ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci will discuss the need to overturn a significant and harmful decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court, Smith v. Doe, during the ACSOL conference on Saturday, September 18, at 10 a.m. She will also discuss, with ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, the newly effective Tiered Registry Law in California on Saturday, September 18, at 12:30 p.m..
“The U.S. Supreme Court made a terrible mistake when it decided that the requirement to register is not punishment,” stated Bellucci. “Due to that decision, governments at every level — city, county, state and federal — have passed new laws that significantly harm registrants and their families by applying them retroactively.”
For example, an individual convicted in 1979, before creation of the internet, has his personal information, including his home address listed on a public website. The listing of that man’s home address resulted in a physical attack by a stranger upon him in his own home.
“We must educate the Court regarding the impact of its mistake which was based upon one unsubstantiated article posted in Psychology Today magazine,” stated Bellucci. “Contrary to the Court’s finding that the rate of re-offense for registrants is ‘frightening and high’ both government and academic studies report that the re-offense rate is extremely low, as low as less 1 percent for registrants while on parole.”
Bellucci and Oberstein will discuss the early results of the petitioning process under the Tiered Registry Law on September 18 at 12:30 p.m. Their discussion will include statistics regarding how many and what types of petitions have been granted in the 10-week period that petitions have been filed.
“There is both good news and bad news to report regarding the petitioning process,” stated Oberstein. “We will share both types of news during our presentation.”
It is still possible to sign up for the conference using the link below.
I am looking forward to describing in a new way how we can overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Smith v. Doe. Several state courts and a few federal courts have started chipping away at this terrible decision. And now we need to help the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, do the right thing. Find out how during my presentation on Saturday.
I think most of us are aware of the need to overturn it. The question is how do we? Funding? If so funding what? A Civil law suit of families, women, and children affected by the registry? AKA fighting fire with fire?
A special lawsuit? Lobbying congress with science and facts which judging by their voting record they don’t care. Or do we just keep chipping away in the lower courts while legislators continue to patch our chips? Don’t get me wrong I love the victories we have when we have them, but it seems as long as that smith vs doe ruling exists, legislators or other courts will find the context to override our victories. Victories are short lived. I wanna win the war. how can we and what can we do? We have the facts. We have the data. What do we need to do? Is their anything in the works to move forward?
IMO, Any discussion had must include a motion to draft a petition to ask for the voluntary resignation of the top dog on SCOTUS! A strong statement regarding the unconstitutional nature of the people’s choice to use the database machine to enslave human and call it civil action is necessary. The defining of it as merely regulatory and administrative belies the definition and intent of the 13th amendment, and is incongruous to liberty with respect to common labor and indentured servitude. Indenture to state property accurately describes both incarceration and registration, as each in effect are used to put bars between the individual and the general public. It is not a coincidence the man who argued successfully the civility of it became appointed to the position most responsible for setting the courts agenda and docket. …
May i ask what victories are y’all talking about? I’m in Texas and i have noticed anything but same crap or getting worse. It’s crazy how you can be 18 a female lie to you about her age (17) when i first met her. Courts say you’re a sex offender, like you went out looking for an underage female. Then they offer you a plea deal for deferred adjudication probation which is not supposed to be a conviction on your record as long as you stay out of trouble. But you’re put in the same boat as the men that’s been convicted and did 5 10 15 20 years in the pen. It’s wrong how they ruin teenage boys life over these age differences especially when these females lie about these age and the courts know that’s the case with 80% of the cases. It’s not right.
So which is better a quick answer such as its all about database or the right answer or who studies the attributes of people. My sister is a wiz at coming up with a quick answer but in the long run it fails to pass judgement. Sure were there’s a will their is a way that seem’s right but what is right in man’s confusion of much of this registry.
Prejudging, passing or modifying judgment even being blunt about the circumstances seem more feasible than any computer age machine judgment to entrap. Sure if one wants to think its all about data that’s their prerogative. One has to have a witness in any type of crime so who is more guilty in this inducing a crime of a text encounter presented by law enforcment in this got ya climax of pretend when the main focus was to prevent adults from talking to teens.
Guess deception and/or lying is common use grounds in a court of law today. . Janice go for it.