GREAT DECISION: Nassau County (FL) SORR violated Ex Post Facto provisions.

An excellent decision came out of Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit (Nassau County) Friday afternoon finding their Sex Offender Residency Restriction (SORR) Unconstitutional as applied to the Defendant (who was charged with violating the County SORR) whose offense date was before the enactment of the SORR. You can read the decision here: State v Wright – Nassau County SORR Case The

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Lawsuits challenging continued confinement amid Covid-19 continue to be filed.

Courtesy of law firm Carlton Fields, the following is a compiled list of lawsuits filed on behalf of inmates for conditions of confinement in light of the Coronavirus outbreak. Among those featured is Barnes v. Jeffreys, brought on behalf of inmates in Illinois who are required to register as sex offenders and continue to be confined in prison simply because

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Amid COVID-19, Florida confronts age-old question: Do the old and sick need to be locked up?

On the day the Florida Legislature voted on the budget, Florida had 390 positive cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths statewide. Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa, a leader on prison issues, made a point before the vote to ask what was being done to address a potential outbreak of the virus in the state prison system. Inmates can’t even have hand

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CO: Governor suspends certain requirements under registration in light of Covid-19

The Governor of Colorado has issued an executive order (Executive Order D 2020 029) Among other suspensions, he “temporarily suspend the requirement in C.R.S. § 16-22-108(6) that any person required to register as a sex offender shall sit for a current photograph or image and shall supply a set of fingerprints to verify the person’s identity to local law enforcement,

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UPDATED: Highly Decorated D.A.R.E. Cop Arrested for Running an Enormous Child Porn Ring

UPDATED: IN RESPONSE TO MEMBER COMMENTS THIS OFFICER’S NAME HAS BEEN REMOVED Another story from the “it’s not the people on the list you need to watch: The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program should better be called an hilarious exercise in how not to convince kids to keep away from substances the state deems illegal. As cops hopped on

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Audit: Privatizing Florida’s Prison Health Care Was Costly and Deadly Mistake

When former Florida Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011, he pushed to privatize health care for Florida prisoners. He promised the move would save taxpayers millions of dollars and it did, at least until 2014. An audit ordered by the state legislature found that since those initial savings, privatization has cost many millions more. “The contracts the [Florida Department

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Great case: No duty to register if not “released from the sanction for conviction”

An excellent case came out of Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeals last week! An individual who had been charged with a Failure to Register (FTR) had his charges thrown out by the Trial Court (and the Appeals court now agreed) because the statutory language of 943.0435 did not require he register. You must read the order to get a

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CA: Disappointing loss in ACSOL case to block in person registration

Yesterday, a judge denied the temporary restraining order sought by the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws to prevent Los Angeles County from requiring in-person visits to sheriff’s department stations during a pandemic. More information on the hearing can be found on the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws website. The disappointing result of the hearing is just more proof

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Thoughts on the remote courtroom

This week the Supreme Court of the United States announced that for the first time in history, they will hear oral arguments remotely. The decision, prompted by the Coronavirus epidemic, introduces a new wrinkle presented in the way court cases will be conducted. One one hand, it’s great that the wheels of justice are continuing to turn during this trying

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