Also published in the July edition of Criminal Legal News. By Sandy . . . For those not tuned in to current trends or social media, cancel culture is most likely new, even unheard of, although according to Merriam-Webster, its first known usage was in 2016. The basic definition is “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass canceling as…
Read MoreBy North Carolina Justice Center . . . The North Carolina General Assembly’s misguided Senate Bill 52 neither improves public safety nor prevents crime and relies on “stranger danger” fear tropes. The bill, proposed by Senator Vickie Sawyer from the 34th district, would clarify that the 1,000-foot residency exclusion zones surrounding schools and childcare facilities must be measured from property line to…
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Poetry Magazine is a prestigious publication, well known in the literary world, and it recently published a special edition, one containing exclusively the works of those who have been incarcerated. Among the offerings was a poem by Kirk Nesset, a former English literature professor who was released from prison last year after a sexual offense conviction in 2014. When readers protested…
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By Sandy . . . Over the past almost ten years, I have written many editorials and expository articles based on things that are happening in the world of our advocacy, especially things involving consequences of being on the registry. Looking back at our archived Digest copies, the first one I find there in which I wrote such a piece…
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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…
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Associated Press . . . The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that inmates who have been convicted of nonviolent sex crimes may be eligible for early parole consideration as part of a ballot measure that nearly two-thirds of voters approved of four years ago. “The initiative’s language provides no indication that the voters intended to allow the (Corrections) Department to create…
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A longer version of Dr. Fortino’s piece appears in the FEBRUARY issue of Criminal Legal News. By Michael Fortino, Ph.D. . . . Fueled by a “moral panic” that evolved through the mid-2000s, the war on “sex offenders” paralleled the war on drugs and was slated to eventually replace it as our nation’s drug war began to wane in popularity.…
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Revised and reposted 8/31/20 By Larry, Brenda, and Sandy . . . The new Adam Walsh Act amended regulations are out for comment for 60 days, and after the comment period will likely be adopted, finalized, and published in the Federal Register. NARSOL had posted an article stating there is reason for concern but not reason for panic. We removed that…
Read MoreEqual Justice Under the Law by Phil Telfeyan Through discussion of Michael McGuire, a client subject to an archaic and barbaric registration law, Phil broadens the issues and talks about how irrational sexual offense registration laws result from a punitive mindset. Our society always thinks punishment is the way to solve problems, but it generally makes problems even worse. For…
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By George Hunter . . . Michigan lawmakers are debating how to overhaul the state’s sex offender registry after a federal appeals court ruled sections of the law are unconstitutional, but Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is contending the proposed fixes don’t repair the law’s flaws. As Democratic and Republican elected officials wrestle over the best solution to a highly charged issue,…
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