This morning the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a dispute over the constitutionality of a federal law that requires convicted sex offenders to return to prison for at least five years – and possibly for the rest of their lives – if a judge finds that they have committed certain crimes. The defendant in the case, an Oklahoma man who served time for possessing child pornography and was then sent back to prison after he violated the terms of his supervised release, argues that the law violates his right…
Read MoreDay: February 26, 2019
Want to build safer online communities? Drop the ban.
Creating safer and more equitable communities — both in real life, and online — is an important undertaking. Undoubtedly we are in agreement that those who cause harm and havoc should be stopped and made accountable for their actions. The broader (and more difficult) question comes in what we do next. To make this less abstract, in “real world” parlance, this is often called re-entry: the process of people returning to their lives, families, and communities after involvement with the justice system. Full Op-Ed — Guy Hamilton-Smith is a member of the ACSOL Board…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: When Will They Learn?
The CA state legislature began a new two-year session just last month. And in that short period of time, legislators are already heading down the wrong path. What path? The path which identifies all individuals convicted of a sex offense as dangerous and likely to commit a new sex offense. For example, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty who is known for his compassion for those who are or have been incarcerated, introduced a bill (AB 277) that would allow parolees to earn “reintegration credits” that could ultimately allow them to travel greater…
Read MoreCA: New Bill Would Expand Lifetime Registration Requirements
Assembly member Melissa Melendez has introduced a bill (AB 884) that would expand the requirement to register for a lifetime to anyone convicted of Penal Code Section 288(a) when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect in 2021. As currently written, the Tiered Registry Law authorizes individuals convicted of the same penal code section to petition for removal from the registry after a minimum of 20 years. “We must stop this bill!” exclaimed ACSOL Exeuctive Director Janice Bellucci. “If the bill is passed, at least 40 percent of the people on…
Read MoreME: Law would ban sex offenders from some multi-unit buildings, houses in Maine
[wmtw.com – 2/25/19] UGUSTA, Maine — A proposal at the Maine State House would add living restrictions to Maine’s sex offender law. The bill would ban a convicted sex offender from living in a multiunit building that shares an entrance with a unit occupied by a minor. Specifically, a sex offender who committed a crime against someone under the age of 14 would be banned from living in a multiunit building with a shared entrance with a person under 18. Maine law requires a sex offender who committed an offense…
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