Thursday, September 27, 2012
I Love a Sex Offender: The De-Humanizing of Sex Offenders - Even in Death...
I Love a Sex Offender: The De-Humanizing of Sex Offenders - Even in Death...: Can you imagine the trauma of losing a beloved family member to murder or an otherwise violent death? Luckily, it’s something most of u...
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Links of Interest 9-24-2012
________________
Comment by a lawyer you will not believe in this tragic horrible
case:
Lenard (Lawyer) then
speculated that Kimberly Vaughn thought her children were better off dead than
alive, and referenced a registered sex offender she learned was living in
the family's Oswego subdivision as factoring into her decision to kill
them.
"Come with me, come with me to heaven," Lenard
imagined Kimberly Vaughn saying to her children. "You're going to be away
from harm. You're going to be away from sex offenders. You're going
to be away from pedophiles."
__________________
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
International CURE, September 3, 2012
Dear Friends, the following position was unanimously adopted on September 3, 2012, during the board meeting of International CURE which was held in Washington, DC. Charlie Sullivan, Executive Director
CURE's Expectations for a Justice system
Because we believe that…
• No one deserves to be measured only by the worst thing she or he has ever done.
• Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and have his or her human rights preserved.
• Justice systems should be restorative rather than retributive.
• There is no way to create a perfectly safe world. Expecting that of our justice systems leads to policies that are counterproductive.
• Detention must be justified by a legitimate public safety concern.
• Those who are incarcerated should have all of the resources they need to turn their lives around.
• No one should be incarcerated for his or her immigration status.
• National and international human rights documents provide a sound basis for ensuring that justice systems meet these goals.
• The politics of fear should not be allowed to influence sentencing practices or parole policies.
• All efforts should be made to depoliticize justice system offices.
• Drug use should be decriminalized and treated as a public health issue.
• All juvenile cases should be handled in the juvenile system that is geared toward rehabilitation and education rather than incarceration.
We therefore believe that the following practices should define our justice systems with respect to…
ADJUDICATION:
Anyone accused of a crime shall be represented by an attorney who has the qualifications, resources, and time to thoroughly explore the circumstances surrounding the crime and advocate for the defendant. This is true whether the crime is considered violent or nonviolent and whether it is resolved by trial or plea agreement.
The justice system shall understand and consider the individual’s background and accomplishments, as well as the mitigating circumstances of the crime as thoroughly as
they understand and consider the aggravating circumstances.
No plea agreement shall occur without negotiations that are done with an engaged and competent attorney, in a manner that does not result in harm to any other defendant, and includes the judge.
Anyone who refuses to negotiate a plea agreement and is subsequently tried and convicted shall not be sentenced to a longer term than was offered in negotiations.
The defendant shall not appear in court in shackles, restraints, or jail “uniform.”
Any action that results in the deprivation of an individual’s liberty shall be decided based only upon the beyond a reasonable doubt standard.
There shall be no loss of voting rights as a result of a criminal conviction.
The criminal prosecution system shall consider evidence of someone’s innocence,
regardless of when that evidence becomes available and whether or not the court process or representation was flawed.
SENTENCING:
We shall not incarcerate persons who are mentally ill.
We shall not incarcerate persons who are developmentally disabled.
Juveniles shall never be housed in adult facilities.
There shall be no death penalty.
No one shall be sentenced to life without parole.
There shall be no mandatory sentences, since they prevent adequate consideration of aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
We shall utilize non-incarcerative sanctions whenever possible. Those include, but are not limited to:
• Restitution
• Forfeiture of all gains from economic crimes
• Therapeutic solutions
• Restorative/transformative justice (Alternative restorative justice programs shall be provided to an individual when the victim is unwilling to participate.)
• Community service
• Fines and fees based only upon one’s ability to pay.
No one shall be sentenced to a prison term unless it will serve a greater purpose than
incapacitation.
The minimum sentence for any offense shall be only long enough to complete an appropriate, well-defined, treatment and training program. Programming shall be provided in a timely manner.
Time added for aggravating circumstances shall not exceed the sentence for the basic crime.
We shall not give significant weight to prior criminal history when crafting a sentence, without considering the probability that recidivism represents a failure of the justice system.
Felony murder statutes shall be eliminated.
All mandatory minimums shall be abolished.
The cost of the sentence shall be identified at the time of sentencing.
TREATMENT OF THE INCARCERATED:
The Prison Litigation Reform Act shall be eliminated.
Persons who are incarcerated shall have access to earned benefits (e.g. retiree health insurance, veterans health care, veteran’s educational benefits, etc.) in cases where the department of corrections cannot or will not provide comparable services.
No one shall be subject to long-term restraints (greater than 4 hours) unless authorized and monitored by a medical doctor.
Individuals shall be provided timely and appropriate health care. No fees shall be charged for health care.
Persons entering the system shall be evaluated to determine their educational, psychological, and social needs. Every effort shall be made to address those needs while the individual is incarcerated.
No one shall be held for a lengthy period in a facility (e.g. jail) that provides very limited
programs and services.
No person shall be held in isolation for a nonviolent infraction.
No person shall be held in isolation for a total of more than four hours for a violent
infraction.
There shall be mechanisms to prevent overcrowding, since that contributes to inhumane
treatment.
No one shall be shackled or restrained during labor or if it will interfere with the delivery of medical care.
Every effort shall be made to compensate for lack of education that may have contributed to a person’s criminal behavior. GED classes shall be standard and provided free by the state to all prisoners without a diploma or GED. Aptitude testing and vocational training shall be provided to ensure job readiness upon release.
Individuals who are incarcerated shall be able to access Pell grants and other similar aid programs to facilitate their pursuit of a college education.
Programs, policies, and tools shall ensure that individuals are able to maintain their social networks through fair and friendly telephone, surface mail, email, and visitation services, including private family visits. Restrictions shall be imposed only if needed to protect specific victim(s). Family members in the free world shall be able to visit any and all incarcerated family members. Subject to security screening, there shall be no limit to the number of persons on a visiting list or call list. At the very least, persons who are indigent shall be provided with postage and writing materials to facilitate contact by surface mail and at least one call per month to family or friends.
While incarcerated, individuals shall be given responsibilities and decision-making opportunities. Every opportunity shall be made to utilize the talents of those who are
incarcerated. Those opportunities may be in the form of facility operation and maintenance, tutoring one another, or providing public services. Where it is possible for an individual to gain certification in an area of expertise that shall be encouraged. Those who are incarcerated shall receive adequate compensation for the work they perform.
Persons shall be paid a minimum wage with a portion going to fines, fees, child support, victim restitution, and savings for use upon release. To the degree possible, community service programs shall be available for interested persons.
The United State shall ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture
(OPCAT), and shall set up a mechanism that will operate to prevent abuse and torture in the country’s confinement facilities.
No person who is incarcerated shall have administrative, disciplinary, or supervisory
power over others who are incarcerated.
There shall be no involuntary interstate transfers.
Housing shall be by consent.
RELEASE OF THE INCARCERATED:
Regardless of the length of sentence, individuals shall be released if they become permanently physically incapacitated and are no longer a risk to the community.
There shall be a presumption of parole at the earliest release date.
Release decisions shall be based upon validated, dynamic risk assessments and performance (including therapy) while incarcerated. The nature of the offense of conviction and criminal history shall not be a factor other than the impact they may have on the outcome of a risk assessment.
Lack of programming staff shall not be used as rationale to delay release. Based upon validated risk assessment results, persons who have not completed programming through no fault of their own shall be released to the community where they shall receive community treatment and monitoring to ensure their successful re-entry.
Everyone past his or her minimum release date shall have an opportunity for release annually.
No one shall be denied release because of a pending appeal or for lack of a home placement. If the individual is not able to live with family members, adequate housing shall be provided outside of the prison system.
No fee shall be charged by the state for probation or parole services. This is the responsibility of the state government.
Licensing restrictions shall be imposed only if there is a strong correlation between the crime(s) committed and the activity being licensed.
Anyone released from a prison shall have access to a re-entry program for assistance with housing, transportation, job searching, health care, and other needs.
Incarceration shall not be extended through mechanisms such as civil commitment,
lifetime parole, or home confinement. No individual shall be subject to residency
restrictions.
Community supervision, in the form of probation, parole, or registration shall be imposed only if a dynamic risk assessment indicates it is warranted. Persons shall be listed on police registries only if they screen high risk on a dynamic risk instrument. There shall be no public registry.
Social security, veteran’s benefits, pension payments, etc. shall be available to the person leaving the prison system.
All persons leaving prison shall have their birth certificate, social security card, and state ID card.
CURE's Expectations for a Justice system
Because we believe that…
• No one deserves to be measured only by the worst thing she or he has ever done.
• Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and have his or her human rights preserved.
• Justice systems should be restorative rather than retributive.
• There is no way to create a perfectly safe world. Expecting that of our justice systems leads to policies that are counterproductive.
• Detention must be justified by a legitimate public safety concern.
• Those who are incarcerated should have all of the resources they need to turn their lives around.
• No one should be incarcerated for his or her immigration status.
• National and international human rights documents provide a sound basis for ensuring that justice systems meet these goals.
• The politics of fear should not be allowed to influence sentencing practices or parole policies.
• All efforts should be made to depoliticize justice system offices.
• Drug use should be decriminalized and treated as a public health issue.
• All juvenile cases should be handled in the juvenile system that is geared toward rehabilitation and education rather than incarceration.
We therefore believe that the following practices should define our justice systems with respect to…
ADJUDICATION:
Anyone accused of a crime shall be represented by an attorney who has the qualifications, resources, and time to thoroughly explore the circumstances surrounding the crime and advocate for the defendant. This is true whether the crime is considered violent or nonviolent and whether it is resolved by trial or plea agreement.
The justice system shall understand and consider the individual’s background and accomplishments, as well as the mitigating circumstances of the crime as thoroughly as
they understand and consider the aggravating circumstances.
No plea agreement shall occur without negotiations that are done with an engaged and competent attorney, in a manner that does not result in harm to any other defendant, and includes the judge.
Anyone who refuses to negotiate a plea agreement and is subsequently tried and convicted shall not be sentenced to a longer term than was offered in negotiations.
The defendant shall not appear in court in shackles, restraints, or jail “uniform.”
Any action that results in the deprivation of an individual’s liberty shall be decided based only upon the beyond a reasonable doubt standard.
There shall be no loss of voting rights as a result of a criminal conviction.
The criminal prosecution system shall consider evidence of someone’s innocence,
regardless of when that evidence becomes available and whether or not the court process or representation was flawed.
SENTENCING:
We shall not incarcerate persons who are mentally ill.
We shall not incarcerate persons who are developmentally disabled.
Juveniles shall never be housed in adult facilities.
There shall be no death penalty.
No one shall be sentenced to life without parole.
There shall be no mandatory sentences, since they prevent adequate consideration of aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
We shall utilize non-incarcerative sanctions whenever possible. Those include, but are not limited to:
• Restitution
• Forfeiture of all gains from economic crimes
• Therapeutic solutions
• Restorative/transformative justice (Alternative restorative justice programs shall be provided to an individual when the victim is unwilling to participate.)
• Community service
• Fines and fees based only upon one’s ability to pay.
No one shall be sentenced to a prison term unless it will serve a greater purpose than
incapacitation.
The minimum sentence for any offense shall be only long enough to complete an appropriate, well-defined, treatment and training program. Programming shall be provided in a timely manner.
Time added for aggravating circumstances shall not exceed the sentence for the basic crime.
We shall not give significant weight to prior criminal history when crafting a sentence, without considering the probability that recidivism represents a failure of the justice system.
Felony murder statutes shall be eliminated.
All mandatory minimums shall be abolished.
The cost of the sentence shall be identified at the time of sentencing.
TREATMENT OF THE INCARCERATED:
The Prison Litigation Reform Act shall be eliminated.
Persons who are incarcerated shall have access to earned benefits (e.g. retiree health insurance, veterans health care, veteran’s educational benefits, etc.) in cases where the department of corrections cannot or will not provide comparable services.
No one shall be subject to long-term restraints (greater than 4 hours) unless authorized and monitored by a medical doctor.
Individuals shall be provided timely and appropriate health care. No fees shall be charged for health care.
Persons entering the system shall be evaluated to determine their educational, psychological, and social needs. Every effort shall be made to address those needs while the individual is incarcerated.
No one shall be held for a lengthy period in a facility (e.g. jail) that provides very limited
programs and services.
No person shall be held in isolation for a nonviolent infraction.
No person shall be held in isolation for a total of more than four hours for a violent
infraction.
There shall be mechanisms to prevent overcrowding, since that contributes to inhumane
treatment.
No one shall be shackled or restrained during labor or if it will interfere with the delivery of medical care.
Every effort shall be made to compensate for lack of education that may have contributed to a person’s criminal behavior. GED classes shall be standard and provided free by the state to all prisoners without a diploma or GED. Aptitude testing and vocational training shall be provided to ensure job readiness upon release.
Individuals who are incarcerated shall be able to access Pell grants and other similar aid programs to facilitate their pursuit of a college education.
Programs, policies, and tools shall ensure that individuals are able to maintain their social networks through fair and friendly telephone, surface mail, email, and visitation services, including private family visits. Restrictions shall be imposed only if needed to protect specific victim(s). Family members in the free world shall be able to visit any and all incarcerated family members. Subject to security screening, there shall be no limit to the number of persons on a visiting list or call list. At the very least, persons who are indigent shall be provided with postage and writing materials to facilitate contact by surface mail and at least one call per month to family or friends.
While incarcerated, individuals shall be given responsibilities and decision-making opportunities. Every opportunity shall be made to utilize the talents of those who are
incarcerated. Those opportunities may be in the form of facility operation and maintenance, tutoring one another, or providing public services. Where it is possible for an individual to gain certification in an area of expertise that shall be encouraged. Those who are incarcerated shall receive adequate compensation for the work they perform.
Persons shall be paid a minimum wage with a portion going to fines, fees, child support, victim restitution, and savings for use upon release. To the degree possible, community service programs shall be available for interested persons.
The United State shall ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture
(OPCAT), and shall set up a mechanism that will operate to prevent abuse and torture in the country’s confinement facilities.
No person who is incarcerated shall have administrative, disciplinary, or supervisory
power over others who are incarcerated.
There shall be no involuntary interstate transfers.
Housing shall be by consent.
RELEASE OF THE INCARCERATED:
Regardless of the length of sentence, individuals shall be released if they become permanently physically incapacitated and are no longer a risk to the community.
There shall be a presumption of parole at the earliest release date.
Release decisions shall be based upon validated, dynamic risk assessments and performance (including therapy) while incarcerated. The nature of the offense of conviction and criminal history shall not be a factor other than the impact they may have on the outcome of a risk assessment.
Lack of programming staff shall not be used as rationale to delay release. Based upon validated risk assessment results, persons who have not completed programming through no fault of their own shall be released to the community where they shall receive community treatment and monitoring to ensure their successful re-entry.
Everyone past his or her minimum release date shall have an opportunity for release annually.
No one shall be denied release because of a pending appeal or for lack of a home placement. If the individual is not able to live with family members, adequate housing shall be provided outside of the prison system.
No fee shall be charged by the state for probation or parole services. This is the responsibility of the state government.
Licensing restrictions shall be imposed only if there is a strong correlation between the crime(s) committed and the activity being licensed.
Anyone released from a prison shall have access to a re-entry program for assistance with housing, transportation, job searching, health care, and other needs.
Incarceration shall not be extended through mechanisms such as civil commitment,
lifetime parole, or home confinement. No individual shall be subject to residency
restrictions.
Community supervision, in the form of probation, parole, or registration shall be imposed only if a dynamic risk assessment indicates it is warranted. Persons shall be listed on police registries only if they screen high risk on a dynamic risk instrument. There shall be no public registry.
Social security, veteran’s benefits, pension payments, etc. shall be available to the person leaving the prison system.
All persons leaving prison shall have their birth certificate, social security card, and state ID card.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Reform Sex Offender Laws in Wisconsin: Maine Supreme Court Listens to Thirteen Mainers Se...
Reform Sex Offender Laws in Wisconsin: Maine Supreme Court Listens to Thirteen Mainers Se...: by WABI-TV5 News Desk - September 14th 2012 06:02pm - Read more Regional News ...
Sex Offender Statistics: Lifetime Sex Offender Recidivism: A 25-Year Follow...
Sex Offender Statistics: Lifetime Sex Offender Recidivism: A 25-Year Follow...: See criticism of this study by R. Hanson. October 2004: Abstract: Recidivism risk is an important component of criminal justice and...
The Jessica's Law Nightmare in California: J.A. Released From Jail !
The Jessica's Law Nightmare in California: J.A. Released From Jail !: Here's an "Open Letter" from the founder, J.A., of this blog I received a couple weeks ago when he was in Co. Jail again on another parole v...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Sex Offender Statistics: Symposium: Preventative Detention: Sex Offender Ex...
Sex Offender Statistics: Symposium: Preventative Detention: Sex Offender Ex...: September 2012: Abstract: The emerging war on sex offenders, as typical of wartime mentality, has been marked by substantial deviat...
Monday, September 3, 2012
Articles of Interest 9-3-2012
Media request for personal stories from those struggling with collateral consequences
Indiana sex offender list violates due process: court
http://www.rsoonline.org/2012/08/28/minn-coachs-child-porn-case-tests-investigators-boston-com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Once Fallen: For those of you who are going to the
RSOL Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
If
any of you are arriving early, you may also wish to attend this town hall
meeting tomorrow night. Since it is on school grounds, however, I would not
advise any actual registrants going to this. This will be a good opportunity to
educate a woefully misinformed public.
Pass this on.
Pass this on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interesting
case below, because the federal court is now stating That being on the registry
is a stigma The courts are admitting that being on the registry is a form
of punishment. Otherwise, the difference between a person who is in prison and
a person who is out of prison, either on probation or totally off of paper
could not be challenged under due process. In other words, we now have the
federal courts saying that the registry is a form of punishment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National
Resource Reentry Center: Service Directories
Folks,
this is a GREAT state-by-state resource to pass on to anyone needing a job.
While
we know former offenders have a very difficult time, this is one opportunity
that they SHOULD NOT pass up. Here is how they explain it:
In
many communities, government and nonprofit agencies have developed reentry
resource directories that help individuals who have been incarcerated and their
families find local reentry service directories. To view a list of any
available reentry service directories from your state, click on your
state. (AFTER CLICKING on the PIC ABOVE)
Thanks,
eAdvocate
or
copy and paste this into your browser:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Sex Offender Statistics: Male and Female Child Murderers An Empirical Analy...
Sex Offender Statistics: Male and Female Child Murderers An Empirical Analy...: August 2012: Abstract: Recent U.S. cases of murders by children below age 11 have captured national headlines. A review of the literatu...
Sex Offender Reports, Charts and Other Papers: Indiana sex offender registry full of inaccuracies...
Sex Offender Reports, Charts and Other Papers: Indiana sex offender registry full of inaccuracies...: Article cited by the Court of Appeals in Schepers, et al v. Ind. Dept. Corrections 4-21-2012 Indiana: INDIANAPOLIS — Inaccuracies in ...
Reform Sex Offender Laws in Wisconsin: Megan's Law 10 Year Case Study
Reform Sex Offender Laws in Wisconsin: Megan's Law 10 Year Case Study: Megan's Law 10 Year Case Study EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The research that follows concerns the various impacts of community notification and ...
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