Federal Judge Blocks Michigan From Enforcing State’s Sex Offender Registry ‘Until COVID-19 Crisis Has Ended’ Michigan was one of several states requiring registrants to report to local police stations in person despite the risk to public health from coronavirus. Dawn R. Wolfe Apr 09, 2020
Sex Offender Registry Requirements Leave Some Facing Stark Choices As Coronavirus Risks Grow Inconsistent rules nationwide mean some people are still registering and reporting in person despite public health directives meant to control COVID-19. Dawn R. Wolfe Apr 03, 2020
Alabama Sex Offender Registry Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Teenagers, Lawsuit Argues Young people convicted as adults face a ‘life sentence’ of registry restrictions, attorneys say. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 19, 2019
Florida County: People On Sex Offender Registry Should Shelter From Dorian in Jail Barred from other shelters, registrants were left with few options as the hurricane approached. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 04, 2019
New Law Forces Dozens on Tennessee’s Sex Offender Registry From Their Homes The legislation also makes it illegal for many ex-offenders to be alone with their own children. Steven Yoder Jun 28, 2019
Florida’s Sex Offender Registry Proves Inescapable Critics say the state's policy of keeping non-residents registered bloats the list—and harms public safety. Steven Yoder Mar 01, 2019
Punitiveness of the sex offender registry ‘negates public safety justification,’ Michigan AG says Feb 11, 2019
High Schooler Faced 25 Years on the Sex Offender Registry–For Engaging In Oral Sex At a Pennsylvania school, an 18-year-old female student was arrested for a consensual sexual act with a 16-year-old boy. Joshua Vaughn Jun 05, 2018
Sex Registries as Modern-Day Witch Pyres: Why Criminal Justice Reform Advocates Need to Address the Treatment of People on the Sex Offender Registry Guy Hamilton-Smith Dec 12, 2017
Simon Liu Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life. California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Kyle C. Barry May 13, 2019
In A Florida County, Sex Workers Are Ensnared In ‘Trafficking’ Raids Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister’s stings, conducted under the guise of targeting human trafficking, netted the largest number of arrests there since 2008. Sex workers say the operations put them at risk. Molly Minta Jan 28, 2020
Five Cases Could Significantly Reform Pennsylvania’s Sex Offense Registry. The State’s Attorney General Is Pushing Back. Josh Shapiro has warned that changing the state’s sex offense registry requirements threatens public safety. But experts say his fears are unfounded and the registry provides little to no public safety benefit. Joshua Vaughn Jan 07, 2020
Wisconsin Came Close To Changing A Rule That Often Leaves People On Sex Offense Registries Homeless Republicans are leading an effort to get rid of blanket restrictions on where some people with sex-offense records can live. A Democratic governor is blocking them. Steven Yoder Jan 03, 2020
Black Men Disproportionately Represented On Sex Offender Registries Even though it’s unlikely that they commit sexual assault at higher rates than other ethnic or racial groups, nearly one of every 100 Black men is on a sex offender registry, a rate double that of white men. Debbie Nathan Nov 15, 2018
Case Of Intellectually Disabled Teen Falsely Accused of Sex Offense Reveals Registry Flaws Before Edgar Coker was exonerated in a rape case, he underwent therapy meant to prevent sexual reoffenses. Thousands of kids involved in sexual offenses are forced into therapies like “relapse prevention” that experts say are ineffective. Joseph Darius Jaafari Aug 27, 2018
Failure-to-Comply Arrests Reveal Flaws in Sex Offender Registries In one Pennsylvania county, more than three times as many people on the registry were charged in 2016 with failing to follow registry requirements than were charged with a new sexual offense Joshua Vaughn Aug 01, 2018
Why Sex Offender Registries Keep Growing Even as Sexual Violence Rates Fall Lists that include out-of-state visitors are inflating the numbers and keeping fear at a boil. Steven Yoder Jul 03, 2018
We’re Putting Sex Offender Stamps on Passports. Here’s Why It Won’t Curb Sex Tourism & Trafficking. Guy Hamilton-Smith Nov 09, 2017
Court holds that retroactive extension of sex offender registration is punitive Bidish Sarma Jul 25, 2017
In Leaked Audio, Prosecutor Admits Locking People Up Is Not About Public Safety Sarah Lustbader Oct 31, 2019
California Legislature Adopts a Flurry of Criminal Justice Reforms New laws signed by Governor Newsom target private prisons, and fines and fees, the power of DAs, and more. Daniel Nichanian Sep 19, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: The Rise of Registries With Appeal contributor Guy Hamilton-Smith and Elizabeth Letourneau of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Adam H. Johnson Sep 12, 2019
In Pennsylvania, a Kidnapping Law Could Unravel a Life A Shippensburg man faces 15 years on the sex offense registry for offering a girl a ride. Joshua Vaughn Jul 17, 2019
The Push to End ‘Punishment Fever’ Against People With HIV Advocates say laws that land people with HIV on the sex offender registry are outdated and dangerous. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 11, 2019
Legislative Round-Up (week of Jan. 24, 2019): from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Virginia Daniel Nichanian Jan 24, 2019
Larry Krasner Quit Pennsylvania’s DA Association. What Does Group Stand For? Daniel Nichanian Dec 20, 2018
When Stealing Legos Adds To A Lifetime of Consequences A petition argues that people seeking to escape the sex offender registry, including those put on it as children, deserve more than a single shot. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 19, 2018
When Handing Out Candy To Trick-or-Treaters Means Risking Arrest Lawyer seeks end to Halloween restrictions that target people convicted of sex offenses. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 01, 2018
The Endless Punishment of Civil Commitment Prosecutors can subject those convicted of sexual offenses—and sometimes, those with no conviction at all—to an indefinite period of civil punishment at the end of their criminal sentence. Guy Hamilton-Smith Sep 04, 2018
Expert: Crime registries turn people into pariahs with ‘very little to lose’ New types of registries are being created around the country, despite research showing they don’t work. Jessica Pishko Jul 20, 2018
