Janice’s Journal: We Have Spoken!  We Have Been Heard!  We Will Return!       

We have spoken!  We have been heard!  We will return!

Those three statements were uttered this week by 36 registrants, family members and supporters who met with elected officials and staffers in the State Capitol in Sacramento.

It was the largest group EVER to lobby in support of registrant issues.  It was the largest group EVER to describe the challenges faced by registrants and their families.

They spoke about how hard it is to find a place to live.  Landlords don’t want to rent an apartment to a family because their son is on the registry.

They spoke about how hard it is to find a job.  Employers don’t want to hire a young registrant with a master’s degree in engineering and suggested instead that he work at a fast food restaurant.

They spoke about their inability to participate in their children’s education.  Their school district adopted a “zero tolerance policy” that prohibits all registrants, even parents, from visiting a school campus for any reason.

They spoke about the need for a tiered registry.  A tiered registry, similar to those found in 46 states, that would end California’s 70 year requirement that everyone convicted of a sex offense must continue to register for a lifetime.

And when they spoke, they were heard.  By elected officials and by staffers assigned to public safety issues.

Not all of the elected officials and staffers agreed with what they heard.  But some of them did including some who had never listened to a registrant before.

Not all of the elected officials and staffers reacted emotionally when tears were shed by a family member as she explained why she is afraid to have children.  But some of them did.

During this week’s lobbying efforts, those who lobbied gained a lot.  They gained strength and they felt empowered.  They also created new bonds with others who face similar challenges.

It is no wonder then that the 36 registrants and family members who lobbied are now asking when they can return to the State Capitol.  The answer is that day will come soon…..as soon as the bills that could profoundly affect the lives of registrants and their families move through the legislative process.  The next step for those bills is consideration by one or more committees, a step that is likely to occur during the next 30 days.

The 36 people who lobbied this week will participate in those committee hearings and invite YOU to join them so that YOU, too, can gain strength and feel empowered.  They hope to see you in Sacramento!

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Thank you Janice and to all the othes that have been in this difficult struggle with you for years. I have never felt a more sense of optimism. I firmly believe fact based policies and laws are on the horizon. And now is the time for the big push on our part. Moving forward I will certainly be on the front lines with you. There is no way to fully express my gratitude to you and the core group at ACSOL.

Thank you for doing this and for working for Registered Citizens. I recently had to register as part of a plea deal. I would of liked to have attended this last lobbying effort, but had just spent my 14 days in the county jail. I look forward to being in Sacramento for the next opportunity to lobby for this worthy cause.

I know we truly missed out this time, for not being there to participate. How exciting that they ACTUALLY listened. Thanks to Janice and all that were a part of the 36 and others in the background that may of worked
on putting this together with her.
This is a step up to the plate and let us be heard. Of our large RC community, we have many educated and empowered individuals and also family, friends and maybe a victim or two willing to be heard for the RC’s.
The next step can even be more powerful to those committee meetings, and let the constitution bell be heard!
Thanks again to all on Jan 30 & 31st in SAC! Bravo!! Ms. Leyva, LISTEN UP and think BEFORE you push your SB.

Thank you Janice and everyone who attended. I will most certainly be there in the next meetings.

ACSOL continues to lead. Congratulations to them and all the people who did this. Heroes. Imagine if 360 people showed up.

But the Registries have to go. No Registry, including a tiered Registry, is acceptable. Accepting a tiered Registry means accepting that it is okay to harass people as long as they are the most hated.

Today, I will continue to ensure that at least with respect to me, the Registries do nothing good. I will ensure that they do harm. I will ensure that I treat people who support the Registries as the harassing un-Americans that they are. I will be where no one knows me. I will not be anywhere near anything that is Registered with big government. They will have no chance to recognize me by any means, including very good facial recognition. I will be around random adults and children. I will do the same thing tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

No peace for Registry harassers/terrorists.

Thank you to all!

Great to hear! I possess an MBA with an expunged offense. Yet, still requiring to register limits my employment opportunities.

1st time doing this, 1st time knowing of Janice’s non-profit organization. I am VERY thankful for this and her help and her knowledge. It was a great help!

Our Voices were heard, I felt it and I know that we are making a difference. Of course being on “the BEST team” ever(#3)”and her knowledge and bravery helped atleast me become stronger. I can’t wait to do it again and be bolder. Thank you!

Job well done and there is hope, see you on the 11th

I have no doubt you were listened to by politicians. They see the writing on the wall too and they’re embracing your call for a tiered registry because it ensures the continuation of their political gravy train while looking “sensible” on crime.

Thanks for leading and teaching us Janice. It was a great experience, to meet government staff/members AND also other RCs and family members. Thanks again.

Want to feel more hope? Take action with ACSOL!

I used to feel like a powerless victim as politicians heaped new restrictions on me with their unchallenged new laws. I used to try to keep a low profile and isolated, hoping politicians would eventually leave me alone.

But they didn’t! The laws kept coming.

I felt empowered as I took action in Sacramento this week, just as I do when I write letters to legislators, donate to ACSOL, and network with other RCs.

Join us, and feel hope!

Thank you Janice, your team and all the registrants and family members who showed up and stood for all who couldn’t go, afraid to go and show their faces, are not allowed to go out of their jurisdictions, those who don’t have the means to get there, and those who need a little more encouragement to show up. We all thank you!

I was one of the participants. It was very empowering to do this and not hard to do. The staff who met with us listened and, I think, learned. If nothing else, they saw some things about this issue they never have before. I encourage others to do so.

You should all be commended. As I’ve noted in the past, study after study shows there is a very low recidivism for those with registered offenses. I would imagine that those with recidivism are typically due to overzealous police officers looking to violate one’s probation due to non compliance. Most states have adopted a tiered system and I hope California wakes up. There isn’t a one size fits all. We have people with multiple offenses and those who have made a mistake, paid their debt to society, start families and moved on with their lives. Lawmakers need to take a different approach to this, rather than continue to beat up people who have long ago paid their debt to society. I also feel that there is a huge difference between someone who did prison time with parole and a guy who plead to a misdemeanor that’s long been expunged. This definitely is something that needs to be looked at, when addressing a tiered system.

How can anyone say that the registry is not punishment. The mere fact that you will end up back in jail for forgetting to register or not having the appropriate documentation to show that you live where you say you do is proof enough. We are “ex”offenders and therefore should not have any further obligation to tell anyone when we move, change jobs, enter college etc. Some say that it is the same with registering your new car with the DMV or update your current registration annually and risk a fine if it is not done. It is nothing like that, because in the case of the DMV, EVERYBODY has to abide by these rules. With the SO registry, it is only a select few this law applies to. Therein lies the difference! Big difference! The registry has to be abolished as it discriminates against a certain group of people. Enough!

Bless you Janice and everyone!💝💝

So are we only to lobby about the bills that are on the table or could I also go and ask them to explain how not letting me bring my wife to this country is helping anyone. Or maybe I could just explain to them how much heartbrake this is causing for us and the many other families affected by the immigration part of the Adam Walsh Act.

Thanks for everyone’s support. I had no idea all this was going on. I’m glad I stumbled across this page. Some of us just make one huge mistake and have to pay for it for the rest of our lives. It happened while working at a high school. I was in the army also and had a lot going for me then get caught up in the system and now it’s like I’m/were the worst people in the world. One time ever being arrested. One time ever making a mistake. Then I get out and the judge originally sentenced to three years prison and three years parole, once out parole tells me no I have ten years automatically due to a new law. Ridiculous. Is anything being done about the extended parole lengths also or just the registration burdens? Any advice, tips, links, or websites from anyone would be greatly helpful. I would def go to Sacramento and help but Po won’t let me go that far. Living in Southern California. Thanks again everyone for the much needed eye opening talks with the lawmakers.

Thank you all! = )

God bless you all…
May prayers for all of you that through your courage to figth your rights for your families ..
Keep the Faith …

although I couldn’t attend these meetings I am posting and sending the following to every person on the safety committees and anyone else i have time to send to…hopefully others who can’t attend will send similar comments…

To whom it may concern…

I am one of those monsters most people claim we all are for talking to an underage girl over the Internet with whom I never had any physical contact with almost 15years ago and guess what I haven’t reoffended or even considered reoffending and I’m in Sacramento California where we have no residency restrictions or presence restrictions or Internet restrictions. The fact is is that none of these failed policies have achieved any positive results and have absolutely nothing to do with why I haven’t reoffended. if I wanted to reoffend I would care less about any of these laws and not one of them would prevent me from doing so…thats a fact …these laws only affect those individuals who want to be law bidding citizens and have no effect on the monsters you claim all of us are who are considering to commit another sex offense…zero effect…just so you know i did my time finished extensive parole without any incidents payed off my $15000 child support and am in my sixth semester of college. I am a father and grandfather an uncle and brother engaged to be married and all these people love me from the bottom of their hearts…does this sound like a monster that needs to be shot or locked up forever??? if anyone says yes then you have absolutely no interest in facts and have absolutely no humanity left in your cold dead hearts…I do agree with you that those who attack and rape children or adults should be locked up and subjected to intensive treatment before ever having a chance to be released( which they are and the worst of the worst usually for 25 to life in most cases) and if they reoffend lock em up and throw away the key…but do you really want our limited law enforcement resources wasted on a guy like me or would you rather have that money put into monoriting the high risk offenders and into programs that actually help prevent sexual abuse before it happens?
I really wish you,the media, and any other organization would stop publishing, producing or relying on reports and opinions from law makers or any organizations about how effective sex offender registration and notification laws are. They are using false statistics and pure myths to further their personal agendas under the guise of protecting children. None of these failed policies have achieved any positive results in the US and are in fact destroying the lives of thousands of innocent children and their families because one of their parents or family members are on such a registry. Individuals and organizations should have enough integrity to investigate their claims before they publish it or rely on it and be sure that there is some credibility to it and not just a platform to exploit children for personal gains or their proffesional careers. Here are some facts from the leading authorities on this subject which indicate that there is no need or justification for these laws. There has not been a single incidence in which a person was apprehended or prevented from committing a crime anywhere or anytime in this country because of any of these laws. These laws are absolutely useless and are a waste of tax dollars and are a misplaced use of valuable law enforcement and government agency resources. Here are the facts from the leading authorities on this subject…

California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) End of Year Report 2014. (page 13)

Under the current system many local registering agencies are challenged just keeping up with registration paperwork. It takes an hour or more to process each registrant, the majority of whom are low risk offenders. As a result law enforcement cannot monitor higher risk offenders more intensively in the community due to the sheer numbers on the registry. Some of the consequences of lengthy and unnecessary registration requirements actually destabilize the life’s of registrants and those -such as families- whose lives are often substantially impacted. Such consequences are thought to raise levels of known risk factors while providing no discernible benefit in terms of community safety.

The full report is available online at. http://www.casomb.org/index.cfm?pid=231

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs United States of America.

The overall conclusion is that Megan’s law has had no demonstrated effect on sexual offenses in New Jersey, calling into question the justification for start-up and operational costs. Megan’s Law has had no effect on time to first rearrest for known sex offenders and has not reduced sexual reoffending. Neither has it had an impact on the type of sexual reoffense or first-time sexual offense. The study also found that the law had not reduced the number of victims of sexual offenses.

The full report is available online at. https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx? ID=247350

The University of Chicago Press for The Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago and The University of Chicago Law School Article DOI: 10.1086/658483

Conclusion. The data in these three data sets do not strongly support the effectiveness of sex offender registries. The national panel data do not show a significant decrease in the rate of rape or the arrest rate for sexual abuse after implementation of a registry via the Internet. The BJS data that tracked individual sex offenders after their release in 1994 did not show that registration had a significantly negative effect on recidivism. And the D.C. crime data do not show that knowing the location of sex offenders by census block can help protect the locations of sexual abuse. This pattern of noneffectiveness across the data sets does not support the conclusion that sex offender registries are successful in meeting their objectives of increasing public safety and lowering recidivism rates.

The full report is available online at. http://www.jstor.org/stable/full/10.1086/658483

These are not isolated conclusions but are the same outcomes in the majority of conclusions and reports on this subject from multiple government agencies and throughout the academic community.

People, including the media and other organizations should not rely on and reiterate the statements and opinions of the legislators or other people as to the need for these laws because of the high recidivism rates and the high risk offenders pose to the public which simply is not true and is pure hyperbole and fiction. They should rely on facts and data collected and submitted in reports from the leading authorities and credible experts in the fields such as the following.

California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB)

Sex offender recidivism rate for a new sex offense is 0.8% (page 30)

The full report is available online at

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Adult_Research_Branch/Research_Documents/2014_Outcome_Evaluation_Report_7-6-2015.pdf

California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) (page 38)

Sex offender recidivism rate for a new sex offense is 1.8%

The full report is available online at. http://www.google.com/url?sa= t&source=web&cd=1&ved= 0CCEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F% 2Fwww.cdcr.ca.gov%2FAdult_ Research_Branch%2FResearch_ documents%2FOutcome_ evaluation_Report_2013.pdf&ei= C9dSVePNF8HfoATX-IBo&usg=AFQjCNE9I6ueHz-o2mZUnuxLPTyiRdjDsQ

Bureau of Justice Statistics 5 PERCENT OF SEX OFFENDERS REARRESTED FOR ANOTHER SEX CRIME WITHIN 3 YEARS OF PRISON RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C.

Within 3 years following their 1994 state prison release, 5.3 percent of sex offenders (men who had committed rape or sexual assault) were rearrested for another sex crime, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today.

The full report is available online at. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/rsorp94pr.cfm

Document title; A Model of Static and Dynamic Sex Offender Risk Assessment Author: Robert J. McGrath, Michael P. Lasher, Georgia F. Cumming Document No.: 236217 Date Received: October 2011 Award Number: 2008-DD-BX-0013

Findings: Study of 759 adult male offenders under community supervision Re-arrest rate: 4.6% after 3-year follow-up The sexual re-offense rates for the 746 released in 2005 are much lower than what many in the public have been led to expect or believe. These low re-offense rates appear to contradict a conventional wisdom that sex offenders have very high sexual re-offense rates.

The full report is available online at. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236217.pdf

Document Title: SEX OFFENDER SENTENCING IN WASHINGTON STATE: RECIDIVISM RATES BY: Washington State Institute For Public Policy.

A study of 4,091 sex offenders either released from prison or community supervision form 1994 to 1998 and examined for 5 years Findings: Sex Crime Recidivism Rate: 2.7%

Link to Report: http://www.oncefallen.com/files/Washington_SO_Recid_2005.pdf

Document Title: Indiana’s Recidivism Rates Decline for Third Consecutive Year BY: Indiana Department of Correction 2009.

The recidivism rate for sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05%, one of the lowest in the nation. In a time when sex offenders continue to face additional post-release requirements that often result in their return to prison for violating technical rules such as registration and residency restrictions, the instances of sex offenders returning to prison due to the commitment of a new sex crime is extremely low. Findings: sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05%

Link to Report: http://www.in.gov/idoc/files/RecidivismRelease.pdf

Once again, These are not isolated conclusions but are the same outcomes in the majority of reports on this subject from multiple government agencies and throughout the academic community. No one can doubt that child sexual abuse is traumatic and devastating. The question is not whether the state has an interest in preventing such harm, but whether current laws are effective in doing so. Megan’s law is a failure and is destroying families and their children’s lives and is costing tax payers millions upon millions of dollars. The following is just one example of the estimated cost just to implement SORNA which many states refused to do.

From Justice Policy Institute. Estimated cost to implement SORNA Here are some of the estimates made in 2009 expressed in 2014 current dollars: California, $66M; Florida, $34M; Illinois, $24M; New York, $35M; Pennsylvania, $22M; Texas, $44M. In 2014 dollars, Virginia’s estimate for implementation was $14M, and the annual operating cost after that would be $10M.

For the US, the total is $547M. That’s over half a billion dollars – every year – for something that doesn’t work.

http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/08-08_FAC_SORNACosts_JJ.pdf.

Attempting to use under-reporting to justify the existence of the registry is another myth, or a lie. This is another form of misinformation perpetrated by those who either have a fiduciary interest in continuing the unconstitutional treatment of a disfavored group or are seeking to justify their need for punishment for people who have already paid for their crime by loss of their freedom through incarceration and are now attempting to reenter society as honest citizens. When this information is placed into the public’s attention by naive media then you have to wonder if the media also falls into one of these two groups that are not truly interested in reporting the truth.

Both of these groups of people that have that type of mentality can be classified as vigilantes, bullies, or sociopaths, and are responsible for the destruction of our constitutional values and the erosion of personal freedoms in this country.

I think the media or other organizations need to do a in depth investigation into the false assumptions and false data that has been used to further these laws and to research all the collateral damages being caused by these laws and the unconstitutional injustices that are occurring across the country. They should include these injustices in their report so the public can be better informed on what is truly happening in this country on this subject.

watch what the experts say….

https://youtu.be/GBoy2FB27yg

Thank you for your time.

Hello everyone. I come from a state with a tired registry. My tier has changed three times in the last fifteen years. What I have noticed is that you can be placed in the worst tier at the discretion of the state police or a sex offender management team.

A tired registry really is a group of people you get put into that takes away most constitutional rights and due process that most other citizens are afforded. Isn’t that really a cast system based on a persons past behavior? Many times decades after a crime? This cast system removes safety nets so as you grow older you won’t have access to feeling safe. Like public housing, food stamps, travel…. etc

It is encouraging to see people organize and speak up and to see lawyers taking a stand against a legalized cast system. For many of us, hope is all we have to hang on to for a better future. The worst sentence man can give out to another man is the lose of hope.

California’s proposed used of a tiered registry will have long-range consequences in other states many states already require tier 2 or 3 to register for lifethis would apply to a California conviction even if currently you do not have to register in the other state.