By Joe . . . In a speech right after his razor-thin victory in last year’s election, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that he and his administration would now move forward with a “deeper sense of fairness and equality.” However, the equality and fairness the Governor spoke of does not appear to apply to everyone in the state. Those…
Read More
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…
Read More
By Robin . . . So, let me be sure I have this solid, Josh Salman of USAToday: IF anyone is EVER convicted of a sexual offense against a teenager, he or she is eternally unfit for janitorial work? Is this right? Is this your credal position as a journalist? Or maybe what you’re really hoping to convey by your crusading…
Read More
Based on comments by our wonderful readers, I have edited this piece by adding an additional paragraph. S. By Sandy . . . The Mississippi Legislature July 1 passed a bill that may be well-intentioned but is ill-conceived and potentially destructive. Senate Bill 2009 stipulates: . . . . it is unlawful for a person required to register as a…
Read More
By Sandy . . . We are well accustomed to those on sex offender registries making the headlines. A registrant in Washington State named Wes Heyden recently dominated the news cycle for several days in a most unexpected way. The founder and owner of a popular coffee shop which, under his leadership, expanded to a chain with more to come, came…
Read More
Published 4/16 at Life on the List By Sandy Rozek Sex offenders have always been with us. Those who are convicted of committing rape and sexual assault and child molestation have always been punished and then released into the community. They were not registered. They did not have to “check in” with law enforcement once they were no longer on…
Read More
By Kelan Lyons . . . Rogsbert King was shaking as she held the letter in her hand. Ever since the Board of Pardons and Parole had provisionally approved her application a few months earlier, she’d checked the mail three times each day, desperate to know for sure her criminal record had been wiped away. King was petrified to open…
Read More
Originally published at the Exponent Telegram. Except for a limited local area, it is behind a paywall. By Sandy . . . Gary Keith, city councilman and real estate agent of Clarksburg, West Virginia, has propelled himself into the spotlight by protesting against the policy of the Clarksburg Mission to extend their services to those in need indiscriminately, specifically to…
Read More
By Hayley Fowler Three registered sex offenders in Georgia clutched a victory on the brink of Halloween when a federal judge ordered lawn signs deterring trick-or-treaters be removed from their homes. Butts County Sheriff Gary Long argued last week the signs should remain while the lawsuit — brought by the three named plaintiffs seeking to represent a class of sex offenders who…
Read More
By Sandy . . . This is a special announcement about some special people. People who are affected by the registry laws are doing so many wonderful things. We have a group of great people in our Humans on the Registry Project – and we want more. Please check it out and apply if you have a positive story to…
Read More