Friday, July 31, 2015

State Patrol Overspends Overtime Budget

The Nebraska State Patrol is $400,000 over budget on overtime, and it doesn't want to say why.

How much of the overage, do you suppose, is accounted for by the useless make-work created by LB 285 of 2009, the Nebraska version of the discredited Adam Walsh Act?

Read about the budget overrun here, and remember that these are your tax dollars we are talking about.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

New Mexico Radio Program Is Worth a Listen

Listen to the interview of Barry Porter and Sheila Lewis, attorneys from New Mexico, as they discuss reentry barriers and collateral consequences facing those with felony convictions. The show was aired on July 29, 2015 on public radio in Santa Fe and is available online by clicking here.

The hour-long show covers many topics with an emphasis on:

 · barriers to reentry;
 · lack of housing/employment opportunities;
 · excessive sentencing; and
 · the need to enact legislation that would expunge some arrest records.

Both attorneys discuss sex offender registration in detail and the need to move away from the “one- size fits all approach” that is used in New Mexico and most other states. Mr. Porter attended the RSOL national conference and mentioned some of what he learned regarding practices in other states.

Mr. Porter is a regular contributor to the RSOL monthly newsletter in New Mexico.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

July Issue of Ninety-Five% Looks at How SO Laws Harm Everyone

The July issue of Ninety-Five%, our newsletter for friends and donors, is on its way to your mailbox.

This issue looks at how sex-offender laws harm everyone -- not just those targeted on registries.

Ninety-Five% is sent to individuals who donate $5 per month or more to Nebraskans Unafraid. If you want to donate, click here.

Monday, July 27, 2015

How the State Makes Reoffense More Likely

The vast majority -- well over 90 percent -- of sex offenders will not reoffend. You have to be deliberately not paying attention if you don't know that by now. More info here.

You also need to know that interventions -- like public websites and SO monitoring -- in the lives of low-risk individuals tend to increase the likelihood of reoffense. That information is borne out by National Institute of Corrections Institute research that is more than 10 years old. Read the report here.

Parents, Registered or Not, Have a Right to Be Parents

The vast majority of Registered Citizens do not reoffend and they are not dangerous. If they are parents of children who attend school, they should be permitted just like any other parent to participate in their children's lives. Here is a story on this topic out of Virginia.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Should There Be Limits on the Extent to Which a PO Can Mess With Your Life?

We all know probation and parole officers who overstep the bounds of their authority just because they're dealing with SOs. A lawsuit in New York is testing the extent to which POs can interfere with lives, and it might result in significant financial compensation to the SO who brought the suit. That would would be nice. Read the story here.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Encroaching Upon the Power of the Judiciary

Retroactive application of sex-offender registry laws represents a problematic encroachment upon the judiciary, according to an article in the 2012 Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. Read it here.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Be FEARLESS on Monday

We call it FEARLESS because evils like the SO registry and public-shaming websites thrive on fear. You can defeat fear. Join us for FEARLESS on Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. in Saint Michael Lutheran Church, 13232 Blondo Street, Omaha.

FEARLESS is a collaboration of Nebraskans Unafraid and the University of Nebraska-Omaha that counteracts dangerous Nebraska law. Research has shown that isolating Registered Citizens, depriving them of jobs and homes, increases the chances that they will reoffend. Current Nebraska law does exactly that. We live in a state where (research has shown that) sex-offender law makes communities more dangerous.

FEARLESS provides an opportunity for Registered Citizens and their loved ones to connect and learn from one another and support one another. Establishing such social networks reduces the likelihood of reoffense. Even though the reoffense rates for sex offenders are extremely low to start with, there is no excuse for grandstanding politicians who make the state more dangerous with their showboating laws.

FEARLESS takes responsibility where our politicians will not. Please join us at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, 13232 Blondo Street, Omaha. Park in the east lot and come in through the east entrance.

FEARLESS is exclusively for Registered Citizens and their invited guests.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Massive Failure: The Parole Board

The sadly broken system of U.S. parole boards is examined in a worthwhile read from The Washington Post. Read it here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Residency Restrictions Land City in Court


Courageous California attorney Janice Bellucci is taking another California city to court, this time challenging residency restrictions. Read about it here.

Monday, July 13, 2015

FEARLESS on July 20: How Do You Handle Your Story?



The topic for FEARLESS on Monday, July 20 is "Telling: Disaster or Relief?" How do we decide who to tell about our experiences as Registered Citizen or loved one? How much does anyone need to know? Do we expose ourselves or protect ourselves by telling? How do we control our story?

FEARLESS is a collaboration of Nebraskans Unafraid and UNO that counteracts dangerous Nebraska law. Research has shown that isolating Registered Citizens, depriving them of jobs and
homes, increases the chances that they will reoffend. Current Nebraska law does exactly that. We live in a state where (research has shown that) sex-offender law makes communities more dangerous.

FEARLESS provides an opportunity for Registered Citizens and their loved ones to connect and learn from one another and support one another. Establishing such social networks reduces the likelihood of reoffense. Even though the reoffense rates for sex offenders are extremely low to start with, there is no excuse for grandstanding politicians who make the state more dangerous with their showboating laws.

FEARLESS takes responsibility where our politicians will not. Please join us at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20, at Saint Michael Lutheran Church, 13232 Blondo Street, Omaha. Park in the east lot and come in through the east entrance.

FEARLESS is exclusively for Registered Citizens and their invited guests.

No Evidence SO 'Test' Works for Anything Except Making Money for Its Developer

There is no evidence that a widely used "sex offender" test delivers reliable results. Yet it continues to be used, and the guy who developed it continues to make money from it. Read more.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Another Victory

Another victory.

A judge in Illinois has ruled a portion of that state's SO law unconstitutional.

McLean County, Illinois, Judge Robert Freitag ruled against a provision requiring registered citizens to report to police all of the internet sites they use.

A federal judge struck down a similar law in Nebraska years ago.

Read more about the Illinois case.

Confronting the Lie, Part 3

Friday, July 10, 2015

Reprise: Confronting the Lie

Although we're seeing more news media reports with accurate information about Registered Citizens and registries, most of what you read or hear on these topics in the mainstream news media is wrong.

As a public service, Nebraskans Unafraid offers a mid-summer reprise of last year's Confronting the Lie series. Here is Part One:


South Bend Tribune Editorial: SO Registry Is a Bad Law

The South Bend Tribune publishes an editorial that condemns SO registry laws. Here's an excerpt:
This case is an example of what can happen when a state legislature passes laws intended to be tough on crime. Proposals that aren’t thoroughly examined and vetted can cause unintended consequences. More to the point, if adopted, they can become bad laws that have a crippling lifelong impact. Even the victim and the victim’s mother have recognized the toll the restrictions have placed on Anderson’s ability to live a normal life and have pleaded for leniency on the young man’s behalf.
This case is an example of a law with good intentions going bad because of legislative overreach. Michigan legislators should fix it.
Read the complete editorial here.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

NY Times Looks at Why Registries Should Be Abolished

The New York Times takes another look at the massive mistake that is the sex-offender registry and its accompanying public-shaming websites, which do little other than to provide convenient roadmaps for vigilantes.

The story quotes William Buhl of Michigan, a former judge:

“The whole registry is a horrible mistake.”

Agreed. And the best way to correct the mistake? Just get rid of registries altogether. They do not protect the public: They create violence and they endanger children.

The Times story is here.