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Wasteful and Counterproductive Policies Based in Fear.
An appellate court decision saying Michigan can’t impose its sex offender registration law on people retroactively will not be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, meaning the law may have to be changed. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said the decision by the Supreme Court not to take up the case “effectively requires the Michigan legislature to replace the existing law, thus creating an opportunity to reform Michigan’s registry.” Anna Heaton, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Snyder, said Snyder’s office will “work with the attorney general and Michigan State Police on next steps.”
In its appeal, the state argued that the registration law should be allowed to stand and imposed no more than “minor and indirect” effects on past offenders. The Sixth Circuit, in a three-judge decision, found otherwise, saying the registration law “brands registrants as moral lepers solely on the basis of a prior conviction” and “consigns them to years, if not a lifetime, of existence on the margins, not only of society, but often, as the record in this case makes painfully evident, from their own families, with whom, due to school-zone restrictions, they may not even live.”
“Courts have repeatedly recognized that Michigan’s sex offender registry is not just unconstitutional, but it’s an abject failure,” said Miriam Aukerman, ACLU of Michigan senior staff attorney. “Our communities deserve effective public-safety measures that are based in facts and research, not wasteful and counterproductive policies based in fear. We look forward to working with the legislature on a common-sense approach that serves our communities.” MORE:
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Wasteful and Counterproductive Policies Based in Fear.
Arizona MVD a Bit Unusual
Make sure you know current requirements. You can go to your Sheriff's Office website to see if there is new information there. If so, we suggest you do a screen print and save it. Call your registry office to get clarification on any questions you might have. Document the date, time, who you spoke with and their instructions regarding any address change, vehicle, employment, travel dates if required, etc.
Keep in mind if you are required to update your drivers license annually through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) you should contact them for their status.
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I am a registered sex offender in Michigan. I have just completed my two year parole. I have applied for every dirty job around, only to be rejected when the sex offense comes up.The only firm job offer fell through when it was discovered that the business was 900 feet from a school rather than the required 1000 feet. It is horrible.
Gerald, Thanks for your vigilance on the MI front. Many of us ‘registrants’ have a tough time getting work. This is what WAR is all about: Fighting the Destruction of Families ( being a productive member of society ).