Below is a statement of opposition to a Nebraska bill that eliminates all statutes of limitations on civil lawsuits against people accused of sex crimes. You may find it useful against similar statutes in other states. Full Statement
Read MoreYear: 2017
FL: Putnam County hires ‘Sex Offender Compliance’ specialist
Putnam County announced on Friday that they had reorganized resources and created a position known as a “Sex Offender Compliance Specialist.” The Florida Sex Offender Registry said that there are currently 305 sex offenders in Putnam County. The county says the specialist “will work in conjunction with the current offender compliance program as a means of providing critical intelligence for investigators by assessing risk-related changes in offender’s behavior.” “We refuse to allow Putnam County to become a safe haven for sexual offenders and predators,” said Gator Deloach, who was elected…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Court to consider social media access for sex offenders [updated with media links]
In April 2010, Lester Packingham’s traffic ticket was dismissed, prompting him to take to Facebook to celebrate. He posted that “God is Good! How about I got so much favor they dismissed the ticket before court even started? No fine, no court costs, no nothing spent . . . Praise be to GOD, WOW! Thanks JESUS!” … Based on his Facebook post, Packingham was charged with violating a North Carolina law that makes it a crime for a registered sex offender to “access” a “commercial social networking Web site” when he…
Read MorePresident Trump: War on Human Trafficking
According to the FBI, human trafficking is believed to be the third-largest criminal activity in the world. In recent years cases have been piling up and leads are hard to follow in many instances. President Trump has vowed to bring “full force and weight” to battle this epidemic aggressively . In a Reuters video the president pointed out the seriousness of this issues in America and worldwide. A short synopsis of the statements maid by President trump indicate that globally nearly 21 million people are victims of human trafficking, according to the…
Read MoreThe Transformative Potential of Doe v. Snyder
In late 2016, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s concluded in Does #1–5 v. Snyder that Michigan’s sex offender registry and residency restriction law constituted an ex post facto punishment in violation of the constitution. In its decision, the Sixth Circuit engaged with scientific evidence that refutes moralized judgments about sex offenders, specifically that they pose a unique and substantial risk of recidivism. This Essay is intended to highlight the importance of Snyder as an example of the appropriate use of scientific studies in constitutional law. Full Article…
Read MoreACSOL Board Selects Janice Bellucci as Executive Director; Elects Chance Oberstein as President
The board of directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has selected Janice Bellucci to serve as its first Executive Director. The ACSOL board of directors subsequently elected Chance Oberstein to replace Bellucci as President. “I am honored to serve as the first Executive Director of ACSOL,” stated Bellucci. “In that capacity, I will be responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the organization including advocacy in the State Capitol.” Prior to his election as President of ACSOL, Oberstein served as Vice President of the organization for…
Read MoreMurrieta City Council Revises Residency Restrictions
The Murrieta City Council unanimously voted in favor of revising its residency restrictions on February 21. When it becomes effective, the revised ordinance will apply only to registrants on parole who live within 1,000 feet of schools and parks. The revised ordinance also limits the number of registrants who can live in individual housing units and creates exceptions for some disabled registrants. “The revised residency restrictions adopted by the City Council tonight will violate the Constitution and be inconsistent with recent decisions by the California Supreme Court,” stated ACSOL Executive…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Removal of an immigrant for “sexual abuse of a minor”
The facts of the case sound like an episode of “Law and Order SVU.” In 2000, Juan Esquivel-Quintana’s parents lawfully brought him to the United States and settled in Sacramento, California. When he was 20 years old, Esquivel-Quintana had consensual sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend. He later pleaded no contest to violating California Penal Code § 261.5(c), which criminalizes sex with a person “under the age of 18 years” when the age difference between the parties is more than three years. Esquivel-Quintana was sentenced to 90 days in jail and…
Read MoreReason Magazine Questions IML Decision, Other Federal Government Actions
The April 2017 issue of Reason magazine is focused upon federal government actions that result in harm to registrants and their families. The magazine is currently available by subscription only and can be obtained at a price of $15 for an annual digital subscription at www.reason.com. The magazine includes a discussion of our challenge to the International Megan’s Law (IML) and includes accurate statements about the lawsuit and some of its plaintiffs starting on page 34. The article also criticizes the judge’s decision and concludes with the following statement: “What’s…
Read MoreThe Man Arrested for Praising Jesus
Lester Packingham’s Facebook post is headed for the Supreme Court… Lester Gerard Packingham was having a really good day back on April 27, 2010. The North Carolina man had just learned that a traffic ticket against him had been dismissed, so he logged onto his Facebook account and gleefully told the world: “Man God is Good! How about I got so much favor they dismissed the ticket before court even started? No fine, no court costs, no nothing spent… Praise be to GOD, WOW! Thanks Jesus.” Full Article Packingham v.…
Read MoreOR: Lawmakers debate proposal to add sex traffickers to public registry
Should more sex offenders be listed on Oregon’s public sex offender registry? State lawmakers discussed the topic on Thursday as they considered a bill to add convicted sex traffickers to the state’s public website. Full Article
Read MoreBill Would Eliminate Exclusions from Megan’s Law Website (AB 558)
A bill was introduced in the California Assembly on Feb. 14 that would eliminate most exclusions from registrants’ information being posted on the Megan’s Law website. The author of that bill, Assembly Bill 558 (AB 558), is Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat from Orange County. If the bill is passed, information regarding some registrants whose victims were 16 years and older, successfully completed probation or were convicted of incest and others would be added to the Megan’s Law website regardless of when the offense occurred or whether the registrant…
Read MoreCompanies Expanding Employment Opportunities
More than 100 companies have announced that they are now willing to hire individuals previously convicted of a felony offense. The companies range from McDonald’s to the New York Times and also include American Express, B F Goodrich, Dunkin Donuts, Hilton Hotels, the Salvation Army, Target and others. It has been reported that some, but not all, of these companies are willing to hire individuals convicted of a sex offense. California law prohibits employers from discriminating against a registrant solely because he is required to register as a sex offender…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Tiered Registry Bill Could Help More Than 90 Percent of Registrants
It has happened at last! A tiered registry bill has been introduced in the state legislature. Before looking at the substance of the bill (Senate Bill 695), it is important to look at those who are offering and supporting it. The bill’s authors are two powerful members of the state Senate — Senator Ricardo Lara, who chairs the Appropriations Committee and Holly Mitchell, who chairs the Budget Committee. The bill’s sponsor is the most powerful district attorney in California, Jackie Lacey of Los Angeles. And the initial supporters of the…
Read MoreTiered Registry Bill Introduced as Senate Bill 695
Senator Ricardo Lara introduced today a tiered registry bill (Senate Bill 695). If passed by the legislature and signed by Governor, the bill would create three tiers that would allows most registrants who do not re-offend to lawfully end their requirement to register in either 10 or 20 years. The remaining registrants would still be required to register for a lifetime. “We have just received a copy of this bill and have not yet had time to compare it to the draft bill distributed a few months ago,” stated ACSOL…
Read MoreCongressman Sensenbrenner Reintroduces Bill to Stop the Sexual Exploitation of Children
Today, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner reintroduced the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act, which would allow the protections of the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act to continue saving the lives of children throughout the nation. Full Article
Read MoreCA Sex Offender Management Board Discusses Revisions to Tiered Registry Bill
Although the tiered registry bill has not yet been introduced in the state legislature, members of the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) discussed today possible significant revisions to that bill. The deadline for the bill to be introduced is Friday, February 17. First, CASOMB recommends that the bill be revised to allow some, but not all, individuals assigned to Tier 3 to petition for removal from the registry after 20 years. This opportunity would be limited to individuals whose offenses are Tier 1 or Tier 2 offenses, but who…
Read MoreMO: Swan files bill to bar sex offenders from children’s museums, zoos
An incident in which a sex offender visited Cape Girardeau’s Discovery Playhouse children’s museum prompted state Rep. Kathy Swan to file legislation to bar sex offenders from that museum and others. Registered sex offenders would be prohibited from being within 500 feet of any museum, zoo or “other location with the primary purpose of entertaining or educating children” younger than 18 years of age under legislation introduced by Swan. Full Article Related Bill Text MI: Court voids state sex offender registry for imposing unconstitutionally retroactive punishment [UPDATED]
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