The number of Californians who are required to register has decreased slightly, according to a report made during today’s meeting of the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB). The CASOMB reported earlier this year a total of 109,627 registrants and today the board reported that there are about 500 few registrants. Specifically, the board reported today that there are 109,178 individuals who are required to register in the state of which 81,778 live in the community, that is, are not in custody. Of that total, there are 18,116 individuals who…
Read MoreMonth: September 2020
CA Supreme Court Schedules Prop. 57 Oral Arguments on Oct. 7
The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the case, In re Gadlin (S254599), for October 7 starting at 9 a.m. The Gadlin case is the first in a series of cases challenging regulations issued by the California Department of Corrections (CDC) that implement Proposition 57. At issue in this case is whether CDC can deny early consideration for parole to individuals who were previously convicted of a sex offense but are currently in custody for a non-sex offense. CDC requested review of the case after an appellate court decided that…
Read MoreCA: New California law to make it easier for former inmate firefighters to turn pro
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new bill Friday that will accelerate the process for expunging the felony records of formerly incarcerated volunteer firefighters. The new law is designed to make it far easier for them to earn an emergency medical technician certification, the first step in becoming a professional firefighter in most cities and counties. Full Article From AB 2147: 1203.4b. (a) (1) If a defendant successfully participated in the California Conservation Camp program as an incarcerated individual hand crew member, as determined by the Secretary of the Department of…
Read MoreCO: The Onerous Burdens of Sex Offender Registration Are Not Punishment, the 10th Circuit Rules. They Just Feel That Way.
Online sex offender registries, which all 50 states maintain as a condition of federal funding, stigmatize the people listed in them long after they have completed their sentences, creating obstacles to housing and employment while exposing registrants to public humiliation, ostracism, threats, and violence. Three years ago, a federal judge ruled that such consequences amounted to cruel and unusual punishment of three men who challenged their treatment under Colorado’s Sex Offender Registration Act. Last week a federal appeals court overturned that decision, saying the burdens imposed by registration do not…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Nevada’s “Self-Pay” Ruling
With every state having its own registry, its own frequently amended and expanded rules, it’s difficult enough for registrants to keep up with what’s going on in their own state, never mind other states. In case you missed it, here’s a gem of a ruling from Nevada that became effective on 6/5/19, that once again reaches into the wallet of registrants and also appears to give sole power over whose wallet is emptied, to the Chief of the State Board of Parole Commissioners. Nevada Senate Bill 8: The State Board…
Read MoreOffenderWatch and Advocacy Nonprofit Zandoli USA Join Forces to Track Sex Offenders in the Caribbean
[prnewswire.com – 9/15/20] ARIMA, Trinidad and Tobago, Sept. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — OffenderWatch the leading sex offender registry management solution for law enforcement, and the Caribbean Committee Against Sex Crimes (CCASC), an initiative of nonprofit Zandoli USA, today announced a joint mission to deliver a network of sex offender registries across the 15 nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that seeks to track sex offenders throughout the Caribbean and eventually across the world. “With this partnership, we hope to deliver a comprehensive network of shared sex offender registries in all the countries of the Caribbean so that offenders are accounted for and children are saved,”…
Read MoreKamala Harris Refused To Enforce Tough Sex Offender Law While California AG
[thepatriotsreport.com – 9/13/20] Since former Vice President Joe Biden chose California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, the latter has faced intense scrutiny over her controversial record as California’s attorney general. Harris’ record on sex crimes was especially awful. Nowhere is this better shown than in a 2015 legal opinion in which Harris ordered the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to stop enforcing residency restrictions that prohibited sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and parks. Harris’ decision resulted in the undoing of a key provision…
Read MoreFAC: MI: Sex offender registry months out-of-date, but little action from lawmakers… so what?
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 9/14/20] A local Michigan news paper ran this story yesterday, which spoke about the state of Michigan’s sex offender registry and how out of date and inaccurate it is. Essentially, since U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland declared parts of the State’s registry unconstitutional, Michigan has not been enforcing it. That means information on 44,000 people on their list has not been updated in months. Old information still appears online, new information has not been added. And things appear to be in limbo until their legislature can pass a…
Read MoreNew ACSOL Challenge for Donations
There is a new ACSOL challenge for donations. A registrant who asked to be called “Anonymous” is offering a 2-for-1 challenge up to $2,500. That is, he is willing to donate $2 for each $1 donated by someone else. Donations are to be used to oppose the recently proposed SORNA regulations. “We greatly appreciate Anonymous and his offer to donate up to $2,500,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “We will not receive that donation, however, until and unless others donate a total of $1,250.” The recently proposed SORNA regulations…
Read MoreCASOMB to Meet Virtually on September 17
The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) will meet virtually on September 17 starting at 9:30 a.m. and the public is welcome to attend that meeting. In order to attend, you will need to sign up on the board’s website at www.casomb.gov. Once there, click on the “Meetings” tab and sign up. The board will confirm that you have been signed up and even ask if you have a question for the board. Although the board typically meets on a monthly basis, it has not met for several months. Therefore,…
Read MoreCA: Newsom signs SB 145 intended to end discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions
[latimes.com – 9/11/20] SACRAMENTO — Discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions will be outlawed under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late Friday evening. The measure, Senate Bill 145, will amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older and the adult is not more than 10 years older than the minor. Currently, adults who are convicted of having…
Read MoreCA: In effort to change sex-crimes law, Newsom’s LGBTQ rights record faces a test
[latimes.com – 9/11/20] SACRAMENTO — A California bill intended to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions has captured the attention of Republicans and far-right conspiracy theorists, who are demanding a veto from Gov. Gavin Newsom and say state Democratic leaders are putting teenagers at risk. The measure, Senate Bill 145, would amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older…
Read MoreAction Alert: Email Websites That Offer “Ki1l a Ped%phi1e” Merchandise
There are at least four websites currently offering for sale merchandise with the message “Ki1l a Ped%phi1e.” The websites are Amazon, Etsy, Ki1ler Culture Shop and Scratsh1rt. Merchandise being sold on these websites includes clothing and/or stickers. “The logos on some of the merchandise being sold include graphics of a person aiming a gun at the head of a bound man on his knees as well as the message ‘Ki1l a Ped%phi1e,’” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “We must stop the sale and advertisement of this merchandise.“ Registrants, family…
Read MoreMaxwell Monty: Parole enjoys playing Tether “Gall”
[Maxwell Monty] “You cannot ever unplug that box! You are tethered to it!” shouted my parole agent during a recent phone conversation. The referred to apparatus is the black box that was installed in my apartment to maximize connection for maintenance checks with the GPS monitor on my ankle. Frequently, the box inexplicably emits beeps. When that happens, I unplug it, and five minutes later plug it back in and reboot it to my ankle monitor. This process routinely has occurred over the past five months; and I had not…
Read MoreTexas Registrant Issues Financial Challenge to ACSOL
A registrant in Texas, who asked to be identified as “HB”, has issued a financial challenge to ACSOL. If ACSOL receives $1,000 or more during the next 30 days to oppose the proposed federal SORNA regulations, HB will donate an additional $1,000 to the organization. “Thank you, HB, for the challenge you are offering to ACSOL,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “It is now up to registrants, their families and supporters to meet this challenge. With increased resources, ACSOL can expand its efforts in opposition to the proposed SORNA…
Read MoreFAC: Florida homeless registrants lose appeal against Miami-Dade
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 9/9/20] Sadly, the homeless registrants in Miami-Dade lost their appeal to the 11th Circuit in a decision returned today. The loss was on a technicality – whether the suit can be construed as an “as applied” challenge vs. a “facial challenge”. The 11th circuit’s decision was that the plaintiffs didn’t bring their case “as applied” to the John Doe plaintiffs from the get-go and therefore the Defendants didn’t have a fair chance to defend accordingly. Read the full article
Read MoreWomen Against Registry: Pushback Again! Sept 24 Denver demonstration to change America’s sexual offense registration laws
[womenagainstregistry.org ] Last year WAR organized a massive media campaign with a focus on Halloween the impact to registered citizens and families. That campaign went to over 9,000 outlets. The DOJ Rule 72 recommendation was released mid-August asking for public comment prior to October 13, 2020. We are concerned with the pattern that is developing to further punish our registrants and families. In Millard v Rankin, 13-cv-02406-RPM (USDC 2017), a US District Court determined Colorado’s sex offense registry laws constituted cruel and unusual punishment. But in the 10th Circuit Court…
Read MoreLisa Anne Zilney: Guilt by Association: Labeling Research-Based Policy Suggestions as “Pro-Offender”
[medium.com/@zilneyl/ – 9/7/20] In the current political climate, keyboard warriors are out in full force: tossing rude insults, stigmatizing and labeling individuals, and posting adversarial disagreements to almost every social media post that crosses my desk. I recently stumbled across a Facebook post that advocated letters and petition-signing in the hopes of banning those required to register for a sex offense from yet another venue in life. A little more Facebook digging and I found numerous pages dedicated to labeling both convicted individuals and those only suspected of sex crimes.…
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