Source: reason.com 9/26/24 The N.J. intermediate appellate court held such publication wasn’t protected by the First Amendment law; the state high court just agreed to reconsider that. The question presented is, Is Daniel’s Law, N.J.S.A. 56:8-166.1 and N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1, which prohibits disclosing the home addresses of certain public officials, including judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel, unconstitutional as applied to plaintiff? Here’s an excerpt of the lower court opinion, Kratovil v. City of New Brunswick: Read the full article
Read MoreMonth: September 2024
Janice’s Journal: Waiting for Answers
As the month of September comes to a close, we find ourselves waiting. Waiting for answers in several important cases. First, we are waiting for a federal district court in Missouri to either issue a decision on the merits of a challenge to the state’s Halloween sign requirement or to clarify whether a temporary restraining order issued last year will remain in effect this year. Although the trial in this case took place in June and final briefs in the case were filed in July, the court has not yet…
Read MoreCA: New CDCR Treatment Regulations Delayed
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported today a delay of up to 30 days in issuance of new regulations that are expected to clarify how long registrants on parole must undergo treatment. The projected date for issuance of the regulations is no later than October 30, 2024. CDCR previously entered into a settlement agreement regarding this matter several months ago in response to a lawsuit challenging an unwritten CDCR policy that required all registrants on parole to undergo treatment the entire time they are on…
Read MoreKS: Kansas Supreme Court affirms police conduct allegedly ‘akin to a psychological rubber hose’
Source: newsfromthestates.com 9/23/24 The Kansas Supreme Court reversed a Saline County judge’s decision to suppress a confession despite exaggerated claims by detectives that a computer voice stress test was 100% accurate and proved a defendant lied about his innocence in an alleged sexual abuse case. A split state Supreme Court affirmed the 2022 conclusion of the Kansas Court of Appeals that an earlier decision by Saline County Judge Jared Johnson incorrectly ruled Phillip Jason Garrett’s confession was coerced by Salina Police Department detectives in violation of 5th and 14th amendments…
Read MoreCome to a Sept 30 Enlightening Discussion on Restorative Practices in the Spiritual Community
Source: restorativeactionalliance.org In this webinar on Sept 30, author Leaf Seligman will delve into themes from her book, Being Restorative, sharing insights on: Learning to look for ourselves in others Engaging in communal and collective accountability Understanding that true change occurs in an uncondemned state Exploring the historical and spiritual roots of restorative practices Who Should Attend: This event is ideal for religious leaders, educators, community organizers, mental health professionals, those impacted by the criminal legal system, and anyone interested in fostering a restorative culture. Read the details
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting October 19, 2024
You are invited to join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci and an ACSOL board member for our next meeting. The meeting will be held on Saturday October 19 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 you can call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. No government officials are allowed to attend the meetings. This meeting will be recorded. Within…
Read MoreCA: Federal court ruling leads to removal of mugshots on Lake County Sheriff’s Office website
Source: lakeconews.com 9/19/24 A federal court ruling handed down earlier this month has resulted in changes to inmate and arrest information posted on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website. The Houston V. Maricopa County ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court led to the sheriff’s office temporarily disabling its “recent arrests” and “in custody” online tools on its website at www.lakesheriff.com. The Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that Maricopa County, Arizona’s practice of posting photographs of arrestees — which is common across the United States — is not constitutionally permissible because it…
Read MoreCA: CASOMB Reports Increase in Petitions Files, Decrease in Persons Required to Register
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CAOSMB) met today and during that meeting several reports were presented that reflected both an increase in the number of petitions filed, a decrease in the number of persons required to register and other information. Below is a chart listing those and other statistics presented during today’s meeting. Category Current Former Change Total number of registrants 104,571 104,795 -224 Registrants in violation 19,543 19,602 +59 Transient registrants 6,322 6,578 -256 Petitions filed 9,590 8,982 +608 Petitions granted 7,565 6,927 +638 Petitions denied…
Read MoreCyber Technology in Federal Crime
Source: United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) 9/18/24 There has been little analysis on the individuals sentenced for a federal offense who used cyber technology for illegal purposes. In developing this report, the Commission collected information on individuals sentenced for offenses using cryptocurrency, the dark web, and hacking for fiscal years 2014 through 2021. This report provides demographic and sentencing information for those individuals who used at least one of three types of cyber technology during their offenses—hacking, cryptocurrency, and the dark web—along with the types of offenses committed using these…
Read MoreAppeals court upholds sex crimes conviction of Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell
Source: abc7.com 9/17/24 A federal appeals court in New York on Tuesday upheld the sex crimes conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associated of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ghislaine, in March, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to overturn her conviction and 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and grooming the underage girls who Epstein sexually abused, arguing she was immunized by an agreement federal prosecutors in Florida arranged with Epstein in 2007. On Tuesday, the appeals court ruled that Maxwell was not covered by…
Read MoreTX: The ‘Lights Out’ program makes trick-or-treating safer by rounding up sex offenders
Source: msn.com/KTXS Halloween is rapidly approaching and a top priority for parents is keeping their children safe. For over 20 years Taylor County has hosted a program called Lights Out to make trick-or-treating safer. “Everyone that’s on probation who is a sex offender they have to come that night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” Rikki Flores said. “Doesn’t matter what day Halloween is on they are required to be here during those hours.” The licensed sexual offender treatment provider said approximated 140 sex offenders will be at the Taylor…
Read MoreCA: Placer County Superior Court grants DA’s motion for extraordinary SVP circumstances
Source: Placer County DA on Instagram 9/16/24 Today, the Placer County Superior Court held a check-in for the release of state-designated Sexually Violent Predator William Stephenson. The District Attorney’s Office’s assigned prosecutor was present at the hearing alongside county counsel and joined by county representatives, and community members to monitor the update given to the court. William Stephenson appeared virtually with the Department of State Hospitals and their contractor, Liberty Healthcare. DSH reported they are currently assessing an undisclosed location in Placer County. They reported once the state does…
Read MoreLast chance to sign up for the live ACSOL Conference is Tuesday, September 17 at 5:00 PM PST
Sign ups for this year’s virtual conference will be paused tomorrow on Tuesday, September 17, in order to ensure that everyone who has signed up for the conference will be provided a link prior to the conference. Individuals can still sign up for the conference all day today on Monday, September 16, and until 5 p.m. (Pacific) on Tuesday, September 17. Click here to sign up for the live conference. Click here to see the schedule. Sign ups will also be available after the conference for those who want access…
Read MoreThe strange world of pedophile hunters
Source: thespectator.com Essex, England It’s a Wednesday evening, and I’m getting psyched up to go catch a pedophile with the boys. Playlist on, rocking down the A12 and chatting to my new mate, Nick, in his van. There’s a man not far from here who thinks he’s going to meet an underage girl tonight. He doesn’t know that we’ll be pulling up instead and that his sick fantasy — and his life as he knows it — will be over. Nick is a guy I met on Facebook who runs…
Read MoreJoin RAA on September 30th at 4:30pm (PT) for an Enlightening Discussion on Restorative Practices in the Spiritual Community
Source: restorativeactionalliance.org In this webinar, author Leaf Seligman will delve into themes from her book, Being Restorative, sharing insights on: Learning to look for ourselves in others Engaging in communal and collective accountability Understanding that true change occurs in an uncondemned state Exploring the religious roots of restorative practices Who Should Attend: This event is ideal for religious leaders, educators, community organizers, mental health professionals, those impacted by the criminal legal system, and anyone interested in fostering a restorative culture. Featured Speaker: Leaf Seligman Leaf Seligman—an esteemed restorative practitioner, circle-keeper, educator,…
Read MoreMO: Court Asked to Clarify Status of Missouri Halloween Sign Requirement
Source: ACSOL A motion has been filed asking a federal district court to clarify whether registrants in Missouri will be required to post a sign on their home on Halloween this year. The basis of the motion is a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued in October 2023 and then modified in November 2023. According to the TRO’s, a Missouri state law that required registrants to post a sign on their home on Halloween could not be enforced. After the TRO was modified in November 2023, the court considered granting a…
Read More‘He Says, She Says’ In Harvey Weinstein’s America
Source: law360.com 9/6/24 The controversial decision by New York’s highest court to overturn Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault conviction has some lawmakers focusing intense new scrutiny on centuries-old legal jurisprudence barring evidence of a defendant’s criminal propensity. In the months since the New York Court of Appeals held in a split decision that the former movie producer had been denied a fair trial after a trial court erroneously admitted evidence of Weinstein’s past acts, lawmakers and legal experts also have been split over what legislative reforms may help hold sexual predators…
Read MorePolice Have the Right to Lie and Slander
Source: fff.org 9/10/24 To serve and protect, police are allowed to slander and destroy. Cops in many states and localities have acquired the right to lie about their shootings, searches, and practically anything else. Police have routinely planted drugs, guns, and other evidence to incriminate innocent people, while police labs have engaged in wholesale fraud blighting tens of thousands of lives. Supreme Court rulings turned a trickle of police perjury into a torrent. In 1967, the Supreme Court, in the case of McCray v. Illinois, gave policemen the right to…
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