By Kristan N. Russell and Shawn C. Marsh . . . Few crimes stimulate such visceral reactions and deep-seated fears as sexual offenses. Accordingly, societal responses to sexual offending such as registration and notification laws tend to be quite punitive and highly stigmatizing for the offender. Yet these social control practices are widely considered by the public to be essential for community safety.…
Read MoreYear: 2021
4th Circuit Strikes Bans on Internet, Legal Pornography For Sex Offender
[fd.org – 1/10/21] The Fourth Circuit held (link is external) that conditions of supervised release banning legal pornography and internet access are too restrictive and cannot be sustained as “reasonably related” under 18 U.S.C. 3583(d)(1) and are overbroad under 18 U.S.C. 3583(d)(2). The court explained that the district court abused its discretion in imposing an […] [Read More]
Read MoreNARSOL and Vivante boards hold annual planning session
By Sandy . . . The NARSOL and Vivante boards, for the past several years, have met the first or second weekend in January to analyze their programs and progress of the previous year and to agree on the priorities for the new year. January 2021 differed in only one respect; rather than gathering together from the many different states…
Read MoreShame — Part III
By a daughter seeking kindness See also Part I See also Part II Part III — What will the future be? Dad is still going through the court system. They want him to take a plea, but he will not. He is not going to be intimated to…
Read MoreSeventh Circuit orders names of six Indiana registrants removed from registry
By Olivia Covington . . . Six men required to register as sex offenders after moving to Indiana can have their names removed from the sex offender registry, the 7th Circuit has held, finding that the state’s registration law discriminates between offenders who have consistently lived in Indiana and those who more recently moved into the state. A dissenting judge, however,…
Read MoreShame — Part II
By a daughter seeking kindness Also see Part I “How it started” Part II – What it is now Page forward to March 2019. My dad had a new accusation against him and immediately was placed in handcuffs at age 71 while eating dinner. He was taken away without shoes and without his medications…
Read MoreAnnouncing the NARSOL National Speakers Bureau
NARSOL is pleased to announce that it has launched its national speakers bureau with the following goals: To open a path to new constituents for its vision, mission, and research by providing qualified speakers on various related reform topics, and To facilitate getting its perspective out to the larger general public, enabling them to become part of the public discussion…
Read MoreMichigan SORA changes signed into law
By Beth LaBlanc . . . Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed a bill that would eliminate school safety zones and certain appearance requirements in Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Act. The changes, made to comply with federal court orders that called the current law unenforceable, were among 80 bills passed by the Legislature during its lame duck session and signed…
Read MoreThose on registry can’t be categorically excluded rules CA Supreme Court
In re Gadlin, S254599 (CASC) Opinion Released 12-28-20 By Larry . . . This appeal was handled by Janice Bellucci, an attorney in California, who is well known for her work on behalf of those required to register. The case arose as a result of a ballot proposition approved by California voters in 2016. Proposition 57, known as the Public…
Read MoreShame
By a daughter seeking kindness Part I: How it started If you have a parent or sibling convicted of a crime that requires them to have their name with personal information listed on a sex offense registry, you at some point will almost certainly be in danger or shamed beyond comprehension. I have suffered silently from shame for 37 years,…
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