Other States

A lawsuit filed in Sacramento contests the validity of a risk‑assessment tool specifically used to evaluate female sex offenders. The plaintiff, the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL), argues the tool has not been properly validated for use with female offenders, leads to unjust restrictions on low-risk women, such as excessive supervision or parole limitations and in some cases,

A new law going into effect in West Virginia this week requires people on the sex offender registry to pay an annual fee of $125. The law, which can be found here, will hopefully be challenged. Since the registry is supposed to be non-punitive, it is questionable whether a fee imposed as part of a criminal sentence or as a

A New Jersey appellate court ruled that individuals seeking removal must substantively prove they no longer pose a threat to public safety in any way, not just sexual reoffense. A Middlesex County judge granted two men’s petitions on the basis that they were not a substantial risk of sexual reoffense, but the state appealed arguing the court failed to consider

In the latest installment of “Let’s Pretend This Will Make Us Safer,” the city of Joliet, Illinois is planning to construct a public park on an empty lot across from a group home housing 11 individuals on the sex offense registry. The land has long been vacant and unused, but now, conveniently, it’s becoming a park. One that just happens