Other States

A new Texas law now allows grooming offenses, even in the absence of any physical sexual contact, to trigger mandatory registration as a sex offender. Under so-called “Audrii’s Law,” prosecutors may pursue a registration requirement based on patterns of behavior or relationship dynamics alone. (See KSAT, “More people will have to register as sex offenders after new Texas law goes

A lawmaker in North Carolina is behind bars this week after being charged with felonies tied to alleged sexual conduct with a minor. State Rep. Cecil Brockman, who represents Guilford County, is facing two counts of statutory rape of a child between the ages of 13 and 15 and two counts of indecent liberties with a child, according to court

In Hazelwood, Missouri, the police department seems to have trouble taking “unconstitutional” for an answer. Recently, in the midst of the city’s appeal of a lawsuit that struck down its Halloween ordinance, the Hazelwood Police Department sent a letter to its registrants attempting to enforce that very same ordinance. The ordinance, which required individuals forced to register as sexual offenders

In a shocking example of the extremes to which registry laws can reach, a mother in Greenville, North Carolina was arrested for picking up her child from Southwest High School — not because of misbehavior, not because of threat or complaint, but solely because she is a registered sex offender. The woman was flagged by the Raptor system while attempting

A recent shooting in Fresno highlights how dangerous vigilantism can become for people recently released and trying to reenter their communities. According to reporting, Jennifer Cedano — dressed in tactical gear — allegedly shot at her nephew and wounded a 64-year-old bystander; prosecutors say she believed her nephew had inappropriately touched her daughter. Prosecutors also told the court that Cedano

A new bill introduced by lawmakers in Michigan, HB 4938 — the so-called “Anticorruption of Public Morals Act” — would not only ban first amendment protected expression but could also create new pathways for people to be added to the sex offender registry. The measure is written so broadly that it would make it a felony to make, share, or