MI: Michigan Supreme Court limits sex offender registry law to post-2011 cases

The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that people who committed sex offenses before July 2011 cannot be required to follow the state’s current sex offender registry law. The unanimous decision says applying the 2021 law to older cases would add punishment after the fact. The ruling does not affect people whose offenses happened on or after July 1, 2011. They

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CA: The Stop Predator Dumping Act: When the Solution to a Problem Is More of the Problem

I must admit, when I saw the title, “Stop Predator Dumping Act,” I got hopeful. Someone might finally want to put safeguards in place to prevent “dumping on” people forced to register. Stop the vigilantism! Stop the shaming! And stop treating human beings like hazardous waste! But I was wrong. U.S. Congressman George Whitesides (CA) is proposing legislation to address

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MT: Montana registrant population grows 8.1% percent over five years

According to Montana Department of Justice data, Montana’s registered sex offender population grew from 5,292 in 2022 to 5,718 in 2026 — an increase of 426 offenders, or 8.1 percent over five years. That’s a pretty remarkable number when you consider that Montana recognizes that registration is not lifelong for everyone. Under Mont. Code Ann. § 46-23-506(3), Level 1 offenders

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WV: Large number of Flock ‘hits’ tied to sex offenders, not active investigations

During a recent information session, representatives of the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department said the county’s 20 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras captured some 572,370 unique license plate images over a 30-day period. The department gets a number of hits through the NCIC that it never investigates because the plates are tied to known sex offenders and not an active

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SC: Church Leaders Arrested After Giving Registrant a Second Chance.

A man in his 70s, convicted in 2023 of a sex offense involving a minor, was approved by his probation office to volunteer at a local church. It’s the kind of stable, supervised community connection that reentry research consistently shows reduces reoffense risk. His probation condition was that he have no direct contact with minors. Somewhere between that condition and

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