If you're a sex offender and you've already moved away from nearby schools, parks, swimming pools and libraries in Riverside County, you've got to one thing to your rather lengthy not to-do list. When Halloween rolls around this year, you have to tear down your decorations, turn off your lights and promise not to open your front door. The supervisors of Riverside County believe that Halloween is a loophole for sex offenders, because it's the one day every year when the children come to them instead of vice-versa. more ›

Gear up the parental fear machine, it's Halloween! Adding to a long list of regulations that deliberately ignore the uncomfortable fact that most children are sexually abused by people that they already know, Riverside County is considering a rule that would prohibit registered sex offenders from hanging Halloween decorations on October 31, would require them to leave their outside lights off that day, and would ban them from answering the door during the same hours. more ›

All 6,622 Sex offenders on parole in the state will now be hooked up to and monitored by a GPS system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced today. According to a press release, those individuals have now been "fitted with an ankle bracelet that transmits its location to parole agents, who also visit [them] on a routine basis." The program is the result of Jessica's law, which was passed on the ballot in 2006 as Prop 83, and it requires "that every paroled sex offender be monitored by GPS." The system was meant to be fully implemented by June 2009, but they're now 6 months ahead of schedule--a rare accomplishment in this era of state-level stagnation. The CDCR may next move to using GPS to track gang activity, although our budget may make this a more long-term plan. Another reason to be a proud Californian? Tripling Florida's meager 1,800 GPS units, our state is now "the nation's leader in using GPS technology to track sex offenders." more ›