[nydailynews.com – 2/20/19] Emily Horowitz is a member of the ACSOL Board of Directors and was a Speaker at the 2018 ACSOL Conference. Last week, Anthony Weiner was released from federal prison to a Bronx halfway house after serving 21 months for sending sexually-explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. Next, like approximately 4.5 million others on probation/parole, he’ll spend 3 years on supervised release. Supervised release is no cakewalk; while on it, one is subject to unannounced visits and random searches, needs approval for travel and housing, and must regularly…
Read MoreYear: 2019
MT: The Latest: Fox asks Montana lawmakers to act on [child sex crime] time limits
[kansas.com – 2/19/19] HELENA, Mont. The Latest on Montana cases before the Supreme Court (all times local): 4:20 p.m. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox is asking state lawmakers to act after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his petition that would have allowed prosecutors to charge a man for the decades-old rape of an 8-year-old girl. The Republican attorney general called the high court’s decision Tuesday “beyond disappointing.” He is urging the Legislature to repeal statutes of limitations for child sex crimes, saying no offender “should find comfort in running out…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group Meetings 2019
Emotional Support Group meetings will be held for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. This meeting, which is based upon the format of 12 Step meetings, provides registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and share their experiences, strengths and hopes, with each other. Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. There is no cost to attend. No reservations are required. Below are your choices…
Read MoreNC: Cleveland Co. Sheriff’s Office to start posting names of registered sex offenders on Facebook
[wsoctv.com – 2/18/19] CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. – Cleveland County’s Sheriff’s Office is taking unprecedented steps to make sure you know if a sex offender moves in near you. It is posting on its Facebook page information about sex offenders who have changed their address or who have just become sex offenders. Officials said there is a higher percentage of registered sex offenders in the county than in other counties of similar size, so people need extra help to stay safe. Read more
Read MoreACSOL’s first Emotional Support Group PHONE meeting will be in March
You asked for it and we now have it: an Emotional Support Group meeting on a phone conference call! It will meet at a different date and time from the face-to-face group that meets the fourth Saturday of each month in L.A. Like the face-to-face meeting, this phone conference is based upon 12 Step principles, and provides registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges. However, unlike the face-to-face meeting, no one is allowed to just drop in to the meeting. The exact meeting date and…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Is Remorse a Requirement for Registrants?
Remorse: A gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs, according to Merriam-Webster. In a recent interview TV star Bill Cosby stated he was “not remorseful and did nothing wrong”, maintaining his innocence in the sexual assault crimes that were leveled against him in a well- known TV news media circus court case. So what happens to those accused of sex offenses who maintain their innocence throughout their trials, prison sentences and even after they are set free? Where is the line in the sand drawn between…
Read MoreACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting Alert in L.A. on Sat, Feb 23
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, February 23, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. This meeting, which is based upon the format of 12 Step meetings, provides registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and share their experiences, strengths and hopes, with each other. Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in Berkeley on Saturday, Feb 23
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in Berkeley: Saturday, Feb 23 10 a.m. Finnish Hall (upstairs meeting room) 1970 Chestnut Street Berkeley Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!
Read MoreWhat do these people have in common? [Florida Action Committee]
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 2/14/19] What do the following people have in common? An Air Force Colonel A prison guard A Christian school teacher They are all in positions where they are responsible for protecting people? Yes, but not what I was looking for. They all require specialized training and background clearances? True, but again, not what I had in mind. They are all people we should trust and respect? Ok, not the answer I had in mind. Guess again… They are all sex offenders? Bingo! You guessed it! I scan the…
Read MoreCA: ACSOL Supports Senate Bill to Terminate Registration Requirements
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has agreed to support Senate Bill 145 that would provide judges with the authority to terminate the requirement to register for individuals convicted of some sex offenses. The authority would be limited to circumstances in which the age difference between the offender and the victim is 10 years or less provided that the victim is at least 14 years old. “Senator Scott Wiener, author of the Tiered Registry Law, is also author of Senate Bill 145,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. …
Read MoreCA: Root and Rebound’s Free Oakland legal clinic for people with records on March 6
Come to R&R’s next FREE legal clinic for people with arrest and conviction records. Examples of legal issues we can support on include: • Parole and Probation conditions; • Child Visitation and Custody, and Child Support rights; • Record-cleaning; • Fines & Fees and other Court-ordered debt; • Employment rights and “Ban the Box”; • Occupational license issues; • Housing rights; • Getting a Driver’s License or other form of ID; • Immigration rights with a record; • Voting rights. • And any other issue related to having a record.…
Read MoreAL: District Court Determines Alabama Laws to be Punishment
Doe v. Marshall – decided February 11, 2019 Conclusion: Alabama can prosecute sex offenses to the full extent of the law. It can also act to protect its citizens from recidivist sex offenders. But the State denies that ASORCNA is designed to “punish” offenders. And once a person serves his full sentence, he enjoys the full protection of the Constitution. Harris, 772 F.3d at 572; accord Packingham, 137 S. Ct. at 1737. Sex offenders are not second-class citizens, and anyone who thinks otherwise would do well to remember Thomas Paine’s wisdom: “He that would make his own…
Read MorePhilippines: US gives BI pat on the back for blocking 200 American sex offenders
The United States government has commended the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for preventing 200 American registered sex offenders (RSOs) from entering the Philippines in 2018. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Friday the bureau was recently awarded a certificate of commendation by the US Embassy in Manila after registering the second highest number of excluded American RSOs throughout the world last year. Mexico, which shares a land border with the US in the southwest, recorded the highest number of intercepted RSOs. Full Article
Read MoreConference Call re. Michigan AG Dana Nessel Amicus Briefs (2/13)
Women Against Registry – Have Questions? We have received many questions since notifying our members of the amicus briefs filed in the Michigan Supreme Court by new Attorney General Dana Nessel in Michigan v Snyder (Case number 153696) and People v Betts (Case number 148981), arguing that Michigan’s sex offender registration and notification requirements are punishment because they are so burdensome and fail to distinguish between dangerous offenders and those who are not a threat to the community. In response to the appeals for answers we have invited Guy Hamilton-Smith…
Read MoreCNMI: Sex registry’s constitutionality questioned
Northern Mariana Islands – A registered sex offender, whose adult girlfriend is currently pregnant, is questioning the constitutionality of the law that created the CNMI Sex Offender Registry, as this prevents him from being around minors, including his own children. … Banes said, the statute is unconstitutional, under both the CNMI and the U.S. Constitutions as applicable in the CNMI under the Covenant. Full Article
Read MoreUK: University launches scheme to rehabilitate sex offenders
Sex offenders will be given support to help find a job and make new friends under a pioneering scheme run by a university and backed by police. The initiative aims to integrate people back into society to prevent them committing further crimes. Offenders will visit a centre, the first of its kind in the UK, where they will receive employment training – from management skills to writing CVs – as well as help with building a supportive social circle, finding new hobbies or learning basic skills such as cooking. The…
Read MoreMI: AG Dana Nessel Does The Unthinkable – Argues The Truth About SORA (Commentary)
Michigan’s Attorney General has entered the cultural and legal conflagration of how we reckon with sexual violence in our society with a remarkable (and compelling) argument: Michigan’s sex offender registries are not effective at stopping sexual violence. It’s a remarkable argument. Safety and accountability have been the ostensible watchwords in our ongoing collective discussion of sexual violence, but strong (and understandable) emotion has tended to override those concerns and diverted discourse into negative-feedback loops of ever more brutal consequences for anyone who would even be perceived to stand in the way of…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: To Compete In Today’s World, Registrants Need Computer Access
Making it out of prison alive is a success in itself. Making a success of your life once you are out of prison is often a whole different story. Registrants who are prohibited from using smartphones and computers, often those on probation, may find it a struggle trying to reintegrate into today’s fast paced techno- world without the proper tools. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to succeed in society without having access to computer technology that’s the norm for most men, women and children. For registrants, every day there’s some new…
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