Montana Supreme Court rules Ex Post Facto registry requirements punishment and unconstitutional

Better words can’t be written in a court opinion:  “Under our constitution, citizens have the right to be free from retroactive punishment,” the decision said.   The Montana Supreme Court ruled recently that the application of new laws after someone’s conviction is unconstitutional.  The requirements of the registry are so demanding that it represents punishment.  The combination of the punishing nature of the

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Lee County Commissioners consider animal cruelty registry

Lee County Commissioners are considering a county registry for those individuals convicted of animal cruelty.  A theory has been proposed by the Sheriff and others in the community that registries always reduce crime since those who were convicted are successfully managed by the registry.  No data was presented to accompany these claims.  This debate seems focused solely on emotion and

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Clements v Florida at SCOTUS

After seeking a waiver from having to respond, being prompted by the Court to file a response, and then needing an extension, Florida’s long overdue defense to this case was filed.  Clements filed suit claiming that Florida’s lifetime sex offense registration requirement put the individual in “custody” and subject to habeas corpus.  Their petition stressed that a person is ““in

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Halloween 2023: a tragedy for many

By Sandy Rozek First published at NARSOL.org “In the days and weeks before Halloween, sheriffs’ offices and media outlets implied that Halloween could bring danger to children who were trick-or-treating.  Their messages of how to avoid this impending danger focused on the sex offender registry and the registrants on it.” “…were any children injured or harmed in any way?  Absolutely. 

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 Florida’s housing crisis has struck the sex offender community

Arielle Stevenson, a reporter for Creative Loafing with the Tampa Bay News, says, “Florida’s housing crisis has struck the sex offender community, with very few places to go after release that meet the state’s restrictions.”   As of November 2018, there were 166 local residence restrictions in 48 Florida counties, including 29 county and 137 municipal ordinances.  (Sex Offender Registration and

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