By S.P. Sullivan . . . New Jersey’s highest court has ruled a portion of Megan’s Law unconstitutional because it requires juveniles to remain listed on the state’s sex offender registry for life. The unanimous Supreme Court decision found placing such a lifetime requirement on child offenders violated their due process rights under the state constitution. “Indeed, categorical lifetime notification…
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Topeka, Kansas . . . A Bill introduced in Topeka would change the way juvenile sex offenders are treated by the state. The bill would require juvenile offenders convicted of violent acts to register on the public registry. Representative John Whitmer supports the bill. He says offenders who are convicted of lesser crimes would not be subject to the new law.…
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By Rebecca L. Fix . . . Sex offender registration policies were initially developed for adults with sexual offenses, but have recently been extended to include youth with sexual offenses as well. At first glance, sex offender registration and notification (hereafter referred to as SORN) may make us feel safer, produce relief knowing that these individuals are being punished. However,…
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From Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health . . . A new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that children who were legally required to register as sex offenders were at greater risk for harm, including suicide attempts and sexual assault, compared to a group of children who engaged in harmful or…
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By Riya Saha Shah…. Ten-year-old Leah pretended to have sex with her younger step-siblings. She said it happened a few times and that she was just acting out scenes from the movies. A couple years later, Leah’s conduct was discovered by law enforcement. Leah was 12 when she was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in juvenile court and labeled a sex offender.…
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By Sandy . . . A woman in Oklahoma has gotten the attention of state legislators after creating a Facebook page protesting that the uncle who was convicted for abusing her as a child was allowed to live next door to her. After his recent release from prison, Harold English of Bristow, Oklahoma, moved into his mother’s home. The mother of…
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By Sandy….part 1 of a 3-part series…. At 15, Luke Heimlich committed a crime; he inappropriately touched a young female relative, age 6. He pled guilty and was sentenced to two years, which was served in a probated term. He successfully completed the probation and a two-year course of sex offender therapy. He is ranked as level 1 – someone…
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