the happy ending for Craft, injustice is a common theme in northern Georgia — a region that has seen 80 child predator arrests in two years, many of them under questionable circumstances.
http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/northern_georgia_sees_child_predators_everywhere

Sexual Predators: Are Tougher Laws The Answer? May 14, 2010:
Cynthia Calkins Mercado is an assistant professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. She says measures like Jessica's Law may placate the public, but their effectiveness is limited.
"The studies that have been done," Mercado says, "seem to show that if anything, they're creating a lot of problems or collateral consequences that could even have the paradoxical effect of increasing, rather than decreasing, risk of future offenses."
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/may/14/sexual-predators-are-tougher-laws-answer/

Justice Department Releases Proposed Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration, Seeks Public Comment, May 14, 2010:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100514/pl_usnw/DC05320

More State Discretion Proposed For Federal Sex Registry Rules, May 14, 2010:
http://thecrimereport.org/2010/05/14/more-state-discretion-proposed-for-federal-sex-registry-rules/

Legislature 2010: Lawmakers Act on Sex Offenders' Gripe (CO) May 14, 2010:
Sen. Joyce Foster, D-Denver, said she offered the amendment to the Sex Offender Management Board sunset bill, House Bill 1364, because of numerous complaints against Teaching Humane Existence, which treats about 120 sex offenders.
"I received calls from offenders," Foster said, referring to complaints about the program, called THE. "I've heard too many complaints from a variety of people. I've never gotten another complaint about another provider."
Greig Veeder, executive director of THE, said Foster never spoke with him about any complaints. He said the amendment will destroy his business because offenders will seek out more-lenient agencies that don't hold them accountable.
Veeder had been a vocal opponent of HB 1364 because it removes language that says there is "no known cure," for sexual deviancy. The bill unanimously passed the Senate on Monday, having earlier passed the House, and is on the way to the governor, who has not said whether he will sign it.
While Foster acknowledged that she wrote the amendment specifically because of complaints that THE is punitive and retaliatory, she said she did not intend to run the agency out of business.
The amendment allows sex offenders to choose among three sex-offender treatment facilities that a parole or probation officer agrees meet the needs of a particular offender.
The bill also allows offenders to petition for a new treatment provider under guidelines created by probation or parole supervisors.
Eric Philp, programs manager for the Division of Probation Services, said he did not believe giving an option to offenders would sacrifice public safety.
Philp said an important component of successfully preventing recidivism among sex offenders is the relationship between the treatment provider and the offender. He said there was bipartisan support for the amendment.
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_15083170

Man Mistaken for Sex Offender, Killed with Bat May 14, 2010:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/14/1629000/man-mistaken-for-sex-offender.html

Man Mistaken for Sex Predator Fatally Beaten, May 13, 2010:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/05/13/20100513man-wrongly-identified-as-predator-killed.html

Registered Sex Offender: "All Offenders Are Not the Same"
Should There Be Classification?
http://www.localnews8.com/news/23512445/detail.html

Opponents: New Sex Offender Laws Won’t Help (IL) May 13, 2010:
Bills would ban sex offenders from parks, require lifetime registration
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-7293-opponents-new-sex-offender-laws-wonrst-help.html

Opinion: Equal Opportunity a Must for Ex-offenders to be Able to Integrate Back into Society, May 13, 2010:
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100513/OPINION03/5130311/Equal-opportunity-a-must-for-ex-offenders-to-
be-able-to-integrate-back-into-society
(Yes!)

Sex Offender Residency Restrictions - Not the Silver Bullet Supporters Want It To Be, May 12, 2010:     
http://www.mclu.org/node/595

Teacher Cleared of Molestation: ‘Nobody Wins’ Tonya Craft, May 12, 2010:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37103478#37103478

Ga. Teacher Acquitted in Molestation Trial, Tonya Craft May 12, 2010:
"The amazing ordeal with the corruption that caught up these little girls and this wonderful woman has begun to end with a verdict from 12 people honest and true," said Craft's attorney, Demosthenes Lorandos, in a phone call with The Associated Press.
He said he and Craft's other attorneys have contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. attorney's office about what he called the "fraudulent" behavior of Judge Brian House and the Catoosa County district attorney's office during the case.
Questions have been raised about the fairness of a trial in front of House, who helped represent Craft's ex-husband in the couple's divorce in the 1990s. Defense attorneys filed a motion seeking the judge's recusal, but he refused to step down.
Prosecutor Chris Arnt also raised eyebrows when he posted on his Facebook page in January that Craft's defense lawyers "are really insane or just trying to jack up her defense bill," according to news reports.
http://www.ajc.com/news/ga-teacher-acquitted-in-524977.html?imw=Y

Gov. Bob McDonnell Starts Plan to Keep Convicts from Ending up Back in Prison, (Virginia) May 11, 2010:
http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/state_regional/govtpolitics/article/gov._bob_mcdonnell_starts_plan_to_keep_convicts
_from_ending_up_back_in_pris/99328/

 How Your Son Could End Up on the Sex Offender List, May 11, 2010:
"We're all just one accusation away from the sex offender registry."
http://www.parentdish.com/2010/05/11/how-your-son-could-end-up-on-the-sex-offender-list/
  
Jessica's Law Leaves SF Sex Offenders Homeless (CA), May 11, 2010:
Two state parole investigators track some 60 paroled sex offenders in San Francisco County.
The agents said Jessica's Law -- the 2005 state law aimed at protecting California kids from sex offenders -- has made every recently paroled sex offender in San Francisco homeless and more difficult to track.
Sam Ia is four months into a five-year parole. Like all newly paroled sex offenders, he wore a GPS tracking anklet designed to monitor his movements.
When asked where he might be able to stay, Ia replied: "Probably go in an alley or something or out in a street."
The agents patrol San Francisco with laptops that ping parolees' GPS anklets. The arrows on the monitor show the path of one parolee during the course of a day.
By law, sex offenders have to return to the county where they were convicted. Additionally, Jessica's Law mandates they cannot live within 2,000 feet of a school, park or playground.
In tightly populated San Francisco, Jessica's Law means there's nowhere they can live. So they register as homeless.
"I mean, certainly prior to Jessica's Law, these guys could have residencies," said one of the parole agents who wanted to remain anonymous. "But now, certainly it's created a burden for them as well as us to try to get creative and find them in territories of San Francisco."
The California Sex Offender Management Board is an independent state advisory panel made up of prosecutors, police, and community experts. This year, the board said Jessica's Law is handicapping efforts to mainstream offenders back into society. It wants to see the law amended.
The board found a lack of housing options for an ever-growing list of sex offender parolees. Their report recommended that only those guilty of the most serious of sex crimes should face residence restrictions.
"The proximity where a person lives to schools or parks or places where children congregate has virtually nothing to do with where they offend," said, Robert Coombs who sits on the sex offender management board and is spokesman for the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/23524528/detail.html

What's Not Good for Tonya is OK for the Children's Advocacy Center, May 11, 2010:
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/may/11/whats-not-good-for-tonya-is-ok-for-the-childrens/?local
 
Sex Offenders Using Hotels As Home Address, May 11, 2010:
http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/sex-offenders-staying-in-hotels-sex-offenders/6kn0hijhCEi4Hg8F9FWbOg.cspx

Changes Sought in Federal Sex Offender Act (ME), May 10, 2010:
State rejects provisions as costly, ‘draconian’
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/143064.html
(Yes!)

Verdict Awaited in Teacher’s Molestation Case, Tonya Craft May 10, 2010:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37081134#37081134

Offender Registry Called Too Strict May 10, 2010:
Delaware has some of the youngest sex offender registrants in the nation – one as young as 9 – according to backers of legislation that would give Family Court judges some discretion in deciding which juveniles belong on the registry and which do not.
In registering offenders who are younger than 14, Delaware’s registry system is more stringent than required by the federal Adam Walsh Act, a law that some states complain is too strict.
Due to political, legal and social concerns, the push to give Family Court judges a say in the matter has run into a wall of opposition.
Attorney General Beau Biden opposes the legislation. Election-minded legislators don't want to give opponents the opportunity to paint them as soft on sex offenders. Publicity about the abuse charges against pediatrician Dr. Earl Bradley has made the issue of sexual offenses even more politically toxic.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100510/NEWS01/5100329
(Vice-President Joe Biden’s son)

Bill Would Treat Animal Abusers Like Sex Offenders (CA) May 10, 2010:
http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing_news?Bill-Would-Treat-Animal-Abusers-Like-Sex=1&blockID=232004&feedID=806

Sen. Klein Urges State to Keep Sex Offenders out of Public Housing (NY) May 9, 2010:  
In 1998, Congress passed the Quality House and Work Responsibility Act, which prohibits any person registered as a lifetime sex offender from being admitted by any public housing authority. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires all public housing authorities to perform criminal history background checks on prospective tenants and deny housing admission to registered sex offenders.
A March 2009 report released by New York City Councilman Eric Gioia found 129 lifetime sex offenders living in the city's public housing units illegally.
In August 2009, the HUD inspectors found 4,784 households with one or more members registered as a serious sex offender. The HUD general inspector said the problem may be that legislation would be required to terminate tenant agreements for those improperly admitted to public housing, but HUD officials claimed public housing officials had the authority to remove registered lifetime sex offenders
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35071/

Opinion: False Allegations Diminish Us All, May 8, 2010:
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175213.asp

California Parole Agency Breaks Up Sex-Offender Encampment in Anaheim, May 7, 2010:
The beat-up station wagons and peeling RVs had been turning up outside the Coronado Street parole office in Anaheim for months, parked through the night. But in recent weeks it seemed they filled the whole block.
In Orange County, where more than a third of the paroled sex offenders are homeless, police estimated that 30 or 40 had taken to camping on the streets in this industrial stretch.
The situation appeared to stem from Jessica's Law, the 2006 statute that forbids sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks or other places where children gather, severely limiting lodging options in densely populated cities.
"These people have difficulty finding residence, so they make do," said Anaheim police Lt. Julian Harvey.
The sex offenders are required to meet regularly with their parole officers, and those without a power source use the office to charge up the electronic ankle bracelets that monitor their whereabouts.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-0507-sex-offenders-20100507,0,2185624.story
(A Must Read, also the last line of the article is typical)

'Shower Game' Jurors: 11 out of 12 Wanted to  Acquit on Sex Assault Charge, May 7, 2010: http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100504/COMMUNITIES/305040002/1005/NEWS01/-Shower-game--jurors--
11-out-of-12-wanted-to-acquit-on-sex-assault-charge

Advocates for CORI change take message to State House (MA), May 7, 2010:
Former convicts and prison-reform advocates gathered on the State House steps yesterday to urge lawmakers to change what they described as restrictive aspects of the state’s criminal records system.
They called on Beacon Hill to pass a bill to reduce the time many former convicts’ crimes remain a publicly accessible record, prohibit questions on job applications about whether someone has served a jail sentence, and computerize crime records so they are more easily accessible by employers and less onerous to seal by former convicts.
“It’s clear that if someone has done their time and paid their debts to society, they should be allowed to break out of their current silos and reintegrate into society,’’ said Wilnelia Rivera, chairwoman of the Commonwealth CORI Coalition, which has been lobbying lawmakers to change the state’s Criminal Offender Registry Information system.
She said the proposed legislation would reduce the waiting period to seal records for those convicted of felonies from 15 years to 10 years and for those convicted of misdemeanors from 10 years to five years.
The criminal records of murderers and sex offenders, however, would remain accessible to the public for as long as the offenders live.
Rivera and others urged lawmakers to change the law so that CORI records eligible to be sealed would no longer be disseminated — and possibly further hinder someone’s progress.
They also are seeking legislation that would require employers to notify job applicants if they were disqualified because of their CORI record, allowing them to dispute any possible inaccuracy.
“Our state cannot afford to ignore this issue any longer,’’ said Representative Liz Malia, a Jamaica Plain Democrat and a leading sponsor of the bill.
“This is a fiscal issue as well as a moral issue. People with convictions are kept out of the job market and the housing market, and the cost to the state is too much,’’ she said at the rally.
Governor Deval Patrick supports CORI change, and a version of the legislation passed the Senate last fall.
The Senate bill allows former convicts to review their CORI information for free; increases penalties for the deliberate misuse of CORI records; creates a new offense for using the records to harass former convicts; and requires employers relying on CORI records to provide them to job applicants.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/05/07/advocates_for_cori_change_take_message_to_state_house/

Professor Helps Prisoners Find Themselves Through Writing (Virginia), May 6, 2010:  http://www.vagazette.com/articles/2010/05/06/news_letter/doc4be2bf1f56fd1914272412.txt

California Law Mandates Chemical Castration of Certain Offenders May 6, 2010:
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12443091

Albuquerque Adjusts Rules on Sex Offenders at Libraries (NM), May 6, 2010:
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1548585.shtml?cat=504

Bedford Student Sues After Suspension Over ‘Sexting’ (Virginia) May 6, 2010:
http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/bedford_student_sues_after_suspension_over_sexting/26779/

Youth 'Sexting' Bill Gets Unanimous Approval of House Committee (LA) May 6, 2010: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/05/house_panel_gives_unanimous_ap.html

Duluth Ordinance Would Ban Sex Offenders From Low-income Housing (MN), May 6, 2010:  
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/277697/group/News/

States Vary on Dealing with Youth Sex Offenders, May 6, 2010:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQWhi_2Em9YkBN_JY_JvMaSv7lpgD9FH6LF81

After the Primary: Indiana Legislators Return to Lawmaking, May 6, 2010:
Summer Assignments: Cloud Computing and ‘Sexting’ Among Issues for Study Committees
http://tribstar.com/news/x1036629724/After-the-primary-Indiana-legislators-return-to-lawmaking

Connecticut Lawmakers Limit Sex Offender Sites May 5, 2010:
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/communities/x1381029016/Connecticut-lawmakers-limit-sex-offender-sites

Law Bans Sex Offenders from Parks, Preserves (IL) May 5, 2010:
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/kadner/2236344,050510kadner.article
(Illinois Voices!!!)

Now that Homeless Campsites Will be Closed in Merced, Where Will the Homeless Go? (CA) May 5, 2010:
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/05/05/1410890/now-that-homeless-campsites-will.html

The New Prison Industrial-Complex, May 5, 2010:
State Budgets and Technology in the Age of Declining State Revenue
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18993

Williams: Cuccinelli Flap a Sign of Religion Encroaching on Government (Virginia) May 4, 2010:
Virginia's state seal fell victim to a cover-up that only John Ashcroft and the extremely priggish can appreciate.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued lapel pins to his staff with an altered version of the state seal that covered the exposed left breast of conquering Roman goddess Virtus, or Virtue, with an armored breastplate.
It became painfully obvious that there's no virtue, beyond the comedic, in treating a classical image like smut. After a round of national ridicule, Cuccinelli pulled the pins yesterday.
"It takes a real filthy mind to find a state seal arousing," joked local attorney David Baugh. http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/columnists_news/article/MIKE04_20100503-222805/341941/

O'Malley To Sign Sex Offender Bills Into Law (MD), May 4, 2010:
http://wjz.com/local/Maryland.lawmakers.enter.2.1673296.html

Life Sentence For Second Base: Does Punishment Fit the Crime? May 4, 2010:
A woman found guilty of having a 13 year old grab her bra-covered breast gets life in prison.
http://www.kolotv.com/news/headlines/92829664.html?ref=664

Virginia Attorney General Decides X-rated State Seal is OK, May 3, 2010:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/05/virginia-attorney-general-decides-xrated-state-seal-is-ok.html

After Breast Controversy, Cuccinelli Ditches New Staffer Lapel Pins (Virginia), May 3, 2010: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/05/cuccinelli_ditches_new_staffer.html

Social Worker Cites "Errors" In Handling Of Tonya Craft Accusers, May 3, 2010:
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_174811.asp

Another Psychologist Testifies In Tonya Craft Case, May 3, 2010:
http://www.newschannel9.com/news/aldridge-990916-child-interview.html

Sex Offender Public Park Ban Bill Goes to Governor (IL), May 3, 2010:
"Sexual offenders don't need to be hanging around public parks where there are lots of kids and lots of people walking or running alone," Dillard said recently in a press release. "Unfortunately, we've seen some terrible tragedies in public parks. We need to keep these individuals out of areas where there is often limited oversight by law enforcement officers, as well as surroundings that offer seclusion."
In the release, Dillard referred to the March 14, 1960, attack and murder of three Riverside women in Starved Rock State Park, calling the crime a "sexual assault."
Chester Weger, the man convicted of one of the murders and now serving a life prison sentence, has never been charged or brought to court on any sex offense.
http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/display.php?id=403364

Registered Sex Offenders Deliver Mail In N. Texas, May 3, 2010:
http://cbs11tv.com/local/sex.offenders.USPS.2.1672399.html

Feds Recognize Delaware's Work to Go After Child Predators, May 3, 2010:
http://www.middletowntranscript.com/newsnow/x1406500597/Feds-recognize-Delawares-work-to-go-after-child-predators
(Delaware, the Second US State to become AWA/SORNA compliant)

Opinion: Megan's Law Doesn't Work, May 2, 2010:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100502/OPINION/5020323/1047/opinion

Buffer Law Will Require Swing Votes (ND), May 2, 2010:
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/277326/group/News/

Breast on Virginia Seal Covered Up, May 1, 2010:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/01/virginia-seal-breast-picture_n_559673.html

Cuccinelli Opts for More Modest Virginia State Seal, May 1, 2010:
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/04/cuccinelli-opts-more-modest-state-seal

Sex Offender Management Board Gives Proposals (CA), May 1, 2010:
California should bar certain sex offenders from being near places where children gather but apply residency restrictions only to predators, according to a new report.
The California Sex Offender Management Board, a group of 17 state officials and experts, gave the report to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday, ending a month of work.
The board used confessed killer John Albert Gardner III, 31, as a case study to examine state sex offender policies and propose a major overhaul for a patchwork of laws.
Its 37-page report ends: “Money and time have been wasted on policies and programs that do not make our communities safer, but are politically popular.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/01/sex-offender-management-board-gives-reform/

House Ignores Sexting Bill (FL) April 30, 2010:  http://www.flanews.com/?p=9465

Global Megan's Law receives backing from House Foreign Affairs Committee April 30, 2010:   http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1272606486258340.xml&coll=5   
(See Bulletin Board Posting #218 for more information)

Homeowners Unable to Evict Convicted Sex Offender, April 29, 2010:
http://www.abc-7.com/Global/story.asp?S=12402150

Proposal to Put Sex Offender Pics in Schools (LA), April 29, 2010:
http://arklatexhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=103495

Is the Tide Turning in Georgia's Child Molestation Case? Tonya Craft, April 29, 2010:
http://criminaljustice.change.org/blog/view/is_the_tide_turning_in_georgias_child_molestation_case

Witch Hunt or Child Molester? Kindergarten Teacher Tonya Craft, April 29, 2010:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/36845265#36845265

‘Sexting’ Bill Gets Unanimous Approval by Florida Senate, April 29, 2010:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/fl-sexting-passes-20100429,0,5005059.story

Chelsea’s Law Foes are Riding Into Wind, April 29, 2010:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/29/chelseas-law-foes-are-riding-into-wind/

Bill Would Require Registration of Homeless Sex Offenders, April 29, 2010:
http://michiganmessenger.com/37294/bill-would-require-registration-of-homeless-sex-offenders

Our Sex Offender Laws are CRAZY, April 29, 2010:
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/our-sex-offender-laws-are-crazy/

Confronting Your Neighbor Sex Offenders on Inside Edition, April 29, 2010:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-guerrero/confronting-your-neighbor_b_557815.html

Federal Appeals Court Nominee Faces Tough Questioning, April 29, 2010:
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-chatigny-hearing-0429.artapr29,0,3086220.story

RNC Accuses Obama Of Shredding Constitution, Nominating Sex-Offender Defenders, April 28, 2010:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/28/rnc-accuses-obama-of-shre_n_555204.html

Broward Sex Offenders Get Less Room to Move, April 28, 2010:
Just weeks after Miami-Dade County altered its restrictions on where registered sex offenders can live, Broward County Commissioners did just the opposite Tuesday by increasing restrictions.
Broward and Miami-Dade already have laws ordering registered sex offenders - which includes a wide range of offenses - to stay as much as 2500 feet away from parks, schools, bus stops and anywhere else kids gather.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Broward-sex-offenders-get-more-restrictions-92277674.html

Extra Fee for Sex Offenders (UT) April 27, 2010:
Sex offenders will now have to pay more money to live in certain Utah communities.
The new fee is in addition to state fees
http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top%20stories/story/Extra-fee-for-sex-offenders/XkPk5YRBsUaR42NHCogPjg.cspx

Colonie Law Becomes a Local Model (NY) April 27, 2010:
Statute on motels that house sex offenders copied by other towns
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=925530&category=ALBANY&BCCode=&newsdate=
4/27/2010#ixzz0mK3clqEJ

Restricting Where Sex Offenders Can Live (ND), April 26, 2010:
A Fargo commissioner says city leaders and police are on the road to a solution when it comes to where sex offenders can live in Fargo. It could soon get a lot more restrictive. Commissioner Dave Piepkorn plans to introduce an ordinance that will put a 12 hundred foot perimeter around schools, parks and pools, banning sex offenders from living there.
The perimeter would only apply to level two and three sex offenders.
“And it's a symbolic thing, I admit, but I think it will be a way for them to make it more difficult to find housing, especially around schools, I think most people will be supportive of that.”
Piepkorn is also working with the planning department to restrict sex offender group homes in apartment buildings. Right now, there are no restrictions. He wants to change that so a special permit is needed.       
http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/32772/

Craigslist Makes $36 Million From Illegal Sex Ads, April 26, 2010:
http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/craigslist_makes_36_million_from_illegal_sex_ads

Flaws Found in State Child-Abuse Registries (NY) April 25, 2010:
Congress authorized a national child abuse registry in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, named for a Florida boy abducted and murdered in 1981.
More than 40 states have the abuse registries — which are distinct from the better-known registries of convicted sex offenders that every state makes publicly available on the Internet. The abuse lists aren't accessible to the public, but are used by day-care centers, schools, adoption agencies and other entities to screen people who want to adopt, be foster parents or get a job working with children.
It's the process underlying many of the registries that has come into question — and their potential to entangle innocent people as well as wrongdoers.
A person doesn't have to be convicted or even charged with a crime to get listed. Under the general practice in most states, entries are based on a child protection investigator's assertion that the person committed an act of abuse or neglect; hearings or appeals, if granted at all, often come long after the name is entered.
"Anybody can call a child abuse hotline and report abuse — anybody, including your ex-spouse who hates you, your landlord who's trying to evict you," Kubitschek said.
Howard Davidson of the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law, said most people on the state registries are accused of neglect, not battering or other physical abuse.
Davidson supports use of the registries to screen potential adoptive or foster parents. But he questions whether they're a suitable tool for employers to vet job applicants because of inconsistencies in the level of proof required to register a name.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/25/flaws-state-child-abuse-registries/

Alabama Legislature Passes Limit on Housing Sex Offenders, April 24, 2010:
The Alabama Legislature has given approval to a bill that would limit the number of registered sex offenders living together in Jefferson County.
The measure would bar landlords from housing more than one registered sex offender under one roof and would require offenders who live in an apartment complex to reside at least 100 yards from each other.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/04/alabama_legislature_passes_lim.html

Shorecrest Residents Unhappy About Relocation of Sex Offenders, April 24, 2010:
Sex offenders? Not in my backyard, Miami residents tell their mayor and other city officials.   http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/23/1595691/shorecrest-residents-unhappy-about.html

20/20 Episode- In an Instant, April 23, 2010:
In 2005 Biurny Peguerno claimed she was raped. There was no evidence, no DNA and no witnesses but yet a jury found an innocent man guilty of rape and he was convicted to 20 years in prison, Sing-Sing.
Biurny claims she never thought he’d be convicted because there was no evidence. Finally she admitted she lied, she recanted her claim and the prosecution refused to accept her recant or look into the case.
William McCaffrey served four years in prison while Biurny got married and had children.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/girls-night-bad-rape-accusation-lives/story?id=10435889
http://abc.go.com/watch/2020/SH559026/VD5547550/in-an-instant
(Why an Accusation Should NEVER be Enough to Convict and Why a Recant Needs to Be Accepted No Matter How Long Ago the Conviction Occurred)

​Contract To Help Sex Offenders Awarded To Non-Profit They're Forbidden to Enter, April 23, 2010:
Paroled sex offenders forced into homelessness in San Francisco by Jessica's Law used to have at least one place they could call "home": the day-reporting center for parolees at the Northern California Service League, a non-profit in an alley across from the Hall of Justice. There, they could grab a snack, receive counseling, and charge their Jessica's Law-mandated GPS unit as they must do for two hours each day. Many of the sex offender parolees we wrote about in a December cover story spent hours there daily as an alternative to roaming the streets.
Yet the contract to operate the day reporting center recently expired, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation recently relocated the service to Walden House, a non-profit providing drug rehab programs at Mission and 15th Streets.
But there's a problem with the new location: Walden House sits across the street from Marshall Elementary School -- and the powers that be have decided that congregating sex offenders a stone's throw from a school is a poor idea. So now, the parole department has told the sex offenders they're out, though all other parolees are still welcome at the center.
That's right, the contract to help the sex offenders was awarded to a place they are now forbidden to enter.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/04/contract_to_help_sex_offenders.php

SEC Porn Investigation Nets Dozens, April 23, 2010:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/04/eye_opener_porn_and_federal_wo.html

Expert: Crowded prison bad for public safety (PA), April 23, 2010:
The U.S. may incarcerate more people than any other country in the world, but an expert believes that is a clear sign of a dysfunctional criminal justice system.
"The fact that your facility is overcrowded does not make your streets any safer," justice system expert Don Smarto said Thursday morning to Schuylkill County Prison Warden Eugene Berdanier.
Smarto is a former probation officer and juvenile justice facility administrator and travels the country pitching an overhaul of the justice system.
Smarto said there are simple steps that could both reduce prison populations and significantly decrease recidivism.
Along with reforming drug law and mandatory prison sentences - a topic that Smarto blasted lawmakers for failing to take action on - he suggested revising the way sexual offenders are classified. He said having sexual contact with a 17-year-old, for example, is far different than molestation or rape of children.
However, the stigma of being a sex offender will stick with someone for the rest of his or her life, often preventing the offender from getting a job.
Grouping everyone together, Smarto said, helps no one.
He also suggested revamping job applications, striking out the common application question: "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"
Smarto said he wishes to see inmates given the chance to impress an employer during the first interview, rather than having an application thrown in the trash can because of past crimes.
http://republicanherald.com/news/expert-crowded-prison-bad-for-public-safety-1.741032

North Texas Schools Deal with Parents Visiting Campus Who are Listed as Sex Offenders, April 23, 2010:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/DN-raptor_23met.ART.State.Edition1.4c94636.html
  
Sex Offender Registry Violates Right to Privacy - UK ruling April 23, 2010:
http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20100423083851945

State Lawmaker: Sex Offenders who Fail to Register Should Face Felony Charges (MI) April 22, 2010:
He says Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Democratic leaders of the House have made it clear they don’t want any new felony laws, because they want to thin the current prison population.
http://michiganmessenger.com/37083/state-lawmaker-sex-offenders-who-fail-to-register-should-face-felony-charges

Sex Offenders Must have Chance to Change, says Supreme Court (UK) April 22, 2010:   http://ekklesia.co.uk/node/11926

Virginia OKs Victim Visits with Convicted Attackers, April 22, 2010:
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1940154

That's a Relief: Under a New State Bill, Public Urination Ceases to be Deemed a Sex Offense (CO), April 22, 2010:
http://www.csindy.com/colorado/thats-a-relief/Content?oid=1685751

GA Senate Approves Change To Sex Offender Law, April 21, 2010:
http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/state_regional/georgia/article/ga_senate_approves_change_to_sex_offender_law/74903/

Senate Passes Sex Offender Bill (GA) April 21, 2010:
http://blogs.ajc.com/gold-dome-live/2010/04/21/senate-passes-sex-offender-bill/?cxntfid=blogs_gold_dome_live

Julia Tuttle Sex Offenders Evicted, Again, April 21, 2010:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/04/julia_tuttle_sex_offenders_evi.php

Sex-Abuse Victim Lauren Book's Healing Journey to Florida Capitol, April 21, 2010:
Her campaign is called ``Walk in My Shoes.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/21/1589528/sex-abuse-victims-healing-journey.html

Does ‘Adam Walsh Act’ Require New Hearing to Exempt Pre-2008 Sex Offender from Community Notification? April 21, 2010:
The Ohio Supreme Court will decide if people convicted before Ohio adopted a tougher sex-offender law are subject to those tougher penalties. It heard arguments today in a case that could affect hundreds of courts, and thousands of offenders and the neighborhoods in which they live.     
http://www.wksu.org/news/story/25279

De Pere Sex Offender Restrictions Approved (WI) April 21, 2010:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100421/GPG0101/4210670/1207/GPG01

Opinion: Civil Confinement, Controversial Reincarcerations Must be Done with Great Care April 21, 2010:
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/04/civil_confinement_controversia.html

Fla. Sex Offenders Evicted From Temporary Housing, April 20, 2010:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126147409

Updates Lag on Sex Offender Registry (IN), April 18, 2010:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100418/NEWS02/4180396/Updates-lag-on-sex-offender-registry

Sexting Raises New Problems for Cops, Schools, April 18, 2010:
Child pornography laws in Maryland and Virginia, as well as federal laws, treat all images of the underaged as child pornography. If prosecutors chose to move forward with the charges Jordan listed, the adolescents would face stiff penalties: A minimum of 10 years in prison for manufacturing or distributing. The kids could spend their lives on a sex offender registry mixed in with rapists and pedophiles. "We have to find a way to distinguish between bad judgment and intentional criminality," said David Rittgers, a legal analyst at the Cato Institute. Vermont recently changed its child pornography laws by creating a separate charge that sends convicted sexters to juvenile courts. "That may still be a bit much," Rittgers said, "but [the new law is] a step in the right direction." Last year, Virginia lawmakers pondered taking a similar step, but chose not to because it was "too dangerous," said Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax, who heads the House's Courts of Justice Committee. "If we make exceptions, then we may be setting up a road map for a 35-year-old man to take pictures of an 11-year-old girl and get away with it," Albo said. Maryland lawmakers proposed a bill that would have classified sexting as harassment, but it didn't make it out of committee.   http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Sexting-raises-new-problems-for-cops_-schools-91101994.html

Chelsea's Law: One Day State Will Get it Right, April 18, 2010:
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_14908891

Tougher Pennsylvania Megan's Law Act May Hit Snag Because of Costs, April 18, 2010:  http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_677001.html

Residency Restrictions Create Dangerous Scenarios, State Should Opt for “Child Protection Zones” (FL), April 18, 2010:
Restrictive local ordinances intended to keep sex offenders away from places where children gather and play have pushed some of Broward's 1,300 registered sex offenders into homelessness and into communities like Broadview Park — leading Atlantic Magazine to crown it "Sex Offender City" in its March issue.
Despite the community's many young families, Broadview Park has become a sex offender haven. In 2007, there were four registered sex offenders in the neighborhood. By 2009, there were 106.
This was not the vision of lawmakers back in 1995, when Florida passed its first statewide law to restrict where convicted sex offenders could live. After all, it seemed like common sense to keep sex criminals away from our state's most vulnerable population. The state law said that sex offenders could not live within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and day care centers.
Ten years later, the City of Miami Beach one-upped the state law by declaring its city entirely off-limits to sex offenders by passing its own 2,500 foot residency restriction. The bold move immediately put pressure on politicians in every other city and county in Florida to pass similar ordinances. As a result, there are now 149 different ordinances throughout our state, ranging from 1,000 feet to 3,000 feet.
Ironically, what started out as a well-intentioned plan to keep our kids safe from sex offenders has actually put them in greater danger. Unable to find housing after being released from prison, sex offenders have gone homeless or have gone underground in record numbers.
The homeless sex offender problem has now spread throughout Florida. Law enforcement's efforts to track these offenders are obstructed by an inconsistent patchwork of differing local laws, along with the difficulty of electronically monitoring homeless offenders who have few places to recharge their ankle bracelets. Moreover, it has become clear that homeless sex offenders are more likely to commit additional crimes than offenders who are employed and who have a stable residence.
At the same time, the absconder rate has tripled. The offenders still live amongst us, but now we don't know where many of them are. Statewide, nearly 800 sex offenders have dropped off the radar because they have never registered their new addresses as required by law.
The most shocking part of all of this is that these so-called "tough" residency restrictions apply only between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. For eight hours at night, these laws are designed to keep offenders away from schools, parks and libraries — when there are no children at such places! Meanwhile, during the remaining 16 hours of the day, sex offenders are allowed to linger at places where children congregate.
To add to this dangerous mess, a court in Jacksonville declared these local ordinances unconstitutional, which has put all 149 of them in legal jeopardy. The court found that Jacksonville's 2,500-foot residency restriction "had the unintended consequence of increasing the risk to our community, and posing greater risks to neighboring communities."
Iowa was one of the first states to pass a law to restrict where registered sex offenders could live — and it was also the first state to repeal these laws altogether. After passing what was considered the "toughest" statewide law in the country, that state witnessed a dangerous rise in absconders.
In fact, Iowa's residency restrictions were blamed for a doubling of the number of sex offenders who could not be located since the law took effect. These sex offenders did not report that they were leaving the state; rather, they just stopped reporting at all. In response, Iowa law enforcement officials recently convinced legislators to repeal its residency restrictions and replace them with 24-hour-a-day child protection zones.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/commentary/fl-sex-offenders-outlook-dacol-0418-20100418,0,4819315.story

Sex Offender Registry Casting a Wide Net, April 16, 2010:
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/nation/sex-offender-registry-casting-a-wide-net

Lawmakers Pass Stricter Limits For Sex Offenders (FL) April 16, 2010:
Offenders Cannot Wear Costumes, Be Near Schools Or Playgrounds
http://www.wesh.com/news/23169497/detail.html

Florida House Passes More Sex Offender Limits, April 16, 2010:
It also has a "Romeo-and-Juliet" clause that would prevent the state from labeling someone a sex offender for having consensual relations with a minor if there was less than a four-year age difference between perpetrator and victim.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/15/1581797/florida-house-passes-more-sex.html

New Bill Targets Sex Offenders (WI) April 16, 2010:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/15/1581797/florida-house-passes-more-sex.html#ixzz0lGm2XF56

City Council to Look at Policy on Facility Rentals to Sex Offenders (MI), April 16, 2010:  http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160324/1001/NEWS/City-Council-to-look-at-policy-on-facility-rentals-to-sex-offenders

Bethesda Students Traded, Sold Nude Photos, Probe Reveals, April 16, 2010:
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0410/726354.html

Padilla: A New Tool In Sex Offense Litigation? April 15, 2010:
http://normpattis.blogspot.com/2010/04/padilla-new-tool-in-sex-offense.html

Benefits of Tracking Via GPS Questioned, April 15, 2010:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/15/benefits-of-tracking-via-gps-questioned/

Adding to California's Dysfunction: Chelsea's Law is Wrong, April 15, 2010:
http://www.thereporter.com/opinion/ci_14888213

Tonya Craft's Alleged Victim Reports How She Remembered Abuse: 'My Momma Told Me' April 15, 2010:    http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/15/tonya-crafts-alleged-victim-re

Opinion: Most Sexual Offenders Do Not Reoffend, April 14, 2010:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/most-sexual-offenders-do-not-reoffend-90816409.html
(Keep in mind these are Canadian Statistics. He states all facts, not the hysteria driven lies that the media and politicans give! He's with The John Howard Society of Canada)

Should Facebook Have a 'Panic Button'? April 14, 2010:
"The panic button really isn't a panic button at all," says Parry Aftab, the New York-based head of the website wiredsafety.org and a lawyer who specializes in Internet privacy and security law. "It's not a cyber 911, it is a link to Internet safety materials when things go wrong. It's not a report to police, it just instructs you to call the police if you suspect a crime has been committed." Aftab also doubts that a panic button would increase abuse reporting because many times youngsters don't realize they're in danger when they're involved in risky online situations. "These kids go willingly to a meeting where they don't know the person," Aftab says. "It's fun and thrills; they say, 'Sure other people get hurt but not me.' They just think they're the exception."
Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a group dedicated to Internet safety education, says that while the idea of a panic button is a step in the right direction, its current incarnation might be off the mark. "I think that having a report abuse button is a good idea, but I don't think the word 'panic button' is appropriate," Magid wrote in an e-mail. "Also I don't think we need a government mandated panic button that's the same for all users." Both Aftab and Magid say the company's current safety efforts are as effective as they can be. "If we can come up with one button that's great, but until we teach them [Facebook users] how to protect themselves they're all at risk," Aftab says.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1981975,00.html

Wetterling Speaks on Sexual Violence Costs, April 14, 2010:
http://millelacscountytimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3173&Itemid=87

Woman Testifies that Maryland Trooper Fondled her After DUI Arrest, April 14, 2010: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/13/AR2010041304251.html?wprss=rss_metro/md
(But will the Trooper become a Registered Sex Offender? Probably Not.)

Lakeland Teens' Arrests Spark Debate Over Underage Sex, April 14, 2010:
What's society to do when teenagers engage in sexual activity? Does age matter? Does maturity count? Should 18-year-olds not be allowed to date underage classmates? What if the classmates are under 16? These are not new arguments, particularly when the sex is consensual, as was the case here.
The girls told the deputy that the groping was consensual but their parents demanded criminal charges, Wood said. The law is clear: Anyone under 16 cannot legally give consent to any kind of sexual activity.
"The parents [of the girls] were adamant that the letter of the law be followed," Wood said. "They had the option of signing a waiver and dealing with it between themselves." But they did not, she said.
But when a teen over 18 engages in such activity with someone under 16, it is illegal and the consequences can be life-changing. A felony conviction can haunt a teen for the rest of his or her life. And then there's the stigma involved with being a registered sex offender.
"We don't have the luxury of debating with a group of people should we or shouldn't we," Wood said. "We've been entrusted with responsibility of maintaining the letter of the law and protecting the community."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/apr/14/lakeland-teens-arrests-spark-debate-over-underage-/news-breaking/

McDonnell Spokesman Says Voting Rights Letter Sent to Felons 'Without Approval' (Virginia), April 14, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/13/AR2010041304600.html?nav=rss_metro

"John Doe" Goes To Court To Seek To Stay Off Sex Offender List (TN), April 14, 2010: The man, who said he moved to Hamilton County in 1989 and has not picked up any new sex offenses, was notified recently by county detective Jimmy Clift that he had 48 hours to register as a sex offender.
He is suing detective Clift as well as Sheriff Jim Hammond, state Attorney General Robert Cooper and TBI Director Mark Gwyn.
The suit, filed by attorney Jerry Summers, says the man was convicted in January 1983 in two other states "of criminal offenses which may or may not qualify as predicate offenses coming under the provisions" of the Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_173393.asp

Opinion: A Ruthless Rush to Judgment April 14, 2010:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_14877200

Arizona Bill Aims to Outlaw Illegal Immigrants in State, April 14, 2010:
"Supporters celebrated the bill as a measure to protect the state from violent criminals".
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/14/arizona-legislature-prepares-immigration-enforcement-governors-signature/
(Very Interesting fact. If you are an Illegal Immigrant, the state of Arizona says you are also violent. Does that include the children too?
Ahh, America loves to alienate, tear down and hate anyone they can get away with doing that to. The Registered Sex Offenders, the Terrorists and now the Illegal’s. No group should be targeted as a public safety ploy by the politicians)

Lawyers Question Usefulness of Proposed Chelsea’s Law, April 13, 2010:
Chelsea’s Law would require lifetime parole for serious sex offenders. They would also have to wear GPS devices. But most of the state’s paroled sex offenders are already on GPS and their movements are only tracked once or twice a day. Critics say just because you know where someone is doesn’t mean you know what they’re doing.
Chelsea’s Law would also seek a one-strike rule for violent child predators. Defense attorney Gerald Blank says that rule is already on the books. He says Chelsea’s Law is redundant.
“This is another feel-good law that makes people feel safe when they aren’t really safe," Blank said.
Defense attorney Chris Plourd says the state would be better off making sure existing laws are enforced.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/apr/13/lawyers-question-usefulness-proposed-chelseas-law/

After Another Murder, Another Proposed Law, April 13, 2010:
Megan, Jessica, now Chelsea — each name a legislative expression of public fury.
The proposed legislation is reigniting the debate over the the efficacy, justness and consequences of laws against sex offenders that have been ushered through during the emotionally fraught periods following shocking and high-profile crimes.
The California Attorneys for Criminal Justice opposes the bill because it said there is no proof that longer sentences and parole terms are effective, KGO-TV reported. The group also said the state would not be able to afford to implement the measures.
In January, California’s Sexual Offender Management Board concluded that Jessica’s Law was in fact potentially harmful as it displaced hundreds of convicted offenders from their homes, heightening the likelihood that they might recommit crimes.
Franklin Zimring, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, told The New York Times that sex offender laws were sometimes nothing more than a barometer of public opinion.
“They’re a plebiscite on sex offenders, and no one likes sex offenders,” Professor Zimring said. “It’s not like they have a lobbying group.”
http://bayarea.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/after-another-murder-another-proposed-law/

Lifetime GPS But No Funding in Chelsea's Law, April 13, 2010:
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12303375

Assembly Speaker Endorses Chelsea's Law, April 13, 2010:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/13/assembly-speaker-endorses-chelseas-law/

Lawmakers Approve Sex Offender Bill (MD), April 13, 2010:
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/Lawmakers-Approve-Sex-Offender-Bill/7Fbq0WtnKEStplhOlMpI_g.cspx

The Ever-Growing Sex Offender Registry, April 13, 2010:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/national/local_story_103083750.html?keyword=topstory

"Chelsea's Law" Introduced in Sacramento (CA), April 12, 2010:
Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for forcible sex crimes against children under 18 when aggravating circumstances exist. The type of aggravating circumstances that would require the harshest sentence depends on the age of the victim. Some aggravating circumstances include physical harm, kidnapping, torture and use of a weapon.
• Where no aggravating circumstances exist, penalties would double for certain sex crimes, depending on the age of the victim. For example, the new prison sentence would range from 6 to 16 years for forcible sex crimes against children under 14.
• Registered sex offenders would be subject to misdemeanor charges and possible parole revocation if found in a park where children regularly gather — unless prior permission had been granted by the park administrator or parole agent.
• Parole terms would be doubled to 10 years for a forcible sex crime, regardless of the age of the victim.
• Those convicted of a sex crime against a child under 14 would be on lifetime parole, requiring constant supervision and a global positioning system tracker.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/12/chelseas-law-introduced-sacramento/

Ex-NJ Lawmaker Pleads Guilty in Child Porn Case, April 12, 2010:
A former New Jersey lawmaker who championed legislation fighting child pornography pleaded guilty Monday to distributing nude images of underage girls.
Neil Cohen, 59, acknowledged viewing and printing images meant for sexual gratification from a computer in his former legislative office.
Cohen pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child by distributing child pornography and could be sent to state prison for five years when he is sentenced on July 12.
Under terms of a plea agreement, Cohen will have to register as a sex offender under Megan's law and be subject to lifetime supervision by the Parole Board when he is released from prison. He agreed never to seek public office again and to pay at least $1,800 in fines. His use of social networking Web sites also will be restricted.
The staff member who discovered the photos told the two lawmakers who shared the office with Cohen, Sen. Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman Joe Cryan. They reported Cohen to state authorities in July 2008.
A week later, Cohen resigned, ending a 17-year career in the Legislature. He then checked himself into a psychiatric hospital.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqgvpm7Iab1geauYpNhmAr1P_fNAD9F1JERG1

10 Issues to Watch on Assembly's Last Day (MD) April 12, 2010:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-top10-assembly-issues0412,0,6893032.story

Concern Grows As Sex Offender Bill Stalls, (MD) April 12, 2010:
http://wjz.com/local/senate.sex.offender.2.1625940.html

McDonnell in Hot Water over Nonviolent Felons' Rights (Virginia), April 11, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/10/AR2010041001268.html?sid=ST2010041001459

State's Sex Offender Risk Classifications can Mislead Public (TX) April 11, 2010:
In 2005, the Texas Legislature directed the Council on Sex Offender Treatment to study dynamic risk assessment, which would include assessing the offender based on multiple factors.
"What it's going to provide is a more accurate predictor of risk," said Allison Taylor, executive director of the council. "The main thing is determining the true predators."
She said the public needs to be notified of how dangerous an offender is, rather than just the sexual recidivism level as indicated on the Static 99 form.
http://lubbockonline.com/stories/041110/loc_604643442.shtml

Talks Stall on New Sex Offender Laws (MD) April 11, 2010:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.sexoffender11apr11,0,600482.story

Requirement Added for Restoration of Voting Rights (Virginia), April 11, 2010:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/state_regional_govtpolitics/article/MCDO11S1_20100410-221809/336443/

Editorial: Branded for Life: Predator Laws' Flaws, April 11, 2010:
Narrow sex offender lists to true threats
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_419f99d4-baae-5695-9f0e-2658c6977089.html

Sex Offenders Find Home in Waterford (MI), April 11, 2010:
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100411/NEWS06/4110485/&template=fullarticle

Bill Aims to Clarify Where Sex Offenders Can Live (FL) April 11, 2010:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/04/11/bill-aims-to-clarify-where-sex-offenders-can-live.html

Sex-Offender Opponents Cite Safety Fears, Cancel Protest (CA), April 11, 2010:
Leaders of a planned protest outside a Buena Park church that runs a group-home program for convicted sex offenders canceled the protest Sunday, saying they feared for their safety.
But, they said, they will keep up pressure on governmental officials to close the homes, located in a quiet Anaheim neighborhood with lots of children.
The church's pastor, The Rev. Jose Mata, spoke to a reporter outside the church Sunday, saying he is aware of the neighbors' concerns, but he believes in his church's mission and won't move or close the homes.
Neighbors learned last month that the church, Holy Ground Christian Fellowship, was renting two Anaheim homes within blocks of each other and running them as group homes for 11 sex offenders – six in one home, five in the other.
That outraged many neighbors who said it has created suspicion and fear, prompting some parents to keep their children indoors.
Community leaders announced last week that they would picket the church on the 7600 block of Ninth Street in Buena Park on Sunday. But protest leader Linda Liptrap-Gutierrez – whose home backs up to one of the Anaheim group homes – drove by the church Saturday, then decided to call off the protest.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/church-243550-mata-offenders.html

Senate Backs Marking Sex Offenders' Drivers Licenses (MD) April 10, 2010:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-sex-offenders-licenses-0410,0,301500.story

Sex Offender Housing Restrictions May Lead to More Crimes, April 9, 2010:
Tribune examination finds those who are forced to serve parole in prison are more likely to reoffend, disappear
Sex offender housing restrictions have long been criticized by civil liberties advocates, who argue that it's unjust to banish any segment of society, and by criminal justice experts, who say it's more productive and cost-effective for most offenders to undergo parole supervision and treatment in the community.
Now some victims' advocates and members of law enforcement are echoing the calls for reform.
"There's a growing awareness that these housing restrictions make politicians feel good, but don't protect victims or prevent crime," said Kaethe Morris Hoffer, a legal director at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-sex-offender-housing-20100408,0,970490.story

Does 'Befriending' Sex Offenders Stop New Crimes? April 9, 2010:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8611279.stm

Suit Fights for Homeless Sex Offenders (MI) April 9, 2010:
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/Suit-fights-for-homeless-sex-offenders

Va. Jury: Naked in Own Home Not Indecent, April 7, 2010:
A man charged with indecent exposure after two women said they saw him naked inside his own home was acquitted Wednesday by a Virginia jury.
In December, a judge in Fairfax County's General District Court convicted Williamson of misdemeanor indecent exposure, but imposed neither jail time nor a fine. Still, Williamson appealed his case to the county's circuit court, risking a maximum punishment of a year in jail to clear his name.
Under Virginia law, indecent exposure occurs when a person intentionally makes an obscene display of his or her private parts. The law does not necessarily require the exposure to be in a public place — it allows for prosecution when the exposure occurs in a "place where others are present."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36239042/ns/us_news-weird_news

Arrest of ‘Most Wanted’ Sex Offender Raises Policy Questions April 9, 2010:
But Hall of the Lansing Police Department said there are concerns about using the sex offender registry in that way.
“Just because they are on the list doesn’t necessarily mean they are a danger,” said Hall. He noted that not all sex offenders on the list have restrictions preventing them from having contact with children, but the only way to identify those people would be through a background check by police. “The sex offender list does not do that for you. It’s not a helpful tool in weeding out the so-called Romeo and Juliet effect.”
Statutory rape cases involving young people just above and just below the age of consent in consensual sexual relationships — say, an 18 year old boyfriend and a 15 year old girlfriend — are referred to as “Romeo and Juliet” cases. Michigan Messenger has reported in a series of articles about the negative impact of listing such offenders on the sex offenders registry — including the resulting run-ins with law enforcement.
Hall says the case of a truly dangerous defendant — one who actually has been convicted of predatory crimes with children, as opposed to someone convicted of entirely consensual activity — illustrates the concerns about having a list that combines genuine predators with those who are no danger to society. “What [this situation] does is expose the limitations of the sex offender list,” he said. “It’s not a perfect tool in determining the level of risk they might pose.”
http://michiganmessenger.com/36610/arrest-of-most-wanted-sex-offender-raises-policy-questions

'Drug Offender' Could be Added to Licenses (LA), April 6, 2010:
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100406/NEWS01/100406014/1060

Area Republicans Demand Mayor's Resignation (CA), April 6, 2010:
http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/resignation-8220-area-barstow.html

Do Sex Offender Boundary Laws Work? (ND) April 5, 2010:
Piepkorn says yes, but those who’ve studied issue disagree.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/274450/\

Expert Warns Local Sex Offender Restrictions Could be Dangerous (WI) April 5, 2010:
An expert with the state Department of Corrections told a panel of state lawmakers Thursday (4/1) that local ordinances restricting where sex offenders can live actually put children more at risk.   
http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/article/id/38167/

Sexting Creates Sub-class of Teenage Sex Offenders, April 5, 2010:
The sponsor of the Florida bill in the state House, Representative Joseph Abruzzo (D-Wellington) believes that a rethinking of the penalties is overdue.
“We shouldn’t be labeling our children as sexual predators for this type of behavior,” Abruzzo said. “We are lessening the penalties. When the child pornography laws were written, they obviously didn’t take this into consideration.”
“It is stupid behavior that young people will regret for years to come, but it shouldn’t be treated as child pornography. We’re trying to make the punishment fit the crime,” said the bill’s Senate sponsor, Senator Dave Aronberg (D-Greenacres).
If the bill passes on April 30th, both parties can be prosecuted if one teen sends a naked photo to another.
But first-time offenders would get a slap on the wrist: eight hours of community service and a $25 fine. A second offense would be a misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
The consequences of sexting can be unpredictable.
The National Council on State Legislatures reports that in 2009, Nebraska, Utah and Vermont changed their laws to lessen the penalties for teens who sext. This year, 13 states besides Florida are considering legislation that would treat teens who sext differently from adult sexual predators and pornographers.
http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/news/local-news/1038-sexting-creates-sub-class-of-teenage-sex-offenders.html

Editorial: All Sex Offenders Are Not Equal, April 4, 2010:
State Must Look To Research, Not Fear or Politics
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-sex-offender-laws.artapr04,0,5127212.story
(Yes!)

How Many Registered Sex Offenders have Never Committed Sex Crimes?, April 3, 2010: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_2a980c7e-5c63-540e-98df-f286467f472a.html

Knee-jerk Reactions to Abuse are of Little Use, April 3, 2010:
http://www.adn.com/2010/04/02/1210329/knee-jerk-reactions-to-abuse-are.html
(Yes!)

Mental Health Experts Less Likely To Interview CA Sex Offenders, April 3, 2010:
http://thecrimereport.org/2010/04/03/mental-health-experts-less-likely-to-interview-ca-sex-offenders/

Appeals Court Rejects 30-Year Ban on Computer Use for Sex Offender, April 2, 2010:
A federal appeals court in Washington today struck down a 30-year ban on any computer use by a convicted sex offender, sending the case back to the trial court to refine the restriction in a way that opens it up to modification for work purposes.
“[T]he question is not the appropriateness of an internet restriction but its form and severity,” wrote Senior Judge Stephen Williams in the majority opinion. Williams was joined by Judge David Tatel.
Williams said it’s difficult to imagine white collar work not requiring access to computers “just as white collar work 100 years ago would almost invariably have required the use of pens and pencils. In fact Russell’s training and experience mark him not only as a white collar worker but as one at the most technically sophisticated end of the white collar distribution.”
The judge noted that even some blue collar work requires a computer: Russell “has evidently found that computer use is required for filling out most job applications, including those at McDonald’s, as well as discharging the duties of even low tech occupations, such as keeping inventory at PETCO, and producing frames at A.C. Moore.”
A “minimum change” on remand, the court said, would allow a probation officer to modify the outright ban to adjust to developments in technology and “to secure a reasonable balance between the statute’s rehabilitative and deterrence goals.”
Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson agreed with remanding the ban to the trial court for further review. But she rejected the notion, reflected in the majority opinion, that a ban on computer use is a “substantial burden” on a person’s liberty interest.
“We can judicially note that millions of Americans every day perform jobs without using (or even seeing) a computer,” Henderson wrote in a concurrence. “If Russell cannot find a job, it is more likely because of his criminal record than the computer ban.”
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/04/appeals-court-rejects-30year-ban-on-computer-use-for-sex-offender.html

Court: 30-year Ban on Computer use Too Much, April 2, 2010:
A three-judge panel agreed with prosecutors and the man's lawyer that the restriction was too harsh because it could never be modified over three decades.
The judges noted it is often necessary to use a computer to apply for a job, including at McDonald's and PETCO. Russell had served several years in prison and challenged the conditions of his release. The panel ordered a lower court to modify the conditions.
As part of his sentence, Russell was ordered not to own or use a computer "for any reason."
The 15-page appeals court ruling said that isn't fair, particularly to a 50-year-old man who worked for 10 years as an applied systems engineer.
"Even a lot of blue collar work requires some computer use," the judges wrote. "It is totally unsurprising in the realities of the modern world that in his post-release search for employment Russell has evidently found that computer use is required for filling out most job applications."
Such a 30-year ban on computer use hinders Russell's rehabilitation, the judges found.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hjdgXsOk3h7r91yB3M0ndA_itjBwD9ER1S801

Activists, Lawmakers Push For CORI Reform (MA), April 2, 2010:
http://www.capenews.net/communities/region/news/317

Lawmakers Debate Sex Offender Residency Rules (WI), April 1, 2010:
A bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee would prohibit those local ordinances, and allow the state to set uniform guidelines. Sen. Lena Taylor, a Milwaukee Democrat, says a patchwork of rules could result in sex offenders flocking to Milwaukee or remote areas in northern Wisconsin.
“We do have our habits of being very territorial and not worrying about the effect of whether or not what we’re doing is really what we need to do for uniformity so that we can address the issue for our sisters and brothers that are in areas that are more remote than ourselves, or communities that may not be remote, but may not have the same ordinances that we have,” Taylor says.
http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=5987

Who Should Decide Where Sex Offenders Live? (WI) April 1, 2010:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/89722657.html

Grain Valley Candidate Not a Sex Offender (MO), April 1, 2010:
http://www.examiner.net/news/x1043113427/Grain-Valley-candidate-not-a-sex-offender
Ariz. House Panel Delays Vote on Sexting Bill, April 1, 2010:
http://www.azcentral.com/community/surprise/articles/2010/04/01/20100401arizona-sexting-bill.html

Targeting Sex Offenders (MD), April 1, 2010:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.sexoffenders0402,0,7945143.story

County DA Says Teen Sexting Will be Punished (PA), April 1, 2010:
http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2010/04/01/public_spirit_willow_grove_guide/news/doc4bb4f6e231d0b320398818.txt

'Sexting': Should Child Pornography Laws Apply? April 1, 2010:
Legal Debate Springs Up After Man Put on Sex Offender List for Forwarding Risque Images
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/phillip-alpert-sexting-teen-child-porn/story?id=10252790

Some Sex Offenders Not Entitled to Get Minimum Wage (WI), April 1, 2010:
http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12241464

Firm Can't be Sued for Using Info from Offender Registry (CA), April 1, 2010:
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=22785

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RSOL of Virginia strives to provide accurate and current information to the citizens of Virginia.
We do not claim to be a legal resource. Always consult with an Attorney and the Virginia State Police (804) 674-2825 where needed.
We at RSOL of Virginia do not in any way condone the sexual abuse of anyone in anyway, shape, or form.
We support appropriate punishment and treatment for offenders based on their individual case.       
We support the reform of many of the statutes that currently require registration, that an accusation alone is sufficient to convict, prosecution for “Sexting” between teens and young adults, prison time and the requirement to register for consensual acts between teens and young adults, the retroactive approach to applying new laws, the increases in offender classifications by Legislators, the harsher compliancy penalties than the original conviction, the total computer and internet banishment for those whose crimes were not computer related and all residency restrictions.
We support reform of the sex offender registries so that the public can be aware of the presence of truly dangerous, untreatable and repeat offenders while allowing the majority of offenders to re-enter society and become productive citizens that can secure housing, employment, participate in their families lives and live without fear of community threats or retaliation.
The RSOL of Virginia is an independent group as of December 2009. When we originally formed in October 2008, we were the state affiliate for Reform Sex Offender Laws.org
Unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to break away from National RSOL due to differences in opinion. We wish RSOL National and all their state affiliates well in this very important cause, to REFORM Americas Sex Offender Registries.