At the end of May, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed H.R.1761, the “Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017.” It is intended “to criminalize the knowing consent of the visual depiction, or live transmission, of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” Going further, those convicted of such a practice would “be fined and imprisoned not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years, 25 years nor more than 50 if two or more prior offenses and would get 35 years to life, and 30 years to life if a…
Read MoreYear: 2017
Successful ACSOL Conference Brought Dignity, Hope and Information to Many
In 2017 The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws held its inaugural national conference, “We Are All In This Together” on June 16th and 17th in Los Angeles at the Southwestern Law School’s historic Bullocks-Wilshire building. More than 165 registered citizens, family members and supporters from across the country were in attendance. Featured speakers at the conference included nationally recognized leaders in Criminal Justice Reform including sociologist Emily Horowitz PhD, law professors and ACSOL Board Members Catherine Carpenter and Ira Ellman, WAR Founder Vicki Henry, Professor Larry Dubin and practicing…
Read MoreFinally, some clearer thinking on sex offenders
After years of panicked and excessively punitive lawmaking against sex offenders, cooler heads are beginning to prevail. The U.S. Supreme Court, for example, on Monday struck down a North Carolina law that effectively banned registered sex offenders from using any social media that is also accessible by children. Full Editorial
Read MoreConsideration of AB 558 Postponed Indefinitely
Bill author Sharon Quirk Silva has pulled Assembly Bill 558 (AB 558) from consideration during next week’s Public Safety Committee hearing. The bill was scheduled for consideration on June 27, but it is now expected that AB 558 won’t be heard until 2018 if at all. “The threat of AB 558 has disappeared from the horizon,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “There is language in the original and revised versions of AB 558 that contradicts language in the current version of the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421). Perhaps the author…
Read MoreOK: Lawmaker Seeks Change After Sex Offender Gets Out of Prison, Moves Next Door to Victim
When ____ ____ was 7 years old, her uncle ____ ____ sexually abused her, resulting in ____ being convicted in 2002. Now 21, ____ had hoped to put the ordeal behind her, but now she’s forced to deal with it every day, now that ____ is out of prison—and living in the house next door to her. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Even Sex Offenders Have Constitutional Rights
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that a North Carolina preventing sex offenders from accessing social media and other websites – without any attempt to tailor restrictions to potential contact with minors – violated the First Amendment. But restrictions on the freedom of speech aren’t the only unconstitutional deprivations sex offenders face. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Rankings considered for sex offenders
Authorities are working to get a handle on the problem of sex offenders in the state. A state-run task force could change the way the state manages registered sex offenders, but it won’t be easy to get everyone on board. One of the main items on the agenda is creating a ranking system. It would be a way to label non-violent offenders who pose no threat to children to those who do. It’s a controversial and ongoing debate. Full Article
Read MoreJustice Alito’s misleading claim about sex offender rearrests
“Repeat sex offenders pose an especially grave risk to children. ‘When convicted sex offenders reenter society, they are much more likely than any other type of offender to be rearrested for a new rape or sexual assault.’” –Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., concurring opinion in Packingham v. North Carolina, June 19, 2017 Full Article Video Related Fact-Checking the Fact Checker A misdirected attack on two notable sentences in Justice Alito’s Packingham concurrence
Read MoreTX: Supreme Court ruling could imperil Texas sex offender rules
Texas rules barring some sex offenders from using certain websites were thrown into jeopardy Monday morning after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar statute in North Carolina violates the First Amendment. Full Article
Read MoreA look at the potential changes in California’s sex offender registry
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and other criminal justice leaders have won state Senate approval to remove names of low-level, nonviolent offenders after 10 or 20 years. This would also include people who are considered not to reoffend. Under current California law, people convicted of certain sex offenses must register for life. Proponents of the bill argue that low level offenders are unfairly categorized with a blanket public perception of sex offenders, affecting offenders’ ability to obtain work, a home and even…
Read MoreSCOTUS Rules Justly in Packingham Case
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that a North Carolina law which prohibits all registrants from accessing commercial social networking websites used by minor children violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “This is a tremendous victory for the registrants of North Carolina as well as registrants throughout the nation,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized for the first time that registrants have First Amendment rights including the use of social media websites including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.” In its decision, the…
Read MoreSC: ‘Skinhead’ said God told him to kill sex offenders, wanted conviction tossed out
An unapologetic white supremacist serving three life sentences for killing two people in 2013 was denied a new trial Friday. He claimed God told him to kill sex offenders. Jeremy Moody, 34, of Union County, pleaded guilty in May 2014 to two counts of murder, burglary, kidnapping and other charges. He later filed a post conviction relief lawsuit claiming his court-appointed lawyers should have done more in the case to explore his mental illness. Moody asked for the convictions to be tossed out. Full Article
Read MoreCriminal justice leaders seek to end lifetime registry for low-risk sex offenders in California
It’s been nearly four decades since a 25-year-old Frank Lindsay landed on California’s sex offender registry after he pleaded no contest to improperly touching a girl under 14. He has not committed another crime since then, but state law requires Lindsay’s name to remain on the registry, which the public can see on government websites, for the rest of his life. Full Article
Read MoreIL: Task force seeks consensus on sex offender proposals
A statewide task force considering changes in how Illinois tracks sex offenders reached consensus this week on some key points, but agreement on reforms to several politically sensitive measures that could make it easier for offenders to start over after a conviction will require more deliberation. Full Article
Read MoreMO: Woman discovers sex offender using her address for registry, has to fight to remove it
What would you do if you discovered your house was wrongly listed on a statewide registry as the home of a sex offender? That’s exactly what happened to a Missouri woman who has been fighting for months to get the mistake corrected. Full Article
Read MoreLA: FAMM Praises Louisiana for Repeal of Mandatory Minimums
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) today commended Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards for signing into law SB 220, which repeals most of Louisiana’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws. The bill is a significant component of a larger criminal justice package that passed through the Louisiana legislature this session. Full Article
Read MoreSamoa: Girls, women and mothers have a right to be protected from sex offenders
The launch of the Samoa Law Reform Commission’s Report on the Sex Offenders Register yesterday is a step in the right direction. And with Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi’s use of such strong language in relation to repeated sex offenders, it certainly sends the message that there is no place in this country for such people. Which is fantastic. At last we are moving on to something that should have been established a long, long time ago. We say this because over the years we’ve been extremely concerned about repeated sex…
Read MorePredator with a Popsicle? Our Crazy Fear of The Ice Cream Man
Paul DiMarco has been selling ice cream in Poughkeepsie, New York, for two decades. He owns a fleet of trucks. When one mom confided to him, “You gotta be careful because there’s a lot of pedophiles in this world,” he recalls replying, “That attitude falls into the same category as ‘All black people that drive Cadillacs are pimps,’ and ‘All clowns kill little kids.’” Full Article
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