On September 9, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that placing people on the state’s public sex offender registry whose offense was prior to 2011 (when the law establishing the registry took effect) constituted ex post facto punishment and was therefore unconstitutional. This ruling is significant because it frankly acknowledges that the registry is in fact […]
(De-)Criminalizing Teen Sexuality
Washington’s state legislature has passed a new law that recognizes the difference between teen sexting and the production/distribution of child pornography; laws intended to address the latter were crafted before smart phone technology was in the hands of virtually every teenager, and are routinely misapplied to prosecute what has become a common means of teen […]
Louisiana Can’t Find a Surgeon to Castrate Sex Offender
Tough-on-crime legislators in Louisiana passed a law in 2024 allowing those convicted of a sex offense with a minor under 15 to be sentenced not merely to mandatory chemical castration, but even to surgical castration. However, the first defendant to receive such a sentence doesn’t need to worry about it anytime soon, as the state’s […]
Court Decisions in Canada Affect Sex Crimes
Two recent court decisions from Canada highlight just how different that country is from U.S. jurisprudence when it comes to sex offenses. Whereas U.S. courts routinely sentence those convicted of sex offenses involving minors to decades in prison, Canadian courts have shown themselves far more willing to consider nuance and the circumstances of the defendant. […]
Teen Vigilantes Target Sex Offenders
A 17-year old high school student from Walnut Creek, an affluent San Francisco/Oakland suburb, was arrested for harassing several local sex offenders he found on the public registry and shooting at them with his BB gun. Later investigation showed that he was also dealing drugs to his fellow students, and one girl was hospitalized after […]
Shoot a Sex Offender, Become the Sheriff
Second-degree murder charges were dismissed against an Arkansas man who shot an alleged sex offender attempting to kidnap his 13-year old daughter. Although the exact circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, the judge justified his dismissal due to the loss of possibly relevant video evidence. However, public backlash may have also influenced the decision. In […]
Warnings to Those Seeking Kiddie Porn
Project Intercept is a collaboration between the Lucy Faithfull Trust in the UK and huge technology firms like Google and TikTok, which posts warning messages to users who enter search terms suggesting an interest in sexualized depictions of minors or having explicit conversations with minors online. The messages advise users of the serious legal ramifications […]
Bi-Partisan Unity on Sex Offenders
In a U.S. political environment where the two major parties agree on very little, there is one issue on which they are absolutely united: making life difficult for anyone with a sexual offense on their record. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) have re-introduced a bill to revoke the pensions of any federal […]
Rehabilitation or Castration?
A poll by a Fox station in Fresno shows 79% of the public thinks sex offenders can be rehabilitated. But this appears not to have been noticed by the California legislature, which thinks they can always gain votes by demonizing sexual misconduct. Alarmed because parole had been granted to two elderly sex offenders, both of […]
Teen Kills and Dismembers Local Sex Offender
An attractive 19-year old Florida man lured a 28-year old man to his house and killed him with a baseball bat, then dismembered his body with a meat cleaver and saw, loaded it into suitcases and tote bags, and deposited it in a nearby marsh. Police have not released details about what the killer’s electronics […]