In July 16, 2015, Barack Obama visited a federal prison, the first sitting president ever to do so. It was a powerful statement of support for a broad movement—stretching from Black Lives Matter to Right on Crime—to reform the U.S. criminal justice system, one of the most punitive in the world. Six months later, on February 8, 2016, the president signed a law requiring the passports of citizens with convictions for sex offenses to be marked “Sex Offender,” globalizing an already extraordinarily harsh domestic system of surveillance and punishment. In…
Read MoreYear: 2016
Notice of Appeal Filed in IML Case
A notice of appeal was filed today in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. This is the first formal step required in order to appeal the dismissal of the only court challenge to the International Megan’s Law (IML). “The IML unfairly and unjustly labels hundreds of thousands of American citizens as sex tourists and sex traffickers,” stated ACSOL President Janice Bellucci. “This punishment will increase when the State Department adds unique identifiers to their passports.” The IML challenge was filed in federal district court in February, one day after it…
Read MoreACSOL Conference Call November 16 – Polygraph Exams [Recording Added]
ACSOL’s will hold a public conference call on Wednesday, November 16, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. The topic of the call will be “Polygraph Exams” and the call will follow the same format as the previous calls. There will be a brief presentation of the topic to be followed by a Q&A session where call attendees may ask questions pertaining to the topic. Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 I look forward to having you call in. Sincerely, Janice Conference Call Recordings
Read MoreMI: Justice denies Michigan’s appeal to halt sex offender ruling
A U.S. Supreme Court justice has rejected Michigan’s request to halt a lower court decision that found the state unconstitutionally put additional restrictions on sex offenders long after their convictions. Justice Elena Kagan denied Tuesday the emergency appeal for a stay. In August, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said changes to Michigan law in 2006 and 2011, which included retroactively restricting sex offenders’ movements near schools, penalize offenders as “moral lepers.” The appeals court denied Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s request to block the decision during appeal. So…
Read MoreFL: Why are sex offenders allowed online?
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL — More than 70,000 sex offenders live and work in the state of Florida. They are restricted by law as to where they can reside and where they can physically go. This includes being no closer than 1,000 feet to a playground, daycare or school. What many may find surprising is that while sex offenders are restricted in many aspects of their lives, they have essentially free access to roam the Internet. “I don’t think that’s right,” mother Jacqueline Josephs told CBS12. “It’s a shame and parents…
Read MoreTrinidad & Tobago: Online seminar on Sex Offender Registry
A SENIOR policy advisor from the United States’ Department of Justice SMART department — which is in charge of the Sex Offender registration policy in the US — will speak at an online seminar hosted by the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC) on November 18. Full Article
Read MoreOH: Proposed sex offender registry changes would be based on risk
Eight years after Ohio tightened its sex offender registration laws to comply with federal standards, a state committee is considering changes that could make it easier for sex offenders to get off the registry if they no longer are a threat to society. Full Article
Read MoreUS Department of Homeland Security’s Malicious Immigration Policy Has Destroyed at least 4000 Families Since 2011
Submitted by “Robert” – By the agency’s own statistics, the number of denied Adam Walsh Act family petitions will surpass 4000 by 2017. This is a staggering number of families decimated by USCIS for no apparent reason. Each of these cases highlights the stories of immigrant families and US citizens who struggle for years to cope with the heartbreaking effects of our country’s broken immigration system. USCIS’s malicious AWA policy serves no rational purpose and undermines the goals of family unity. For years after its enactment, the USCIS has either…
Read MoreIA: ACLU to Represent Knoxville Teen in “Sexting” Lawsuit
The ACLU of Iowa announced that it will represent a 14-year-old Knoxville, Iowa, girl who was threatened with criminal charges after texting suggestive photos of herself to a boy. As a result, a local county attorney is threatening her with sexual exploitation of a minor—herself. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Sex Offender in Chief?
The election was divisive. The nation is divided. We must remain united. It’s true. Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States this week. The process that led to his election was divisive, reportedly the most divisive election of the century. It’s also true that after the election, the nation is divided. So divided that citizens have been protesting in the streets of many major cities including New York, Chicago, Seattle and Oakland. Further, it’s true that President-elect Trump has boasted that he has committed multiple acts that…
Read MoreMN: Patty Wetterling Speaks at Birchwood City Council Meeting
Submitted by “Robert” – Like most of us registrants here, I come here daily and a select few other websites in the country for my daily news and updates. Yesterday, Florida Action Committee posted (November 10, 2016): Must Watch: Patty Wetterling Speaks at Birchwood City Council Meeting with the comment “It’s incredible to hear Patty Wetterling speak with such tremendous insight and empathy for human-kind (victims and offenders).” This is an incredible video clip because there is so much going on here. As noted by FAC, Patty Wetterling is an…
Read MoreAL: Sex offender billboard raised in ‘Hatfield and McCoy’ neighborhood feud
A feud worthy of the Hatfields and McCoys is brewing in one Jefferson County neighborhood, where a giant billboard now stands as the latest volley in a battle between a mother of six and a convicted sex offender who lives across the street. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Court upholds decision in Quincy indecent assault case
The state’s highest court has denied the request of a man who sought to withdraw his plea in a Quincy indecent assault case because he wasn’t told about the consequences of having to register as a sex offender. Full Article Decision
Read MoreAUS: Crackdown on child sex offender passports
The federal government will work with crossbench senator Derryn Hinch to stop child sex offenders from travelling overseas. Full Article
Read MoreOH: More than 70 sex offenders are registered to vote at Cleveland schools
While registered sex offenders in the state of Ohio are prohibited from living with 1,000 feet of a school or daycare facility, they are not prohibited from actually entering schools. A News 5 investigation revealed that at least 77 Cleveland sex offenders are registered to vote in the city’s elementary and high schools. Full Article
Read MoreTN: Lawsuit challenges Tennessee sex offender registry
Retroactive enforcement of Tennessee’s sex offender registry law is being challenged in a federal court lawsuit that mimics a separate, successful appeal that led to the nullification of retroactive laws in Michigan. Full Article Complaint
Read MoreReport Recommends Significant Registration Changes
Three prominent social workers, including Jill Levenson, recommend significant changes in “sex offender” registries in a recently released report. The recommended changes are (1) juveniles should be dropped from “sex offender” registries, (2) the length of registration should be guided by risk assessment research, (3) procedures for relief and removal should be available, (4) discretion should be returned to judges and (5) residency restrictions should be abolished. The recommendations are based upon several factors, including that while “registries make people feel safer, the data indicate that their actual effectiveness in…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group to Meet on December 10 [date change]
The Emotional Support Group, which is focused upon the emotional needs of registrants and family members, will meet on December 10 (new date) in Los Angeles. The meeting will be held at the ACLU Building, 1313 W. 8th Street, starting at 10 a.m. Free parking is available in the building’s underground garage. The meeting will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and those who arrive late will not be able to attend the meeting.
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