[ACSOL] A ballot proposition that will appear on the November 2020 ballot in California, if passed, would significantly increase the number of violent felonies as well as require the collection of DNA from individuals convicted of some misdemeanor offenses. The title of the ballot proposition is “Violent Crime, DNA Collection and Parole Initiative.” The proposition has not yet been assigned a number or a letter that will be included on the ballot. “We must work together in order to stop this ballot proposition,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “If…
Read MoreMonth: June 2020
FL: Tampa Bay Times Nixes Mugshot Gallery
[newsmax.com – 6/16/20] The Tampa Bay Times will stop publishing its online mugshot gallery, which features people who have been arrested in the newspaper’s coverage area. The Times made the announcement on Monday. “The galleries lack context and further negative stereotypes,” said Tampa Bay Times Executive Editor Mark Katches. “We think the data is an important resource that our newsroom will continue to analyze and watch carefully, but the galleries alone serve little journalistic purpose.” Katches added that the newspaper will still publish individual mugshots with stories when arrests have been…
Read MoreConfronting Sexual Harm Ending State Violence Virtual Discussion June 20th with Judith Levine and Erica Meiners
[amberspeaksup.com] This free virtual event will feature a discussion with Judith Levine and Erica Meiners, authors of the recently released book, The Feminist and the Sex Offender – Confronting Sexual Harm and Ending State Violence. The conversation will feature concepts from the book, as well as the voices of those impacted by both sexual harm and the criminal legal system, including the impact of significant racial disparities. You are so important to the dialogue around criminal justice reform, ending sexual violence and public registration issues and I wanted to personally invite you…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Applause
Applause for Tampa’s, Mr.________ and his win in two Florida courts. One guy, living as a transient on the streets of Tampa since his prison release, representing himself, stands up against the state of Florida and has managed to mystify them with the flaws in their laws. I won’t dwell on Mr. _______ offenses; you can read the full story on this website. He did his time, spent 12 years in prison for his convicted sexual offenses. When he was released from prison, the state of Florida assumed he would…
Read MoreWill Sex Offense Registry Changes be Part of Criminal Justice Reform?
[medium.com/@zilneyl/ – 6/11/20] The killing of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement has sparked outrage and mass protests across the nation. Calls for police reform have created yet another divide among the American public. As we move toward what will likely be significant changes to the criminal justice system, will individuals on the sex offense registry be included in those reforms? Why So Many Laws? Throughout history the level of outrage associated with various types of criminals has changed, yet the moral disgust directed at sex offenses and…
Read MoreCA: Registration Procedures Vary Greatly at Local Law Enforcement Agencies
[ACSOL] Registration procedures currently vary greatly at local law enforcement agencies in the state of California. While some agencies, such as the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), are remotely registering individuals by telephone, there are other agencies that continue to require individuals to register in person. “It is difficult to understand why local law enforcement agencies continue to require individuals to register in person during a pandemic after issuance of both the Governor’s Executive Order and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bulletin,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Based upon…
Read MoreCA: California progressive politicians turning away campaign cash from cops
[cbs8.com – 6/9/20] As the wave of protests over incidents of police brutality and racist policing enters its second week, progressive California politicians are rethinking their financial relationship with the unions that represent law enforcement officers. On Thursday, state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, a Democrat, announced on Twitter that he would no longer be accepting campaign contributions from police, sheriff and prison guard unions. He promised to donate roughly $20,000 he has received from such labor groups to date to nonprofits that serve Bay Area youth. Sen. Lena…
Read MoreCA: Vallejo Police Department temporarily modifying its sex offender registration process
[timesheraldonline.com – 6/9/20] The Vallejo Police Department is temporarily modifying its sex offender registration process to include telephonic and appointment-based registrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. New or existing registrant or a registrant required to update his/her status as a sex offender under California penal codes 290 PC and/or 457.1 PC, must update their status by calling the Vallejo Police Department’s telephonic registration line at (707) 917-4124, according to a new release from the police department. “If you are a registrant without telephone access or who has special needs, you will…
Read MoreFL: CrimeNews Ocala sex offender arrested for failing to update license
[ocala-news.com – 6/8/20] An Ocala sex offender who recently got out of prison was arrested after he failed to update his driver’s license information within 48 hours of registering his new address. .. On May 26, ___ reported to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and updated his registration after being released from the Department of Corrections and said he would be living at 10685 W. Hwy. 326 in Ocala. He was reminded of the registration requirements, which include reporting to a Division of Motor Vehicles office within 48 hours to…
Read MoreFL: Ruling allows Tampa man to avoid sex offender registration until he pays $10K fine
[tampabay.com – 6/9/20] A Tampa man who spent 12 years in prison for molesting two young girls at a community pool does not have to register as a sexual offender until he pays a $10,000 fine, two Florida courts have ruled. A judge in the Hillsborough Circuit Court and a panel of three judges in Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal in April said ___ has not been released from the sanctions imposed in 2004, and he does not fit the definition of a sexual offender until the fine is…
Read MoreACSOL Submits Formal Comments Regarding Proposed Tiered Registry Petition Forms [Updated 6/18 with Ellman comments]
[Updated 6/18 with Ira and Tara Ellman comments] The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has submitted formal comments regarding proposed Tiered Registry petition forms to the Judicial Council of California. The deadline for submitting formal comments regarding the proposed forms is June 9, 2020. “The comments submitted by ACSOL are based, in large part, upon input received from ACSOL members,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. ACSOL provided a total of eight comments in an eight-page letter to the Judicial Council. The letter includes as an enclosure a…
Read MoreLiving with 290: Wife not allowed in country
After 11 years of marriage we spent the last two, trying to get my wife allowed in the US from the Philippines. I am retired and she is 9 years my younger. We have no children and we lived together until the USCIS quoted the Adam Walsh Act and denied my wife entry. The case was a consensual case, but i took the plea deal, served no prison and six month in county. No recommendations for ” rehabilitation” in file as i am not a predator . One crime in…
Read MoreNigeria: Names of Convicted Sex Offenders now on NAPTIP’s Register
[bellanaija.com – 6/8/20] Remember how a petition was launched in March, urging the Nigerian government to implement a sex offenders registry (i.e rape, paedophilia, sexual harassment and assault)? Well, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has now published names and photographs of some convicted sex offenders on the Nigeria Sex Offender Register. The DG of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli, shared a list over the weekend via Twitter. She said the agency is determined to start naming and shaming all sex offenders, and more names of sex offenders…
Read MoreNJ: Obscure New Jersey ‘Treatment’ Facility Has A Higher COVID-19 Death Rate Than Any Prison In The Country
[theappeal.org – 6/4/20] With its innocuous name, the Special Treatment Unit (STU) sounds like a hospital. It’s a building in Avenel, New Jersey, housing 441 “residents,” as it calls them. It has what state officials have described as a “comprehensive treatment program” with cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by mental health experts. But the STU is actually a prison in all but name—it’s run by the state’s Department of Corrections and located on the grounds of the East Jersey State Prison. So-called residents live there involuntarily, often for decades on end,…
Read MoreMI: Lawmakers debate changes to states sex offender registry law after court ruling
Michigan lawmakers are debating how to overhaul the state’s sex offender registry after a federal appeals court ruled sections of the law are unconstitutional, but Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is contending the proposed fixes don’t repair the law’s flaws. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Take Your Knee Off of My Neck
I became a grandmother for the first time a week ago. It’s a moment I have been looking forward to, and planning for, many years. Who knew it would take place during a global pandemic and less than a week after the death of George Floyd? Although I am the founder, past President and current Executive Director of the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL), I was uncertain how I would feel about the issue of civil rights for registrants and their families after I became a grandmother. Now…
Read MoreFAMM and NACDL Present the Movie: The Vanishing Trial
[famm.org – 6/6/20] Imagine you’re charged with a crime. Now you must choose between pleading guilty and receiving a shorter sentence–or going to trial and risking decades behind bars. “The Vanishing Trial” focuses on four individuals who were forced to make that excruciating choice. Each was threatened with a “trial penalty,” the term used to describe the substantially longer prison sentence a person receives if they exercise their constitutional right to trial instead of pleading guilty. We see how the trial penalty has led to the shocking disappearance of one of…
Read MoreMovie “Brian Banks” Now Streaming Free on iTunes, Redbox, and YouTube
[California Innocence Project – 6/5/20] “Brian Banks” Now Streaming Free on iTunes, Redbox, and YouTube. The feature film follows the true story of Banks’ trials and tribulations in the American criminal justice system San Diego, June 5, 2020 – On Friday, June 5, 2020, “Brian Banks” started streaming free on iTunes, Redbox, and YouTube, and is expected to be free on additional platforms in the days to come. In 2002, Brian Banks was a highly recruited linebacker looking to attend USC to play under Pete Carroll. His dreams were derailed…
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