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Iowa Family Pushes for New One-Strike Law: The father of an Iowa girl found murdered last month has partnered with the Chelsea's Light Foundation, a California non-profit that fought for stricter sentencing laws for sex offenders, in an effort to introduce a new "one-strike" law in the Iowa legislature.  Emily Schettler of the Des Moines Register reports that 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard was kidnapped and murdered by a registered sex offender, who previously served 20 years in prison for kidnapping and assault.  The new "one-strike" law would mirror a law passed in California and would allow judges to sentence sex offenders who commit violent crimes against children to life in prison without parole.

Condoms for Inmates Bill Clears CA Assembly: A bill that would require California prisons to make condoms available to inmates has passed the state Assembly and is awaiting consideration by the state Senate.  Oakland Democrat Rob Bonta, the bill's author, believes that the free condoms will help reduce STDs among inmates.  Don Thompson of the Associated Press reports that if AB999 passes, it would go into effect in 2015 making California the second state to provide prison inmates with free condoms.  Presently, it is a felony offense for inmates to have sex while incarcerated, and condoms are considered to be contraband in California prisons.

New Indiana Law May Benefit Convicted Felons: As of July 1, juveniles convicted of felonies in Indiana may receive a dual sentence:  one to be served while they are a juvenile, and the other to be served when they turn 18.  Michael Clouse of WTHI-TV reports that juveniles convicted of felonies will have a re-evaluation hearing prior to turning 18 in order for a judge to consider their mental state and maturity before requiring them to serve out their adult sentence.  Based on the re-evaluation hearing, judges could suspend the adult sentence or enforce an alternative sentence.

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