Year: 2023

For Some Convicted Sex Offenders, Finishing Their Sentences Doesn’t Mean They Get To Go Home

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Source: route-fifty.com 5/22/23 Several states are civilly committing sex offenders when their prison terms end. The Bureau of Justice Statistics may soon begin collecting data about the practice—and finally shed some light on how widespread and effective it is. Looking to confine sexual offenders deemed a continuing risk to the public, lawmakers in 20 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Congress, passed laws around the turn of the millennium allowing for the involuntary civil commitment of these convicted offenders when their prison terms ended. But nearly a quarter of a century…

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Civil Commitment Does More Harm Than Good

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Source: truthdig.com 5/22/23 Civil commitment facilities actually foster the traumatic and violent conditions that they are supposed to prevent. As if serving a prison sentence wasn’t punishment enough, 20 states and the federal Bureau of Prisons detain over 6,000 people, mostly men, who have been convicted of sex offenses in prison-like “civil commitment” facilities beyond the terms of their criminal sentence. Around the turn of the millennium, 20 states, Washington D.C., and the federal government passed “Sexually Violent Persons” legislation that created a new way for these jurisdictions to keep people locked up — even indefinitely…

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PARSOL Responds to May 23, 2023 SCOPA Hearing

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HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) strongly urges the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to uphold Chester County Judge Allison Bell Royer’s finding in the case of Comm. v. George Torsilieri that Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) is unconstitutional.  Royer found that “SORNA is unconstitutional both facially and as applied to this Defendant on the bases that it employs an irrebuttable presumption that is not universally applicable and because its punitive nature offends Alleyne and Apprendi; results in a criminal…

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Janice’s Journal: Best Way to Serve and Protect Victims is to Better Serve Offenders

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The United Kingdom (U.K.) is not known for having an open mind regarding individuals required to register.  Instead, the U.K. is known for stopping and returning to the country-of-origin individuals required to register even if the individuals have entered the U.K. via airport on their way to another destination.  In such cases, the U.K. has returned the individuals to their country-of-origin at the individuals’ expense. Therefore, it was surprising, perhaps even shocking, to hear the voice of reason in a government report issued recently in the U.K.  First, the report…

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ACSOL Online Meeting June 24, 2023

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Please join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci as well as ACSOL board member and criminal defense attorney Chance Oberstein for our next meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, June 24, online on Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 PM Eastern, and will last at least two hours. You can use the Zoom app or call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. You can use the Zoom app to see Janice and Chance and choose…

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Europe: Commission unveils law to fight child sexual abuse online amid swelling privacy fears

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Source: politico.eu 5/11/23 The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a law to force digital companies to find, report and remove online child sexual abuse material circulating on their platforms. As reported by POLITICO, Google, Apple, and Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram could be faced with court orders to hunt down photos and videos of child abuse or else face hefty fines of up to 6 percent of their global revenue. Companies would also have to clamp down on grooming — conversations where offenders try to inappropriately connect with children. The proposals…

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MI: Plan for sex offender to live and work in Oakland County during parole is too close to Macomb Co. victim, prosecutor says

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Source: theoaklandpress.com 5/19/23 An assistant Macomb County prosecutor has asked the state Supreme Court last week to set 100 miles as the standard of a released prisoner to reside away from their victim. … The current parole plan is for McBrayer to live 16 miles away in Auburn Hills and work in landscaping in Waterford Township, both in Oakland County, and be restricted from entering Macomb County. “What irresistibly and keenly grabs our attention is because the Parole Board is proposing to place him 16 miles away when Michigan has…

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KY: Mixed Messages of Sex offenders in Ashcamp

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Source: news-expressky.com 5/19/23 When businesses pick up additional profit centers, it’s called line extension. … The extension of services that WestCare has embarked upon since 2019 is a halfway house for registered sex offenders. In a quick search of sex offenders in the 41512 zip code, which includes Ashcamp, there are 156 registered sex offenders. And over 80 of those have the same address; 10057 Elkhorn Creek Road, which is the same address for WestCare. … The halfway house provides a place for sex offenders who have committed crimes, served…

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AZ: Data suggest changes for sex offense policies

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Source: azcapitoltimes.com 5/18/23 Based on a false premise, Justice Anthony Kennedy asserted in the case of Smith v Doe 538 U.S. 84 (2003) that “the risk of recidivism posed by sex offenders is frightening and high,” as high as 80% for those who are untreated. This, he contended, made it vital that the public be able to identify these individuals in the interest of public safety. Justice Kennedy’s statements were wrong then and they are wrong now. They were based on an article in a lay publication, Psychology Today, not…

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CA: Former Teacher Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Possession

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Source: patch.com 5/15/23 ANAHEIM, CA — A former Anaheim elementary school teacher and high school wrestling coach pleaded guilty Monday to possessing child pornography. Richard ____, 45, of Anaheim, pleaded guilty to a count of possession of child pornography. ____ is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 18 in federal court in Santa Ana. ____ previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher at Crescent Elementary School and was a volunteer boys’ wrestling coach at Canyon High School in Anaheim, according to federal prosecutors. Read the full article  

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TX: Council on Sex Offender Treatment (CSOT) Ethics Committee Agenda for June 9

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Source: hhs.texas.gov This meeting will be webcast. Members of the public may attend the meeting in person at the address above or access a live stream of the meeting at https://texashhsmeetings.org/HHSWebcast. Select the tab for the Winters Live on the date and time for this meeting. Please e-mail [email protected] you have any problems with the webcasting function. This meeting will be conducted via videoconference call in accordance with the requirements of Texas Government Code Section 551.127. The member of the Ethics Committee presiding over the meeting will be physically present…

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OR: Kotek wants $6.7M to clear backlog of unclassified sex offenders

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Source: katu.com 5/17/23 PORTLAND, Ore. — Gov. Tina Kotek wants lawmakers to spend millions clearing a backlog of unclassified sex offenders. In March, KATU Investigator Wright Gazaway found there are nearly 15,000 unclassified sex offenders who are Oregon residents. That means the state agency that monitors them has no idea how dangerous those people are or their risk to commit another sex crime. The governor’s office called the backlog “clearly unacceptable” when KATU asked her in March if she would address it. On Wednesday, she called on lawmakers to spend…

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TX: Megan’s Law became law 27 years ago; How it continues to “protect children against predators”

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Source: click2houston.com 5/17/23 On May 17, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed legislation requiring law enforcement officials to release information about convicted sex offenders. This became known as Megan’s Law. Several laws, including the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994 were passed before Megan’s Law was brought to the White House. Read the full article  

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ACSOL In-Person Meeting July 8, 2023 in West Sacramento, CA

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ACSOL will conduct an in-person meeting on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 10 a.m.  Come join us to learn how to successfully navigate the challenges before you and your family including the Tiered Registry Law and the SORNA regulations.  Refreshments and hope will be served. It is not necessary to sign up in advance.  The meeting will take place at: Center for Spiritual Awareness 1275 Starboard Drive West Sacramento, CA 95691 It is close to Sacramento (across the bridge) and has plenty of free parking. There is no cost to…

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NE: Prison ordered for a man who tried to burn alive a registrant in his house

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Source: newschannelnebraska.com 5/15/23 NEBRASKA CITY – A Nebraska City man was sentenced to prison Monday for starting a fire after bragging he would deal with residents on the Nebraska Sex Offender Registration.   Otoe County Attorney Jennifer Panko-Rahe said 20-year-old Seth Buller went to a residence listed on the registry with intent to harm whoever was living there. She said when his attempt to gain entrance to the residence failed, he started a fire in a garage. Panko-Rahe said investigators found evidence of fuel spread to a work bench and…

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Malaysia: Sex offender gets 263-year sentence and 20 lashes

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Source: themalaysianinsight.com 5/15/23 A MAN [no name given!] was sentenced to 263 years in prison and 20 lashes after pleading guilty at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today to 32 charges of committing sexual crimes against his now 16-year-old stepdaughter over the past three years.  The swimming instructor was sentenced after all the charges were read out by a court interpreter in two separate proceedings before Judge Dharmafikri Abu Adam and Judge Mohd Sabri Ismail.  However, the court ordered the sentence against the 36-year-old accused to run concurrently for 35 years…

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