Reforming Florida’s Sex Offender Registry Laws
As a case manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Stephanie Jerstad once had a client die in transitional housing after being rejected by 212 different nursing homes in Illinois and Indiana. None of them would take the man because he was on a sexual offender registry for a long-ago offense. Admission was repeatedly denied despite professional evaluations of his
Read moreDear Members and Advocates, It’s time for a little self-care and motivation. A couple of weeks ago we wrote about restoring humanity to criminal justice, especially when it concerns our population. We wrote how certain Sheriffs’ press conferences where they refer to registrants as “scum bags” and “monsters” inflame the public and lead to consequences from shaming to vigilantism, to
Read moreThe case arose after a sexual predator was sent back to prison after his probation officer found a smiley-face sticker covering the label on his license. Florida can continue branding convicted sexual predators on their driver’s licenses. In a divided ruling, the 5th District Court of Appeal has upheld the constitutionality of requiring state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards to
Read moreHow many other creatures are inadvertently caught in the nets? Dr. Alissa R. Ackerman When I first heard Dr. Danielle Harris talk about the “tuna net analogy,” I was stunned by her accuracy in describing the problem we faced and floored by her ability to bring it to life with such simplistic, vivid imagery. It was the perfect analogy. Let
Read moreThe Coral Springs City Commission is scheduled to meet this Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 06:30 PM at Commission Chambers, City Hall, 9500 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs, FL 33065 to do a first reading of Ordinance 2025-114, which proposes to Amend Code of Ordinances Section “Sexual Offender and Sexual Predator, Residence Prohibitions; Penalties, Exceptions” to “to clarify restrictions and
Read moreA very disappointing decision came out of the 5th DCA on Friday in a branded driver’s license case. An en banc (entire panel of the 5th District Court of Appeals) affirmed the conviction of a man who had covered the “sexual predator” stamp on his Florida driver’s license. The man made the same argument that several others had made, that
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