Let us be clear. The ultimate goal of ACSOL is to eliminate the registry. The only question is how do we do it?
For many years, ACSOL has identified three paths toward elimination of the registry – education, litigation, and legislation. ACSOL has traveled and continues to travel down all three paths.
Many people want a definite answer. They want to know which path will ultimately lead to the end of the registry.
My honest answer is I don’t know. And the fact is I don’t care. That is, I don’t care which path leads us to ending the registry. I only care that we reach our goal of eliminating the registry.
Some people might view what ACSOL is doing as chaos. They might recommend choosing one path and staying on that path.
I disagree.
I see elimination of the registry as a game of Jenga. For those unfamiliar with the game, it consists of wooden blocks stacked high. The object of the game is to remove one block at a time without disturbing the stack. If you remove the wrong block, the stack tumbles down and the game is over.
That describes well the registry and our goal to end it. We are removing one block at a time, and we will continue to remove as many blocks as possible until the registry tumbles down and the registry game is over.
There is substantial evidence that ACSOL is moving in the right direction. The most recent example is a court decision that requires the California Department of Justice to reduce the tier assignments of individuals convicted of an attempted offense.
Another example is ongoing settlement negotiations with the California Department of Corrections that could lead to new regulations requiring the agency to end treatment for many registrants while they are on parole so that early discharge from parole is possible. And if the settlement negotiations fail, there is a court trial on that issue on June 14.
Looking to the past, ACSOL has removed many blocks from this game of Jenga by eliminating proximity restrictions, residency restrictions and Halloween sign requirements for registrants in California who are not on parole or probation. The removal of these blocks has surely weakened the registry in this state.
And ACSOL continues on a legislative path, first by supporting a Tiered Registry Law and now by lobbying for improvements to that law. As a result of this law, more than 6,000 people have been freed from the registry and up to 40,000 more registrants will become eligible to petition for removal in the near future.
Further, ACSOL continues to educate on a daily basis by posting valuable information on its website, on a monthly basis by conducting virtual meetings and on an annual basis by organizing a conference focused upon helping registrants and their families meet the daily challenges of the registry.
Regardless of the path taken, Jenga is the game that will lead to the ultimate goal of ending the registry. Please join ACSOL in this game by Showing Up, Standing Up and Speaking Up. Please join ACSOL in this game of Jenga by donating to the organization so that we can continue to remove more registry blocks in California and in every state including but not limited to Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida.
The end of the registry in California is within reach. And when California ends its registry, it will serve as a shining example to the rest of the nation.
What’s the difference between an attempted offense vs offense. One just didn’t accomplish the goal. Doesn’t make them more or less dangerous than the other.
Well said, Janice! ACSOL has accomplished much to make the lives of registrants better.
As a level 3, I hope that I will someday have the opportunity to get off the registry and even see the end of the registry, but right now my life is much better without residence restrictions, presence restrictions, and Halloween signs. And there have been a lot of bad bills that ACSOL has fought that could have made life more difficult.
Ending the registry is a large battlefield, so ACSOL needs additional resources to expand our fight in California and other states.
Please join me in contributing what you can to fight the evil of the registry. We are all in this together!
Unfortunately, the game of Jenga ends with all or at least most of the blocks falling down. That was a bad analogy Janice.
Bravo Janice and ACSOL!! Many thanks from IL. In addition, your hard work removing each wooden block and your tireless perseverance gives all of us impacted citizens hope, and that’s not nothing.
One question for you: I have an opportunity reach out to my congress people, both at a national and state level. I have studied and saved much of the research and well-articulated sentiments outlining evidence-based reasons as to why the registry does not work as intended (public safety) and the harms it causes. However, I know when lobbying with a government official I will have limited time and only one shot to get my point(s) across. I am wondering if ACSOL could share the lobbying training it provides at lobby day (?) Do you stick to one or two messages so as not to overwhelm or scare off the officials?
Janice, you are absolutely correct in taking this multi-focal approach to ending the tiered registry. One of the approaches will find a weakness and the whole stack of blocks will tumble. (if the registry was like Jenga). Keep up the good work, and we are here to support you and ACSOL. Thank you.
I’ll say this: Without Janice and without ACSOL, California today would look a lot more like Florida, Missouri, or Wisconsin. The final results that we want will not happen overnight. But, they are happening, and the ultimate goal WILL be realized. And then down will fall the registry.
Thank you, Janice, and all at ACSOL for all you have done and continue to do!!!
Thank you, Janice, for everything you and ACSOL have done and are continuing to do. As damaging as the registry has been to my and my families lives, I’m very glad we have you and live in California and not in majority of other states where the registrants lives are much, much worse.
Once again, I believe that the best way to eliminate the Registry is to challenge it by way of its discriminatory practices. There is no other group of individuals that has to Register including murderers, manufacturers of illegal drugs that can blow up an apartment building, Drug dealers that sell to school children, arms dealers, etc. This is without a doubt discriminatory!
In Kentucky if a sex offender buys a house, lives there for years, and someone decides to open a day care next door, the sex offender has 60 days to move. Is this not discriminatory??? What else can be said. There are many offender laws just like this. I believe this is the answer.
I’d like to take some time, put some deeper thought into this, and maybe say something a smart, eloquent person would say. But I don’t have time for that, lol.
I’ll just say that I think ACSOL is doing an awesome job. I don’t know a lot about some of the other organizations (e.g. NARSOL, FAC) but I feel like ACSOL is a premier organization that is well organized, run, and smart.
There was a comment posted on this site earlier today which was bitching about how ACSOL is “greedy” and should work on eliminating the Registries instead of “minor” things. I think the handle/name that posted it was “Gordon”. I was writing a response to it and then saw it had been deleted. Part of my response was saying that if I ran ACSOL I wouldn’t have allowed the idiotic BS that he/she was spewing to be posted at all. Those kinds of people seriously piss me off. They don’t seem to realize that they don’t have to donate to any organization and they are free to get off their asses and end the Registries themselves. Anyway …
I feel like the “three paths” approach is great. But I also think at least a 4th path should be taken and that is to target the huge mass of stupids who live in Amerika. That is the majority of people who live in Amerika today. I don’t think ACSOL should participate in the 4th path however because it involves all the dumb stuff that seems so effective in Amerika today. Basically a big, dumb propaganda campaign. I think it should emphasize themes similar to:
1. Government is obviously way too big and way too out-of-control. The Registries are a product of that. They are a tool of fascist, big government. Anyone who supports Registries loves big government and needs to be controlled.
2. People who want Registries are helpless. They need government to hold their hands in all aspects of their lives.
3. Registries are for dumb, helpless mouth breathers.
4. Government is not good at preventing crime so they have Registries to distract and play with instead. All the resources that they burn with Registries are resources that are not being used to prevent crime.
I think most stupids do not like to be made fun of or to seem weak or foolish. So that should be targeted. Once they have decided that it is quite uncool to be associated with Registries, then the lying, criminal politicians won’t be getting too much payback for pandering.
Registries should be attacked from every angle possible. Different organizations and people can do different things, everywhere and all at once.
Lastly, does anyone really think the “end of the registry in California is within reach”? I can’t see that happening within 2 decades. Or 3 or whatever.
But if CA does end its Registry it is going to be really hard for fascist states like FL or TX to claim they are not.
EGreat post Janice, if anyone ends the registry it will be Janice and her team. If your reading this and share the goals with ACSOL of wanting to end the registry make sure to donate.
I’ve been off parole for years, I have a 0 Static 99 score, which to the powers that be, means I have a 0% chance of reoffending. I’m Tier 3, says I have to register for life. Why??? How do I get off the registry? I have a beautiful 4 year old daughter and would like very much to attend her school functions (open house, games, plays, etc…). My charged crime was against my x-wife! How do I get off? Please 🙏 help
Tough nut to crack. I have seen the fight of a department when facing the sunset option. They loose power and money. I see that as a strong force to overcome. Also the political status of those who would help the registrants. But the continuous punishment we receive is unconstitutional, immoral, and wrong, needs to be stopped.
I love the honesty in this journal, hearing Janice express the fact that even though she doesn’t know the definite answer on how to end the registry, BUT as long as the blocks keep falling she doesn’t care, speaks volumes.
I know it’s gotta be hard and Frustrating at times representing people forced to register, especially back in the mid 2000s.
I remember back in the day reading an article about a protest that Janice lead in Southern California, over registry restrictions, let’s just say the article and the comments weren’t very nice and they even had law enforcement agencies chiming in on how they felt about it,
I remember thinking how brave she was, and it gave me hope. Hope that one day maybe I could get off the registry and that changed my mindset because at the time I was saying money and and planning on making a run for the border, I’m glad I didn’t 🏃🏿♂️
Thanks Janice
My question is, What direction do I need to go, Who should I talk to to be taken off the To Be Determined list. Dec 1, 2023 was 24 months on this list. I remember reading somewhere that this plenty of time for DOJ to figure out my tier placement. My case goes back to 1983 I was convicted as a juvenile and sentenced to California Youth Authority. I was there for 6 1/2 years and was released before I turned 21 and given a General Discharge. I didn’t understand at the time why they did it that way. Before I walked out the gate that day I remember asking if I had to Register 290, I was told No. In 1990 I was sentenced to serve 16 months for False Imprisonment and was released in 10 months. Soon after being released from California Department of Corrections my parole officer informed me that I needed to register as 290. I wish I knew then what I know now cause I would not have registered then. So I went to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s 290 register office and made an effort to register only to be told that I was not required to. I went back and informed parole officer what I was told by them. He said I had to go back get registered and bring back paperwork as proof or I was gonna be sent back to prison for a Violation of parole. I’ve been on 290 registry. My parole officer had no authority to enforce what he wanted me to do because I didn’t have a controlling case as an adult. To this day I have never had any violent crimes on my record. I discharged my CDC number in Nov 1999 and I never looked back. I’ve had a couple Failure to Notify change of address in 2005, I served 2, 90 day sentences in the County Jail for those. I also have a couple possession charges, the last one was dismissed because I completed court ordered program and that was in 2010. I’ve completed all time restrictions to file for removal. I don’t want file and be denied because I’m still on the TBD list. Any help or Information would be Greatly Appreciated
Also like Jenga, blocks (lasws) continue to be added, despite removal lower down…
What you have done in California, Janice, gives me hope that someone will do the same here in Illinois. Block by block, the registry will fall!
All of the paths we take are important, but the most important is education. If you look at the many laws that have been enacted to enlarge and enhance the registry, they always come in election years. Why? Politicians (particularly Republicans) love to run on popular public safety issues. The registry is popular. I don’t know if it really makes people feel safer or they like the idea of additional punishment for sex offenders, but as long as the registry is popular, it will exist in some form.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being on this misguided roller coaster is that facts don’t matter. The optics and attitudes towards these laws are relatively consistent – there’s unity in hate and confidence in ignorance.
The only reason this Jenga tower is still standing is because the blocks have been glued into place with lies, misrepresentations and fear that have been normalized by the media, cops and lawmakers.. The really frustrating part is that you can’t educate registry proponents because they are largely divorced from reality and triple down when their views/beliefs are challenged. Politicians simply do not care about correcting mistakes because they do not value truth. They are pandering to their voter base that value resentment, rage, hate and an extreme desire for revenge over truth
Simply put, the truth – about recidivism and the myriad of countless other falsehoods- is not profitable nor sustainable to politicians.
Is there something similar to this “attempted” aspect on the federal side? My LO was convicted of an “attempted” non-contact & non-violent federal crime and is now serving and mandatory minimum sentence. upon release he will have to register for 10 years according to the FL federal sentencing judge. If he is released to our home in CA, will he be subject to the CA tier and how can I find out which tier will apply?
We need a Janice here in Arizona! Currently registration is lifetime even if you never had any more legal issues after getting off paper. We need a challenge to the registry like it was challenged in South Carolina which had the same registration restrictions as here.