Two bills being introduced in other parts of the country
In Virginia: A person who has been convicted of a felony…upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, such person shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote. Currently, in order to be qualified to vote, a person convicted of a felony in Virginia must have his civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. HJ2
In Kentucky: A bill has been filed that would create a fund to compensate people who were wrongfully convicted and incarcerated. If enacted, people convicted of a felony who are able to prove their innocence will be entitled to $65,000 for each year of incarceration, $75,000 for each year spent on death row, and $32,500 for each year spent on parole, post-incarceration supervision or AS A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER. Wrongful Conviction Compensation HB 206
In Florida the Victims of Wrongful Incarceration Compensation Act in 2008 allows eligible exonerees to receive $50,000 for each year they were wrongfully incarcerated, with a cap of $2 million. But the Florida “clean hands” provision, which is the only rule of its kind in the U.S., prohibits people who have prior unrelated felonies from filing a compensation claim. As of August 27, 2024, only five exonerees have received compensation under the statute. (Innocence Project, “Florida’s Restrictive Compensation Law Fails the Innocent People for Whom It Was Intended”, August 27, 2024, by Katherine Jeng)
If you’re not a credible safety threat to society and are arbitrarily placed on the registry as the result of a conviction, isn’t that a form of wrongful imprisonment?
So basically, the Commonwealth of Kentucky (whose state Supreme Court has declared sex offender registration to constitute punishment, one of about 7 state supreme courts to have done so) considers 1 year of sex offender registration to be the equivalent of 6 months of imprisonment. That is very telling.
@RM
Many years ago, when Ron Desantis became Governor, my mother was obsessed with him. She told me he was a nice man and that I should write him a letter to pardon me. I had to explain this to my mother and here is what I said to her, bless her heart.
“Mom, their ain’t a dog’s chance in Hell he would pardon a person convicted of a sex offense”.
Wow! Just oxymoronic to the fullest.