State registries list meth offenders on web - 08/23/2006
State registries listing methamphetamine offenders, including the makers and dealers, are being publicized on Internet
registries by states that are frustrated with the growth of toxic methamphetamine labs.
Tennessee, Minnesota, Illinois and Montana now list meth offenders for all to see on the Web. Georgia, Maine, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington state and West Virginia are considering the same registries.
The registries include the names, birthdates, offenses, dates of convictions and locations of crimes of convicted meth manufacturers, dealers and traffickers.
Graham Boyd, director of the ACLU's Drug Policy Litigation Project, says the prospect of being listed on the meth-offender registry for at least several years after a conviction amounts to an extra punishment "that's not allowed under our Constitution." He also says drug users could use meth-offender registries to locate dealers. "One group for whom this registry is going to be an incredibly good resource is people looking to buy methamphetamine," he says.
Based on an article from...
Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY "States list meth offenders on web" USA
TODAY 23 August 2006, Sec. 1A
Genetic DNA surveillance of innocent to nail related criminals - 08/23/2006
Police investigators are being allowed to search the FBI's database registered DNA samples to pursue criminal suspects, but instead of looking for exact match, they are looking for near-match information.
The DNA data is profiled in CODIS, and was obtained from convicted offenders and arrestees from all 50 states and the federal government. In June, the 12-year-old system held more than 3.5 million DNA profiles, and had solved or aided more than 36,000 cases, according to the FBI's website.
In their newest policy, the FBI allows near-matches in which the DNA sequences are close, but not identical, to be reported. Investigators then must determine whether the near-match is a relative, then use that relative to find the crime suspect.
Near-match searching works because close biological relatives - children, parents, siblings - often have similar DNA profiles. It also works because 46% of jail inmates had a close relative who had been incarcerated, according to a 1996 federal study.
Henry Greely, a Stanford University law professor who has written on near-match searching, says the practice is likely to meet some resistance.
"There's an immediate 'yuck factor' to your being caught because your
brother did something wrong," Greely says. "For the public, this will
take a while to settle out."
Based on an article from...
Richard Willing, USA TODAY "DNA database can flag suspects through relatives" USA
TODAY 23 August 2006, Sec. 2A
Homeland Security begins crackdown on religious organizations - 04/19/2007
Officials with the Homeland Security Department say they have uncovered rampant fraud in the religious worker visa program. The visa program allows churches, synagogues and mosques to fill jobs to qualified programs when an applicant is sponsored and qualified to fit a particular job.
"We found that the program had been compromised and the fraud rate was excessively high," said Emilio Gonzalez, head of Citizen and Immigration Services at Homeland Security. Last year, a fraud-detection unit in the Homeland Security Department say they found 33% of the visas were granted based on fraudulent information.
Homeland Security Department plans to crackdown on religious organizations include inspections to make sure they are legitimate by visiting the organization before the application is approved, require more proof from applicants that they are qualified and trained for the specific job they are being hired to do, and review W-2 forms or other proof of employment after one year on the job before extending the visa.
Based on an article from...
Mimi Hall, USA TODAY "Fraud found in religious worker visas" USA TODAY. April 19, 2007, Sec. 3A
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