“Children’s safety is at stake,” asserted Robert Combs, this year’s Reform Sex Offender Laws (RSOL) conference committee chairperson. “And it will remain at stake until the sex-crime panic can be countered with factual information to ensure public safety.”
“Inclusion on the sex offender registry does not signify the person is any sort of a threat whatsoever,” agreed Brenda Jones, RSOL’s executive director. “And therein lies the problem. We as a society need to educate ourselves, and the 4th annual RSOL national conference taking place in Albuquerque, NM, September 6 – 9 is THE place to do just that,” Jones concluded.
Amy Borror, one of the conference’s keynote speakers and the legislative and media liaison with the office of the Ohio Public Defender, has long been active in the sexual laws reform arena. With her detailed knowledge of legislative and legal procedures, Borror brings insight and authoritative experience to the conference. Her expert knowledge of the AWA (Adam Walsh Act) and its devastating impact on families and public safety qualifies her uniquely for her workshop presentations.
She draws on this expertise in her solo workshop, “Hope for Legislative Change: Successful Strategies.” Here she will discuss and educate conference attendees with strategies and methods designed to help state organizers and all advocates work with lawmakers in designing smarter alternatives to public registration.
Another prominent speaker, Norm Pattis, a leading New England-based civil rights defense attorney, brings to the RSOL conference the same energy and dynamic style which has earned him a national reputation as the lawyer to have if the case is difficult or impossible, although “impossible” is not a word in Norm’s vocabulary.
His solo presentation, “Legal Impact of the Registry,” will focus on which sorts of legal challenges will work the most effectively in America’s courtrooms toward the goal of bringing about positive change.
In addition, Pattis and Borror will team with attorneys Melissa Hill and Scott Pawgan to present “Model Registry Reform,” an interactive Q & A session that will culminate in a law-reform committee that will continue working to implement the ideas established in the workshop.
The conference officially convenes at 8:45 am, Friday, September 7, in the Kiva room of the Albuquerque Ramada Inn & Conference Center at 10300 Hotel Ave. NE, Albuquerque. Registration
for the 3-day event is $60 per person. The on-site registration desk, located in the south (A-frame) lobby of the hotel, opens at 8:00am, concurrent with the media briefing and news conference being held in the Kiva room at that same time. Expert presentations and panels run continuously throughout Friday and Saturday, concluding around the noon-hour on Sunday.
Combs acknowledged that the idea of reform can be frightening, but dispelling damaging disinformation is one of the primary reasons that RSOL exists. “Most lawmakers are well-intentioned and think they are promoting community safety while in reality their bills are filled with unintended consequences and based on faulty assumptions. We advocate for laws that keep everyone safe.”
For more information, visit http://www.reformsexoffenderlaws.org/ or contact the committee by calling 443-579-7765 or emailing conference@reformsexoffenderlaws.org.
ReformSexOffenderLaws.Org
RSOL, Post Office Box 36123, Albuquerque, NM 87176
443-579-7765
Frank Lindsay and I will be representing CA RSOL at the national conference that begins on September 7 in Albuquerque. I will make a presentation there about CA RSOL and Frank will be sharing his book, “We’re All in This Together.” The public there knows about the conference and protesters are expected. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you, Janice and Frank! As always, your courage and dedication is appreciated. Safe travels!