Author: FAC Contributor #1

Roughly two weeks ago the Pennsylvania Supreme Court deemed the state’s current sex offender registration law to be punishment and ultimately barred by both the state and federal constitutions when applied retroactively. That decision may now end up under review from the highest court in the country. Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said Friday his office would ask the

Below is an excerpt from an article in The Press Democrat, which states something we already know: “Our initial concern with Jessica’s Law was that while it placed harsher sentences on sex offenders, including requiring them to be registered for life, it would not necessarily increase safety. And the numbers are showing exactly that. Homeless registered sex offenders are a

A federal judge has blocked Nebraska from putting a 13-year-old boy who moved to the state from Minnesota on its public sex offender registry. Yesterday, an Eighth Circuit panel affirmed this ruling. The opinion. Note that this applied to a nuance of the law which exempted juveniles convicted in Nebraska, but not those convicted in other states who moved to

Previous source of cash has run dry, so the state charges registrants for every change of status. A new Wyoming law means sex offenders must now pay to register or make changes to their registration. If they ignore the new law, they’re subject to criminal charges. It’s a big change for both offenders and law enforcement. In Teton County, where

Some sex offenders have been living illegally in off-limit areas of Fort Lauderdale. But Operation Here Not There has swept up 22 suspects in six weeks, authorities said Tuesday. The city prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,400 feet of a school, school bus stop or park. The arrests were announced by Fort Lauderdale Police, the Florida Department of Law

There’s an old adage in politics that says “it’s always better to do something than nothing.” One look at emotionally charged legislation like Kate’s Law, however, and that hackneyed phrase gets turned on its head. Officially titled “Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015,” Kate’s Law does exactly as its title suggests: It establishes a five-year mandatory minimum

A win!  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court just handed down an important ruling concerning the state’s sex offense registry law—yes, it is “punishment” and no, it cannot be applied retroactively.  Pennsylvania’s registration statute was already harsh but lawmakers enacted an even harsher version in 2012 and made the new law apply even to those who had been sentenced under the old

The Federal District Court Judge presiding over the Internet identifier lawsuit is allowing the case to proceed despite the State of Florida’s claim that they amended the statute (the definition of Internet identifiers) and the suit is now Moot. Among other motions for both sides that the judge dispositioned in his order, he acknowledged the registrant plaintiffs position that the

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that adding someone to the state’s sex offender registry is a punishment, and therefore cannot be done retroactively. The case, Pennsylvania v. Muniz, pertained to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which went into effect in Pennsylvania in 2012. Previous sex offense law required certain offenders to register for the list for

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that changes enacted five years ago to toughen reporting requirements under Pennsylvania’s sex offender registration law cannot be applied retroactively. The high court said Jose M. Muniz, convicted in Cumberland County of indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl, will not have to register for life. He was convicted in 2007 but was not sentenced