Federal judge rules that Connecticut’s requirement for sex offenders to provide internet identifiers is unconstitutional
After a convicted sex offender who lives in Connecticut was arrested for not providing his email address to the state police, he filed a federal lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer ruled that having to provide internet identifications is unconstitutional.
The judge states, “Despite the fact that the disclosure law has been in place for more than 15 years, the state cannot point to a single example of when its database of sex offenders’ email addresses and other internet communication identifiers has helped the police detect or solve any crimes.” (CTPost, “Judge: CT should not require sex offenders to register web IDs,” Daniel Tepfer, September 16, 2023)
Discover more from Florida Action Committee
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
My point has been made. So many are in fear of never getting off the hit list if they stand up for their rights. Truth is that they do not want to let anyone off of that list and they will always find a way to keep you on it. The best way off of the list is by challenging every part of it until the list gets struck down by the Supreme Court. The more wins we get on illegal ordinances the more it shows that the registry is punitive and in direct violation of the Constitution.
If they can keep us afraid of challenging them they will win. No I do not want to be on their list forever however since there is no clear path for anyone (by clear path I mean that even if you jump through all their hoop-s they don’t have to let you off) then what’s the point of simply allowing them to get by with their harassments?
Yes I did say that if they arrest me for violating an illegal ordinance it would actually help me. I am not independently wealthy however what I am is a person that is very capable of doing research on case law and have an ample amount of time to fight. Not knowing the procedures and not having the money to challenge stops me from the fight. But if arrested the costs involved are a moot point. The “Public Pretender” knows the procedures and has to file the appropriate motions. The law is clear on the what is required by appointed counsel.
F.A.C or Florida Action Committee should change their name to:
F.A.C Freedom And Change, as that is what we are seeking.
One of my favorite songs is by Sam Cooke, “A Change is gonna Come”. If you have never heard it, check it out on youtube or another music platform. If it doesn’t move you, I don’t know what will.
We need more of these kinds of wins to spread around. We’re still screwed here in Florida for now, though.
“….has helped the police detect or solve any crimes.”
Hmmm, and any Registry….” has helped the police detect or solve any crimes. “???
I’ve made that exact point hundreds of times over the past few years. No one can find where the registry was useful in the detection, investigation, or prevention of any crime whatsoever except registry violations.
Beyond that, even in the few-and-far-between cases of registrant recidivism, the registry is still useless. 99% of the time, registry status is unknown until after arrest.
Not saying it never happened, but I’ve never run across an account of a recidivating registrant who was also noncompliant with all reporting mandates and such. And even if there is, I doubt there’s even a reasonable theory regarding how updating a registry entry would have prevented the new crime.
Further still, there are hundreds of examples of law enforcement using the registry to investigate crimes apart from registry violations that turned up absolutely nothing helpful, resulting in astronomical waste of resources and delaying (perhaps preventing) solving the investigated crime. Most notably the unfortunate Dru Sjodin case, for which the federal registry is appropriately named.
Despite the fact that her assailant was a registrant, the registry was absolutely useless in the investigation of her case. Several thousand man-hours (and God knows how many dollars) chasing registry leads were wasted before they bothered to look at security footage featuring the assailant’s car, which is how they actually found him.
My comment to the newspaper article (for better or worse, it’s how I feel)
The well known fact is that most sex offenders NEVER reoffend. They have the lowest rates of reoffense of any crime type by a factor of 1/10th!
I did my time. I did my probation. I paid all fines, fees, restitution and court costs IN FULL.
My debt to society is PAID IN FULL.
The government has no right to intrude in my life! I paid my debt! So put away your torches and pitchforks!!!
There are about one million of us currently forced to register. And we are getting more and more fed up with the torch and pitchfork crowd.
Excellent reply! We were the original people to be “cancelled” as in a social death. We have certainly paid that price in many cases for decades.
Enough is enough of this proven totally useless shaming list bullshit. Let us move and have the 2nd chance that is one of the corner stones of American values. It is for ALL Americans!