By Sandy and Larry . . . Pursuant to its constitutional authority, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has granted pardons – “restoration of civil and political rights” – for more than 70 years. To the board’s credit, rather than having an arbitrary policy that excludes sexual offenses from consideration, 21 of those granted restoration of their rights have been…
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By Theresa Robertson and Dana Mace . . . On June 6th, Representative Tom Mehaffie, R- Lower Swatara Township, wrote an article in Press & Journal attempting to rally support for the need of residency restrictions in Pennsylvania. He indicated he will be proposing legislation that “would prohibit Megan’s Law registrants from residing within 5,000 feet of any public school, private school,…
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By Michael M. . . . In late March of 2018, I received a phone call at ten-thirty PM on a Sunday night, purportedly from the County Sheriff’s Department. The caller informed me in an officious manner that they had a warrant for my arrest, issued by a local Superior Court Judge for failure to register as required by law.…
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By Michael Booth . . . The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday held 2014 amendments to Megan’s Law enhancing certain penalties for sex offenders who violate parole requirements unenforceable against four defendants based on the ex post facto clauses of both the state and federal constitutions. The court, in a unanimous ruling, vacated the convictions and sentences of four paroled sex offenders…
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By Bianca Buono . . . A loophole in Arizona law allows sex offenders to live near schools, in some cases just feet away from campus. Per state law, it’s only illegal for a sex offender to live within 1,000 feet of a school if that person has been convicted of a dangerous crime against children. According to the state…
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As have done politicians before him, Sheriff Manny Gonzales of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, is using the tactic of creating fear in the public in his bid for reelection. He has created a campaign ad showing individuals on the New Mexico sexual offense registry who are allegedly out of compliance and cautioning the public to beware of these potentially armed and…
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By Christopher Zoukis . . . In October 1989, 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped at gunpoint and never seen again. When the boy’s mother, Patty Wetterling, learned that her home state of Minnesota did not have a database of possible suspects—notably convicted sex offenders—she set out to make a change. Wetterling’s efforts led to the passage of the Jacob Wetterling…
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Douglas Hanks . . . A Miami-Dade judge on Thursday cleared the way for the county to dismantle a tent village of homeless sex offenders outside Hialeah, and a lawyer for some of the residents said the ruling leaves them no choice but to live on a roadside or street somewhere else. “They’ll most likely be relocating to another street corner,”…
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By Sandy . . . AndyO is on Oklahoma’s sexual offense registry for a non-contact offense in 2004. He completed his sentence fully in 2012. Andy and his wife of 49 years have one grown son; they are Christians, regular church attendees, and supporters of Christian organizations designed to help the needy as well as projects sponsored by their congregation.…
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By Sandy . . . Each day’s emails and email alerts in my inbox always include at least one especially disturbing situation that threatens the ability of those on the registry to be allowed to resume a normal life, no matter how long ago the offense that caused the registration. The planets must have been in a particularly evil alignment when…
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