Tag: New Jersey

In March, Lakewood resident Jackie Anselmo started a campaign to restrict parental custody rights of convicted sex offenders. Less than six months later, a bill to that effect has been introduced in the New Jersey Assembly. Bill A-5160, which is sponsored by Assemblyman Sean T. Kean, R-Ocean, would amend existing law to bar “custody of and visitation rights to any child for a person convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 13.” Full Article

It took 14 years for Jackie Anselmo to go public with her nightmare. Set off by a discovery on social media in the spring, the 28-year-old Lakewood resident decided she had held her trauma in long enough. At age 14, a 24-year-old relative raped her and sexually abused her over a period of years, Anselmo said. He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. The Asbury Park Press usually does not name victims of sexual assaults, but Anselmo allowed her name and photo…

A former Cape May business owner who claimed a 13-year-old boy, with whom he had a sexual encounter, lied about his age cannot use that as a defense at trial, Appellate Court judges decided May 31.  Full Article Related http://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/appellate-division-unpublished/2017/a0741-15.html Grindr not liable for man’s sex encounter with minor, federal judge rules

When ____ ____ got out of prison for a rape he did not commit, he spent the next 20 years on New Jersey’s sex offender registry. Only when he was formally cleared this month did his name come off a list that carries a lifetime of stigma. The case has put a spotlight on whether the registry — created by Megan’s Law and designed to notify parents of predators nearby — is too broad and even ineffective. Full Article

Megan Kanka was raped and strangled by a twice-convicted sex offender across the street from her home in Hamilton Township, N.J., in July of 1994. Her parents, Maureen and Richard Kanka, pushed tirelessly for the law that alerts parents when a sexual predator moves into the neighborhood. Two decades later, the family is still haunted by the tragedy. Full Article

Christine Todd Whitman, who was governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, writes that she signed Megan’s Law to help parents know who is living near them so they can ensure their children are safe. While the law is not a panacea, it has helped protect kids. Full Article

TRENTON – Sex offenders will now face tougher prison sentences thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie Monday. The Jessica Lunsford Act, named after a 13-year-old who was raped and murdered in 2005, means anyone who is convicted of abusing a child younger than 13 will go to prison for 25 years without parole. Full Article