Lawyer Meaghan Ybos to be President of Women Against Registry
The great Meaghan Ybos is set to take over as President of Women Against Registry (WAR). As WAR’s Past President Vicki Henry writes, “Meaghan is a surprising ally: a prominent and outspoken survivor of rape who is dedicated to abolishing the registry, ending systems of perpetual punishment, repealing pre-crime preventative detention laws, and shuttering shadow prisons.
Vicki further writes, “in 2003 at the age of sixteen, Meaghan was raped in Memphis. She was revictimized by the state when law enforcement did not investigate the case or test her rape kit for more than nine years. Meaghan strategically used the (all-too-common) mishandling of her rape case to raise awareness about needed policy changes. In 2015, Meaghan and a group of lawyers and community organizers formed People for the Enforcement of Rape Laws (PERL), which advocates for criminal justice reform and for several years provided the community’s only peer support for people who experienced sexual violence. She is also a contributing writer at The Appeal, part of the Harvard University School of Law’s Fair Punishment Project. Meaghan holds a BA in English from Rhodes College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi.
Vicki “will continue on as a senior strategic advisor for the next six months to help Meaghan stand up her new Board — after which I intend to take a sabbatical to focus on my family and pivot my work to the dire need for prison and sentencing reform. WAR will be announcing new additions to its Board over the coming months as Meghan builds her team to create meaningful systemic change.
“Over the past dozen years, I’ve met thousands of people from all over the country from every walk of life and level of income who have been baptized by fire into this movement — people who share my commitment to ending the sex offense legal regime. I’m excited about this new chapter in my life and can’t wait to see where this new, youthful leadership will take us in the fight for the rights of our families to live free from the stigma of the registry.”
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I am hoping that many see some great things coming from Meaghan
Ybos. Sure we all get mixed up in many things in life. I have gotten mixed up in many things I shouldn’t have. Florida Action Committee is very important to many to strive with many of you all going thru this trauma type ordeal.
Sure we are all Sinners Ok, but who is leading us into temptation. Is is that girl in the mini skirt, Law enforcement that want to promote this occupational type of danger for their status quo or is the blind leading the blind.
Hey I have no parents they passed away20 yrs ago. I only have an upscale sister that thinks shes’ a Chrissy Brinkley “Up town girl” but she’s still my sister. My other sister is very different.
If one has to live with the registry for life than somethings very wrong with government or they have thrown the bible and its lessons lesson’s down the drain. FAC and Women With Registry still strive to stop all of this registry in many ways.
Writing letters is good. This D.C event was good if government will listen. There is hope for every one of you all so don’t get down on your pity pot go for the gusto. And yes you have a helper in Jesus Christ. FAC and many are also there also to do battle for you all..
What sucks about the S.O.R. is traveling to other countries. There are those that won’t let you in if you know the register. This has become a a whole world thing. It Stabs you from being able to go 2 other countries that have restrictions for people on register. I want to vist other countries before I pass away on earth. Has long has I am on the S.O.R. I won’t be able to. That sucks. They need to be softer on one Offenders with no Previous felony. Like me. I never had a Innocent with the law enforcement till this situation happened.
@Deserve
When I was working, I was going to a different country every year. I never had an issue overseas. It was when I came back to the U.S where I always missed my connecting flight because I was detained for sometimes up to four hours. The one time I was treated decently was when my sister was with me and there was a witness. Plus that officer I could tell was a decent guy. He in private when my sister was not in the room, told me to have a safe trip home.
Once they changed things and started turning people away from entering, I threw my passport into a volcano and watched it burned (Symbolically as I burned it in the fire pit in my back yard but a volcano would have been awesome).
@CherokeeJack,
I was going to Mexico on year on a mission trip to help build a home for the needy with a team. When I got to the boarder crossing. They took me in a private room. I was there for 30 minutes has they were researching my situation being on S.O.R. They cane back out to me and told me I was not welcome here and told me to go back home. I was turned away. I was very upset. I was going there for a good deed.
Deserve a Second Chance:
I’m sorry to hear about your ordeal. Most people on the registry walk across the border and have family drive their car into Mexico. Never take a plane into Mexico. Which border crossing were you turned away at?
@Vocal
I was not turned away, but a few years ago people on here were saying they were being sent back by other counties at the direction of the U.S Government. Which raises the question why allow people to leave if they are not able to enter.
#2 it would not let me reply on your other post so will do it here. You said if you were before 1997 you don’t have to be on the registry in Florida and that is not correct. My crime was from 1991 and I am on it for life. Even if you die, Florida keeps you registered which makes no sense other than the state gets paid for each person on the registry in the form of compliance funding.
Cherokee Jack:
Someone had contacted VOCAL some years back about registering in Florida. VOCAL found something in Florida law about pre-1997 offenders which I don’t recall the specifics offhand, that’s why I mentioned that some people might not be required to register. I never said ALL people. We are aware that there are people with pre-1997 offenses who are on the Florida registry. If I recall correctly, persons on parole or probation or were in prison on a certain date in 1997 were required to register. It’s been some time since we had that question and the law may have changed since, that’s why I said SOME people MIGHT NOT have to register.
VOCAL’s position is that these laws are unconstitutional and no one should be required to register. It’s a personal decision whether a person chooses to comply with these laws or not. We cannot recommend that people not comply with the law, but we do support those who refuse to register. We are actually currently working on an article for our blog on the thousands of former offenders who are [deleted language accusing people of legal non-compliance—- moderator].
We are also trying to figure out how VOCAL can support those who refuse to register. If you have any ideas on how we can support those who refuse to register or would like to participate in our efforts, please let us know at [address withheld]. Please keep in mind that our budget is zero and we have no paid staff so our resources and time are very limited.
[Moderator’s note: FAC will not support non-compliance with the law. Legal non-compliance should be shared only with one’s attorney and not with this or any other blog].
With all due respect to VOCAL, anyone who is unsure whether they are compliant with the law should share this information only with their attorney. They should NOT share this information with VOCAL, unless VOCAL is a law firm, which it has not stated it is. We also ask that commenters not use FAC’s platform to express support for non-compliance with the law.
Some people have no problem complying with the registry. However, the registry is upsetting the lives of untold thousands of people. Read the comments on this site. Many people are angry and believe that it is time to stand up and fight.
They lack the funds for attorneys so their only option is to refuse to register so the state appoints them an attorney. In states like Texas where they are facing life for an FTR this is a foolish option because if they lose they could potentially spend the rest of their lives in prison, i.e., James Ray Bates.
In Michigan most receive probation and the rest serve anywhere from a few months to one or two years. What FAC doesn’t realize is that prosecutions in Michigan for FTR are few and far between despite having thousands of people who are not compliant. We cannot locate a single case of a prosecution being reported in the press for FTR in Michigan in more than a year despite thousands being non-compliant. And that is the gist of our story.
VOCAL continuously tells people to comply with the law and be patient while this plays out in the courts. They tell us they are unemployed and have just been evicted. We are sleeping comfortably in our homes while they are sleeping under a bridge or in their car or couch surfing. Many tell us that they have nothing to lose or are fed up with the registry. FAC should be able to understand this because they are dealing with the same people and getting the same feedback.
We are not encouraging people not to register. We are trying to provide whatever support that we can when they do reach that point where they can either no longer comply with the law or are tired of it holding them back and not allowing them to participate constructively in society.
Moderator:
That’s what I said. We don’t recommend that people not comply with the law.
@Vocal
And yet by supporting the statement you made, could influence less informed registrants and cause them to get arrested.
You stated : “but we do support those who refuse to register.” Really really bad advice.
Non compliance and then arrest for such can end your chances to ever be removed from the registry.
Cherokee Jack:
VOCAL does not give out advice. VOCAL recommends that everyone stay compliant with the law. The question is, if someone wants to enforce those rights, where do they turn to? FAC turns them away, VOCAL won’t.
FAC refused to post my reply which would answer your questions. As long as FAC refuses to post our comments you won’t hear the context or our arguments and reasoning. [Moderator’s note: all comments submitted by VOCAL thus far have already been published by Florida Action Committee on this site].
Also, the law is different in Michigan. An FTR doesn’t lengthen the time of your registration period.
Moderator:
I posted a lengthy comment yesterday in response to FAC Contributor #12. That comment has yet to be posted. I believe there is more than one moderator on this site.
Scroll down, click See More, and keep scrolling.
Cash rewards are being offered to those with information that leads directly to the arrest of sex offenders who are not in compliance with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry,
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/09/us/us-marshals-sex-offender-iowa/index.html
I want to bring this up. I was talking to a lawyer ne time about sex offender registration. I asked him a question about those who move to Florida that were once on a registration before in a other state then got off the registration. He told me he if move to Florida they must re-register. If there caught and they don’t they could face charges. That made no sense to me. How is a ex S.O.R. from another state suppose to know that. That is ridiculous. Something has to be done with the S.O.R. it out of control.
It’s no different than a person who has a FELONY in another state it follows you no matter what. Unless you in small HickTown where it doesn’t matter get noticed or they DO NOT have technology to do advanced backgrounds on people.
It’s completely different from other felonies. There are work programs for ex felons but they don’t work for those on the registry. No business can economically take a chance on having their name associated with the stigma of a so . Plus everyone knows about it because it’s on their driver’s licenses, plates are listed home addresses and anything else they want to know to vandalize or publicly shame. Everyone has cell phones. That’s all you need . Hic towns included.
The registry cannot be fixed. It was a bad idea to begin with . Not to mention unconstitutional. It must be eliminated.
[Moderated]
I agree that in certain circumstances if it was a onetime issue then you should be afforded to your name Removed from the registry and your License. But I also would like for the states to UNSEAL that person’s Juvenile record too, to see if they had a record of such then they should remain on the Registry.
[The moderator notes that sexual offenses committed as a juvenile remain publicly listed on the Florida registry for years after the person has remained crime-free as an adult].
I don’t have an issue with private records. Just the public registry. Most places they are available for LE anyway.
I agree the registry should be abolished. Not so much for the ones on it but for the families. We all have children and grandchildren this affects to. They get bullied and beat up just because a relative is on the registry. I read that they want green license plates, how is that helping?? Someone’s having a heart attack or sick and needs to be driven to the hospital and someone starts shooting at their car the innocent victim is the driver or passengers. The innocent ones are children sleep in their beds when their house is shot up or broken into and the ones inside are attacked because it’s on the registry. It needs to be taken away. You got to jail or prison for selling drugs or murder you don’t see them on any registry to say stay away or watch out for these people.
Women fighting for freedom and equality – removal of the Registry in its entirety. I will be joining WAR.
Thank you, Ann. We appreciate people like you.
Thank you Ann Salamone. We need more people like you.
Hi, Ann
We are all so grateful for everyone you’ve done and continue to do on our behalf. You are a true inspiration!
Thank you Ann🙏🏽🙏🏽
I pray and I’m thankful to all the people than be fight for the rights of our families to live free from the stigma of the registry.”