By Giulia Lowe and Gwenda Willis The present study examined the effect of offense-based labels on community members’ willingness to volunteer with people convicted for varying offenses and any priming effect of labeling language. Participants (N = 310) were randomly assigned to a label condition or a neutral condition and completed an anonymous online survey about their willingness to volunteer…
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By Elizabeth Weil-Greenberg . . . Every five years, Mark Hunter has to pay around $300 to have his picture displayed in the newspaper and notices mailed to his neighbors, informing them that he is a sex offender. While on parole, he said, he pays about $60 a month in fees and has to attend a sex offender treatment class. His…
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By Will Mingus . . . As a child, I was taught the adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” But that’s not really true, is it? Ask any child who’s been the recipient of verbal attacks from bullies, or even friends, and you’ll know that words can, in fact, hurt. A lot.…
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NARSOL Attorney Paul Dubbeling this week attended a symposium sponsored by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which brought together state officials, reform advocates, and researchers to discuss the impact of residency restrictions in Minnesota. Patty Wetterling, mother of Jacob Wetterling, gave the keynote address while renowned researcher Jill Levenson led off the event with a detailed…
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By Dawn Wolfe . . . The ACLU and activists seeking changes to Michigan’s 40,000-person sex offender registry may have a new ally: new state Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. Earlier this month, Nessel’s office filed briefs in two cases before the state’s Supreme Court, arguing that “the state Sex Offender Registration Act has gone far beyond its purpose and…
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By Sandy . . . Two unique opportunities are available within the upcoming weeks for gaining valuable insight into our advocacy and its intersection with the criminal justice system. The first of these is the Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice Symposium being held on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law Auditorium in St.…
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By Anna Beahm . . . A federal district judge has ruled parts of Alabama’s sex offender registration and notification laws are unconstitutional under the First Amendment, court records show. The order issued on Monday referenced a lawsuit filed in federal court in 2015 that claims Alabama’s sex offender laws, known as the Alabama Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act…
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By Holly Ramer, Associated Press . . . A registered sex offender did not break the law by hiring a 16-year-old boy to work for his landscaping business, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled Friday. Edward Proctor was convicted in 2017 under a law prohibiting certain sex offenders from undertaking employment or volunteer services involving the care, instruction or guidance…
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We hold these truths . . . self-evident . . . created equal . . . certain unalienable rights . . . life, liberty . . . By Sandy Rozek . . . We all know the words. We take them for granted. Yes, we know — some are rich, some poor; some are smart, some not so much; some…
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The National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL) is pleased to announce that registration for the 11th national conference is officially open! In order to take advantage of the special early bird rate, be sure to register for the conference as soon as possible (this rate will definitely end soon and may not be extended). Members of NARSOL are…
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