The Massachusetts state legislature gave final approval to an overhaul of the state’s criminal background check system Tuesday.

First introduced as a state legislative proposal in 2005, reforming the Criminal Offender Record Information – known as CORI – has been championed by a broad array of stakeholders including major law enforcement and business associations. Steve O’Neil, Executive Director of Ex-prisoners and Prisoner Organizing for Community Advancement said “when you’re trying to support your family, get your life on track, and be a role model, you can only have the door slammed in your face so many times. We’ve been educating people across the state for over 6 years – even in a 5 -day walk from Worcester to Boston – exposing CORI as an arcane and counterproductive system.

The new legislation allows felony offenses to be closed after 10 years and misdemeanors after 5. The reduction of 5 years would not apply to cases of homicide or sex offenses, however.

If you or anyone you know has been charged with a sex crime, contact a Massachusetts sex crime lawyer of James Powderly at 508-343-0676.

An appellate court in Nebraska has ruled a convicted sex offender can possess material depicting nudity upon his release from prison.

According to court documents, Jerry Lynn Simons, who has a history of sex crimes in Oklahoma and Kansas, must adhere to twenty conditions upon his release from prison, but the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a nude-picture clause in a ruling Wednesday. The court said the clause would deny Simons the ability to view “a biology textbook” or buy works of art depicting nudity.

Simons was sentenced to two years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender in Nebraska after moving to the state. Simons’ release from prison is set for September.

If you or anyone you know has been charged with a sex crime, contact a Massachusetts sex crime lawyer of James Powderly at 508-343-0676.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has voted to keep a convicted child killer on sex-offender restrictions, though he was not convicted of a sex crime.

According to officials with the board, Raul Meza is a continuing threat to society “by reason of lack of sexual control.” The board voted 3-0 to limit Meza’s movements and keep him confined in a Travis County jail.

Meza was convicted of killing 8 year-old Kendra Page in 1982 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A federal appeals court ruled, in May, Texas improperly placed sex-offender restrictions on thousands of parolees including Meza.

If you or anyone you know has been charged with a sex crime, contact the Massachusetts sex crime defense attorneys of James Powderly at 508-343-0676.

As of July 1, nearly 40 sex offenders currently on South Dakota’s sex offender registry will be purged from the list, and hundreds more could be removed in the next decade, as part of a new law.

According to the new bill, misdemeanor indecent exposures are no longer offenses that require registration. The new law also provides certain statutory rape cases to eventually be taken off the list as well. Marty Jackley, the South Dakota Attorney General, said of the bill “offenders that are dangerous are on [the list] and people, when they see those names, know they’re on there for a reason and to be careful.”

The majority of the 2,700 sex offenders in the state’s registry will remain there when the new law take effect. Offenders convicted of statutory rape under 21 years of age and when the victim is older than 13 can ask the court to be taken off the list after ten years. “It is envisioned that the offender, if they believe they are eligible for removal, would file a petition, a court document with the court and serve the states attorney and attorney general’s office and we would have an opportunity to respond,” Jackley said.

If you have been accused of a serious crime or you are looking for help in the realm of sex crime law, call Massachusetts sex crimes attorney James Powderly today at 508-343-0676.