By Jessica Pupovac . . . After serving 10 years in prison for criminal sexual assault, Marcus Barnes was counting down the days until his release date on Dec. 17, 2018. He was planning on spending the holidays with his family and reconnecting with his daughter, who had recently graduated from high school and had started communicating with him again. “With…
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By Alex Pickett . . . An attorney for two Florida sex offenders asked an 11th Circuit panel Tuesday to reinstate a lawsuit challenging residency restrictions in Miami-Dade County that effectively rendered them homeless. The unnamed offenders, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit in 2014 against Miami-Dade County, claiming an ordinance that prevented certain sex offenders from living…
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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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By Thaddeus Miller . . . Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted this week to repeal an ordinance that restricts how close convicted sex offenders can live near schools and parks — a policy California’s Supreme Court found unconstitutional. The move by Fresno County also includes a settlement with a Sacramento-based attorney who sued over the law. The county has…
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By Rebecca Kanable . . . A sex offender expert with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections on Monday discouraged the Harmony Town Board from passing an ordinance restricting where sex offenders could live in the town. The town board later tabled its proposed ordinance again during a lengthy meeting. The sex offender ordinance was proposed after board members learned that…
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By Sandy . . . The Missouri legislature is in the process of considering HB2142, a bill that would prohibit anyone on the sexual offense registry from entering or being within 500 feet of any of the nature or education centers controlled by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The stated purpose is for the protection of children who are frequent visitors,…
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By Andrew Bowen . . . The city of San Diego has settled a lawsuit challenging a city law that limits where convicted sex offenders can live, agreeing to enforce the law only against those who are on parole. The 2008 ordinance bans all registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park or other facility that…
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By Benjamin Pierce . . . Officials in two Rock County [WI] towns want more control over where sex offenders live, but a national organization said such restrictions hinder offender rehabilitation. The town of Johnstown and the town of Harmony have drafted ordinances regarding sex offenders. “Those people have to stay someplace, but it would just be nice if we…
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Originally published in Criminal Legal News By Sandy . . . Twenty years ago, at age 23, William committed a serious sexual crime for which he spent three years in prison and participated in an intensive treatment program – four hours a day, five days a week. He confronted the demons of his own childhood molestation and emerged, literally, a…
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By Chiara Eisner . . . Carol Nesteikis, 66, has never committed a crime. But for two years, from six in the evening to six in the morning the next day, she lived under de facto house arrest with her 32-year-old son, Adam. It wasn’t because she wanted to. The home itself was a kind of punishment, she says. Adam…
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