As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day, it is important to remember that an essential pillar of his civil rights platform was Justice. ACSOL which is a civil rights organization has, in fact, adopted and advanced one of Dr. King’s best-known sayings about justice: “Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere” in our lobbying efforts in the state capitol. We credit the wisdom of Dr. King, as expressed in the saying above, as we recognize and celebrate that...
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is dedicated to protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registrants and their families. In order to achieve that objective, ACSOL will educate and litigate as well as support or oppose legislation.
Important News / Announcements
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General News Feed
22
Feb
2019
[arkansasonline.com - 2/22/19] The Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would allow people convicted of sex offenses not to register with the state if their victim was under age 18 and the offender was no more than three years older, under certain conditions. Read more
22
Feb
2019
[legalaidnyc.org - 2/21/19] The Legal Aid Society applauded a ruling rendered today by the New York State Appellate Division – Third Department, rejecting the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision’s (DOCCS) interpretation of the statutory residency restrictions faced by individuals with prior sex offense convictions. Specifically, the court held that people whose sex offense sentences had already expired were not subject...
[orlandosentinel.com - 2/21/19] JACKSONVILLE — Authorities say a decorated Florida police detective killed himself just before he was to be arrested on charges that he possessed child pornography. The Florida Times-Union reports that Jacksonville sheriff's Detective Vernon Richardson killed himself Tuesday, shortly after detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest. The neighboring St. Johns County Sheriff's Office began an investigation in December after receiving...
[abc10.com - 2/21/19] SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Overcrowded prisons. Trying teens as juveniles versus adults. The power of rehabilitation and a belief in second chances. These issues have fueled criminal justice reform in recent years in the state of California. But some say the overhaul has gone too far. People can generally agree, we all want to live in safe communities, but as Assemblymember Jim...
21
Feb
2019
The current number of individuals required to register in the state of California exceeds 110,000 for the first time, according to a presentation made during today's CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) meeting. The total number is 110,003 which includes 77,895 individuals who are living in the community as well as 22,379 in state prisons and 953 in a state hospital. The number of...
The purpose of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry is to keep track of where dangerous sex offenders are, but what if they have no address? That’s the case with ____ ____, who was arraigned Tuesday, accused of kidnapping two twelve-year-old sisters in Cambridge before they were able to break free. He’s listed on the Sex Offender Registry as “homeless” in Boston. Full Article
Police say someone threw a piece of concrete through the window of a registered sex offender’s home in Providence, Rhode Island. The vandalism occurred at the home of Richard Gardner at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Gardner was convicted of multiple child rapes in the 1980s and 1990s in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Residents protested Gardner for weeks after he moved into the neighborhood last year following...
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) introduced recent legislation “to end blatant discrimination against LGBT young people regarding California’s sex offender registry.” However, under their bill, SB 145, the offenders would not have to automatically register as sex offenders if the offenders are within 10 years of age of the minor. Full Article Also see https://all4consolaws.org/2019/02/ca-acsol-supports-senate-bill-to-terminate-registration-requirements/
[thecrimereport.org - 2/19/19] Since he was released from prison almost five years ago, John has never had a place he can call home. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, he spends nights outside in remote areas of Miami-Dade County—sleeping outside on a mat or in the front seat of his son’s truck. John (not his real name) was convicted in 1994 of a sex offense involving...
More sex offenders would become eligible to have their names removed from the Arizona’s sex offender registry but would face new hurdles in doing so, under legislation being pushed by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. But some criminal justice reform advocates oppose the bill, saying it may actually make it harder for people to get off of the registry. Full Article
[nydailynews.com - 2/20/19] Emily Horowitz is a member of the ACSOL Board of Directors and was a Speaker at the 2018 ACSOL Conference. Last week, Anthony Weiner was released from federal prison to a Bronx halfway house after serving 21 months for sending sexually-explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. Next, like approximately 4.5 million others on probation/parole, he'll spend 3 years on supervised release....
[kansas.com - 2/19/19] HELENA, Mont. The Latest on Montana cases before the Supreme Court (all times local): 4:20 p.m. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox is asking state lawmakers to act after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his petition that would have allowed prosecutors to charge a man for the decades-old rape of an 8-year-old girl. The Republican attorney general called the high court's decision...
19
Feb
2019
Emotional Support Group meetings will be held on the following dates--usually the fourth Saturday of each month--for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. Meetings are based upon 12-step principles and are led by a mental health professional. Meetings are held at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles There is free underground parking. Meetings start promptly at 10 a.m....
19
Feb
2019
[wsoctv.com - 2/18/19] CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. - Cleveland County’s Sheriff’s Office is taking unprecedented steps to make sure you know if a sex offender moves in near you. It is posting on its Facebook page information about sex offenders who have changed their address or who have just become sex offenders. Officials said there is a higher percentage of registered sex offenders in the...
You asked for it and we now have it: an Emotional Support Group meeting on a phone conference call! It will meet at a different date and time from the face-to-face group that meets the fourth Saturday of each month in L.A. Like the face-to-face meeting, this phone conference is based upon 12 Step principles, and provides registrants and their loved ones with an...
Remorse: A gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs, according to Merriam-Webster. In a recent interview TV star Bill Cosby stated he was “not remorseful and did nothing wrong”, maintaining his innocence in the sexual assault crimes that were leveled against him in a well- known TV news media circus court case. So what happens to those accused of sex...
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, February 23, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. This meeting, which is based upon the format of 12 Step meetings, provides registrants and their loved ones...
14
Feb
2019
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in Berkeley: Saturday, Feb 23 10 a.m. Finnish Hall (upstairs meeting room) 1970 Chestnut Street Berkeley Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about...
[floridaactioncommittee.org - 2/14/19] What do the following people have in common? An Air Force Colonel A prison guard A Christian school teacher They are all in positions where they are responsible for protecting people? Yes, but not what I was looking for. They all require specialized training and background clearances? True, but again, not what I had in mind. They are all people we...
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has agreed to support Senate Bill 145 that would provide judges with the authority to terminate the requirement to register for individuals convicted of some sex offenses. The authority would be limited to circumstances in which the age difference between the offender and the victim is 10 years or less provided that the victim is at...