The New “Crime Wave” Panic and the Long Shadow of John Walsh

The U.S. spends nearly $300 billion annually on policing, the courts, incarceration, parole, probation, and related projects—more than the military budget of any nation apart from the U.S. It is not unusual for a major American city to spend 30 to 40 percent of its annual budget on policing. These expenditures have been legitimated through decades of anti-crime fearmongering by elected officials and the media.

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St. Lucie Sheriff’s Dept and US Marshalls Waste Taxpayer Money on “Operation Watchful Eye”

(Weekly Update #165) Dear Members and Advocates, The St Lucie County Sheriff’s Department and the US Marshals Service reported some great results from a two-week joint initiative dubbed “Operation Watchful Eye”… More than 97% of persons forced to register were found to be compliant and the few that were not, had benign technical violations! The results proved that “Watchful Eye”

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Reason: Former Staffers Condemn Cruel Treatment of Inmates at a Texan Prison for Sex Offenders

For many men serving time for committing sex offenses in Texas, their prison term never really ends—even if they complete their sentence. That’s because they’re required to enter a live-in mental health facility before returning to society. That facility—in Littlefield, Texas—is actually a former maximum security prison in the middle of a dirt field. “It comes as a surprise,” says

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Indian River County Violating Florida Statutes

We received notice that the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has recently changed their registration procedures and the new procedures violate Florida Statutes. A sign posted in the registration office in Indian River County announced that effective April 1, 2021 re-registration would take place in person, by appointment, Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but that information updates would be conducted via

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Slate: Fear in the Heartland

Today, nearly 1 million people are listed on sex offense registries in the U.S., even though many experts consider such registries not only ineffective but ultimately counterproductive. Those previously convicted of sex offenses have relatively low rates of reoffending, and some studies show that the registration and community notification regime “eliminates the possible deterrent effect of having to register for

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