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SORNA, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, became law in 2006. We recently posted a piece about how the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals have expanded the definition of what constitutes a sex offense under the law. These two circuits were following the trend in SORNA cases. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Kebodeaux said “SORNA’s general...

There is an interesting criminal case in Canada where American ____ ____ 25, of Murrells Inlet, S.C., is under arrest for possession of child pornography. However, the images were not of human beings but cartoon characters. Canada treats sexual cartoon images as pornography – a view widely rejected in the United States as inimical to free speech protections. Full Article

SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -Tonight, children, many of them at-risk and abused, are putting the final touches on routines. They’re getting a special moment at their big dance in Saginaw. They’re Elijah’s Warriors, named in memory of 6-year-old Elijah Dillard. "Never, we never want to hear that story again, we never want to hear any child go near that story," said Omarr Dillard. In 2014,...

The battle of one Whitefish man to clear his name as a child molester has landed in the Montana Supreme Court. In a recent court brief, ____ ____ and his lawyers alleged Flathead County District Court abused its discretion multiple times, and requested the high court enter a judgment in favor of ____. Convicted of sexual assault and deviate sexual conduct in 1995, ____...

Early education and awareness is key to protecting children from sexual abuse, according to Family Centre’s executive director. Martha Dismont said treatment of convicted offenders was the next most important step to reduce reoffending. However, the charity would not advise naming sexual offenders because this “has not been shown to be the best method of keeping the public safe”. Full Article

We at RSOL heard the news on Monday with a sinking despair that could only be topped by the desperation clearly felt by Rhode Island’s Level III registered citizens. In June of 2015, Rhode Island legislators passed a law that would restrict all Level III’s from living within 1000 feet of any school. That’s a 700-foot increase over the previous restriction. The article reported...

You might think that all advocates for rape victims would support the practice of forcing sex offenders to publicly register their addresses after their release from prison. But you would be mistaken. Growing numbers of victim advocates and criminal justice researchers are among those who have concluded that sex offender registries are too costly and provide little or no protection to the public. Full...

In Wisconsin, if your teenager is “sexting” with other teens, he or she could end up being convicted of possession of child pornography (or numerous other sex crimes), sent to prison and placed on the sex offender registry. Sexting is sending sexually explicit digital photos or videos to another person via cell phone or the Internet. It is the latest “craze” among teens and...

The fate of next year's Havre de Grace Seafood Festival is up in the air after residents complained to the City Council Monday about ____ and ____ ____'s involvement with the event. The City Council refused to entertain a motion to approve the festival for 2016, leaving the festival's future in limbo. Full Article Related MD: In Havre de Grace, festival sees protest against...

The torture started in 2006. The cities of Miami-Beach and Miami got into a war of sex offenders because Miami Beach's ordinance drove registrants without anyplace to live over to the mainland. Miami countered by passing their own ordinance to drive them back. The result, sex offenders couldn't find anyplace to live and were living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway; the bridge that connects...