The Michigan Supreme Court says the state has to drop a name from the sex offender registry because he completed a program for first-time offenders. The Supreme Court says the state has to keep the deal prosecutors and judges make with young offenders.
Miriam Aukerman is an attorney with the ACLU. She says the law places too many hardships on people listed in the registry. She says the state has to prove they pose a continued threat to the public.
“It is time for the Michigan Legislature to fix this law. It’s failed. It’s unconstitutional, and, more importantly, even than that, it doesn’t protect families in Michigan.”
Boban Temelkoski pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct 24 years ago with the understanding his record would be cleared if he completed a rehabilitation program. It’s designed for young, first-time offenders. But the state insisted that his name still belongs on the registry.
Temelkoski says being on the registry has cost him employment opportunities.
The ACLU is also challenging the sex offender registry law in a separate case that’s being appealed to the US Supreme Court.