Twenty-three individuals, including six board members, lobbied in support of a tiered registry in Sacramento on January 27 and 28. Although a tiered registry bill has not yet been introduced, the lobbying effort focused upon the need for a tiered registry that would distinguish between and among those convicted of sex offenses during the registry’s 68 years of existence. Current law requires virtually everyone convicted of a sex offense to register for a lifetime regardless of the severity of the offense for which they were convicted or their current risk level.
Those who lobbied were divided into three teams in order to educate the greatest number of elected officials and staff. The primary focus of the lobbying efforts were members of the Public Safety committees of both the Assembly and the Senate. A secondary focus were newly elected members to both legislative bodies.
During meetings, state officials were provided copies of a recent report issued by the California Sex Offender Management Board which strongly recommends creation of a tiered registry and a report issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation which states that the rate of re-offense for sex offenders on parole is 1.8 percent. State officials were also provided background information regarding the California state registry.
California RSOL expects to return to Sacramento in late February or early March if a tiered registry bill is introduced in either the Assembly or the Senate. The deadline for introduction of the bill is February 27.
Related: California RSOL to Lobby Sacramento in Support of Tiered Registry
I want to say thank you to Janice and everyone from RSOL who worked so hard to do this. I am in full support of ANYTHING that takes California into the right direction regarding registration, and this is one of those things that takes us into the right direction. In my opinion, supporting a tiered registry does NOT equal not supporting abolition of the registry. Each is mutually exclusive, and I believe you can support both ideas at the same time. I really hope that everyone will get behind this both in spirit and by donating to RSOL. I’ll be putting my money (what very little I have) where my mouth is as I’ll be donating to RSOL in support of this effort.
I fully support Janice’s efforts to get a tiered system in place. It may not be our ultimate goal to abolish the registry, but it’s a good start. Thank you Janice!
Congratulations CARSOL! I hope soon people will start to fall off this useless registry, the resources saved will be applied helping that vast majority of people, who have never been caught, end their sexual abuse, and those left on it will not have their registration experience worsen because of this. Once we support something, we become responsible for it.
This is a great step towards something positive. If a lawmaker is going to take a chance on this, it has to be about the rest of the taxpayers; not the registrants. Lawmakers are keenly aware that getting involved in matters like this can be problematic at election time. But if the tiered registry idea is approached correctly, it will show these people that it is in their best interest, and in the best interest of the majority of the people they represent, to put this bill forward. They don’t care about the difficult times registrants have. They probably only barely care about the families of registrants. But they do care about the money that is spent, and how it is spent, and for what specific purpose it is spent. It’s all about the money. Show them the data that supports the tiered registry, and explain how that money can be better spent in terms of resource management and public safety.
Thank you thank you thank you!!! – to Janice and everyone who worked on this! I have a feeling that without Janice and her team California’s registered citizens would all have been executed or living in state ordered exile by now. Thank you so much for all you do!
What we have here is an opportunity to educate lawmakers and other key people on the facts. There is a “rule of thumb” what happens in California will happen in the nation. The dialog that is open here is a pattern we can use to effect the other RC issues, not only in California but in the nation and the world.
Also, a great opportunity to educate, or reeducated the public, when and if a tiered registry bill is introduced.
There are still way too many out there who are to mentally lazy to recognize and/or acknowledge, the different threat levels (from NO threat up to SVPs) RSO present.
As stated by some guy in the online comments section of the recent article that announced San Bernardino county’s repealing of their sex offender presence ordinance; All those child raping perverts need to be shot.
There is a big job ahead
It’s a sad day for me, I’m one step closer from going from being labeled a low risk registrant for life to being labeled a high risk for life, in spite of having a fictitious “victim” and never having been charged with a contact crime. Think about it, anyone with more than one urinating in public case is going to be labeled as a high risk Tier 3 offender. This is something that should have been corrected before support was thrown behind this version of a tiered registry.
Thank you Janice and everyone involved in planning and organizing this monumental effort in educating the ignorant. Hopefully this will be a positive step toward having a tiered registry implemented in California. With your collective efforts maybe one day we will completely be without the registry in California.
Thank you also to all the individuals that made the trip to Sacramento. You did what a lot of us should have done and what a lot of us wish were able to do. Thank you so much.
Well, when you have an established state agency and parole board supporting this measure, it’s a pretty could indication that change is needed. For anyone/unless murder ect /attempts to sale the point that first time offenders are incapable of being rehabilitated and required to register for life, that tells you there is any issue. The proposal makes sense, is fair and following or requiring registration for 10-20 years is certainly more than fair to establish or identify who does or who doesn’t pose a threat to society!
Td777 wat makes you think you will be reclassified as a high risk offender unless you are a repeat offender or a violent offender ie. A strike offense then you should remain in the low risk/moderate tier 1 which means you sod get off the registry in ten years and your name won’t be posted online.
Well, I feel thankful towards everyone who was involved in this effort, and I hope that it all proves to be a success. With the SOMB taking a very rational, science-based approach to these issues, I hope the legislature follows that same pathway of dealing with these issues in a rational and effective way, just as SOMB has outlined.
Folks: A Tiered Registry bill has been written and IS making its way around Sacramento, quietly.The strategy is to be low-key about finding the right Assembly Member of Senator to accept authorship of the bill and formally introduce it.
But before that can happen, input is being sought from several political sources, as the current draft of the bill is excepted to be gutted and amended several times before it makes it to the introduction phase.
You need to contact the Assembly member and Senator in your district, preferably by written letter, but also by making many, many phone calls, urging your legislator(s) to support the bill and/or accept authorship.
Do it. Make the calls and write your letters today. Don’t wait for some one else to do this for you. The bill is already in Sacramento. Educate your legislators on why tiered registration in California, the state with the most registrants in the nation, is the only sensible course of action to take….for now.
The meetings we were in exposed the difficult climate and challenges our legislators are in around this subject. They are looking for a way to address the wrongs of the registry without suffering political damage while doing so…It comes down to leadership and simple old fashion American guts. Change is coming because of information, the internet and due to our access to real facts. Our youths will eventually champion the changes we dare not touch. History will tell today’s story not unlike those many popular wrongs from our nation’s draconian past.
Our duty forward is to continue striving to shine the light of education and truth on all parts not clearly defined. Like Frank said, “We are in this together and together we can make the changes most needed happen” As Janice has said, “Show up, Stand up and speak up.” We have a meeting on Feb. 7th in San Diego lets make it a meaningful one by being there.
I was inspired by the wonderful experience at our capital with Janice, Frank and the whole crew that came…A must do again team!! (Cheers!)
Thank you for your effort. I truly hope a fair registry evolves from this.
Janice,
You and your team are our only hope. Thank you for all your tireless work and commitment to preserving the rights of all Americans not just the majority who are not labeled. I donated today to the cause and I urge everyone to help if you have the means. We have a long battle ahead and we need to make sure our troops are compensated for all expenses.
Thanks again, you know who I am
Congratulations on a successful lobbying effort to get support for a Tiered Registry system! I have already written my local Assembly Members urging them to support this initiative, and hope others will do the same.
It is too late to put this on the initiative on the November 2016 ballot?
Make sure it is on our term.
No register at all
Just make it as sneaky as Chris Kelly did with his one liner on ballot