Category Archive for : ‘STATE BY STATE NEW YORK’

Newsday/Zachary R. Dowdy

Laura Ahearn, founder of Parents for Megan’s Law, the Stony Brook-based advocacy group forvictims of sex crimes, has been recognized by the state Crime Victims Board for her efforts onbehalf of abuse victims. Ahearn, who has headed the group for 10 years, was one of three advocatesto receive the board’s 2007 Special Achievement Award at a conference held October 2 in Syracuse.Ahearn said she was humbled by the honor. Providing services to victims of sexual abuse and tovictims of violent crime requires strength, compassion and the fortitude to

newsday/Ivan Pereira 10/9/12 After a recent string of sexual assaults across the city, City Council Speaker ChristineQuinn and other elected officials are pushing the state to prevent predators from falling throughthe cracks.  Quinn said that too many suspects get lenient sentences or aren’t prosecutedstrongly enough due to legal loopholes.  The package of five bills includes resolutions thatcall for an increase in the number of times that a convicted sex offender meets with the policefrom annually to biannually, and expands the time period someone can be charged as repeatoffender.  Quinn is

Journal News-Westchester/Shawn Cohen

Current laws prevent sex offenders from teaching in schools but do not prohibit them fromworking with children in jobs not funded by the government, such as sports coaches, dance and musicteachers, and carnival-ride operators. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called it a glaring loophole, as he visited a Dobbs Ferrypark Monday to announce a bill that he said would restrict sex offenders from any job or volunteeractivity that requires substantial interaction with kids. The fact that these sex offenders are able to coach our children’s teams, operate

Newsday.com/Ben Wieder

Convicted sex offenders can legally work as tutors, coaches and in other positions wherethey are close to children, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sunday he said he wouldpropose legislation to change that. Schumer’s legislation would make it illegal for registered sex offenders to work orvolunteer in positions that put them in direct and substantial contact with children. It would also require business owners to confirm that employees or volunteers in these typesof positions are not registered sex offenders. Businesses not in compliance would be fined, Schumersaid,

The Associated Press/Michael Gormley

NEW YORK — State laws nationwide prohibit sex offenders from working as school teachers andcoaches. But most laws don’t cover karate instructors, youth coaches, carnival workers, clowns,magicians, or dance instructors in the private sector when public funds aren’t involved. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York wants to change that. He’s proposing a national measurethat would ban sex offenders from these and other jobs even when their employer gets no publicfunds, which has provided the jurisdiction for some laws restricting sex offenders. Additional jobs that could come

The Long Island Advance’/Linda Leuzzi

State Senator Brian X. Foley is hoping that legislation passed unanimously by the Senate andall but one vote by the Assembly will be signed by Governor Paterson that will enable parents tosign up for e-mails that will alert them of sex offender in their neighborhood for up to three zipcodes for Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders.  But Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parentsfor Megan’s Law, said her non-profit organization already has a web site in place that can provide30 zip codes for parents.