Source: aol.com 3/4/24 A convicted sex offender is accused of driving by a Tri-Cities middle school more than two dozen times over the course of a week and allegedly exposing himself to at least two children. And parents are furious that they weren’t notified until after he was arrested. Javier _____, 29, of Benton City, was arrested by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office last week and charged with indecent exposure and failure to register as a sex offender. On Feb. 22, a detective with a unit that specializes in violent…
Read MoreYear: 2024
D.C. Vigil Educates U. S. Supreme Court, Public – Smith v. Doe Must Go!
A vigil was held on Friday, March 15, near the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to educate both the Court and the public regarding significant harms that have resulted from Smith V. Doe, a decision issued by that court in 2003. Speakers at the vigil included civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci of California, David Garlock of Pennsylvania, Danell Puglisi-Knutson of Florida, Shawna Baldwin of Arizona and Christopher Sparks of Florida. The vigil was live streamed using Zoom technology and a recording of the vigil will be available soon on…
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting April 20, 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 April 20, 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 a…
Read MoreDC Vigil
You are invited to a deeply meaningful event near the steps of the US Supreme Court, at 7:00 AM Pacific time, 10:00AM Eastern time on Friday, March 15th. Registered citizens, supporters and advocates will gather to demonstrate by holding a vigil commemorating the anniversary of the Court’s disastrous decision, Smith v. Doe that has caused great harm to persons forced to register (PFR) and their families. Can’t attend in person? Sign-up-to view the free live stream of the Correct the Court DC Vigil via Zoom! Send an email to: [email protected] DEMONSTRATION…
Read MoreCO: Colorado Senate Bill 118 would allow community-based treatment for sex offenders
Source: coloradopolitics.com 3/12/24 Senate Judiciary members heard testimony on a bill that would eliminate indeterminate prison sentences for certain convicted sex offenders and allow them to receive treatment in the community rather than in prisons, but did not vote on the measure at the request of the bill’s sponsor. In addition to removing some indeterminate sentences, Senate Bill 118 would impose mandatory minimums for individuals convicted of sex crimes, mandating that they serve 75% of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The bill would allow offenders deemed “low-risk” to complete…
Read MoreMO: Trial Date Delayed for Missouri Halloween Sign Case
Source: ACSOL A federal district court has agreed to delay the trial date in the pending case that challenges a Halloween sign requirement in the state of Missouri. Originally the trial was to begin on March 27, however, the court has agreed to delay that date until June 20. The court’s decision to delay the trial date was made after the plaintiff filed a motion for that delay. The request was made, in part, after the Attorney General sent more than 800 pages of documents and videos to plaintiff’s counsel…
Read MoreWarden ousted as FBI again searches California federal women’s prison plagued by sexual abuse
Source: apnews.com 3/11/24 The warden of a troubled federal women’s prison in California has been ousted months into his tenure as FBI agents on Monday hauled boxes of evidence from the facility in an apparent escalation of a yearslong investigation that put a former warden and other employees behind bars for sexually abusing inmates. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed the leadership shakeup at FCI Dublin, saying in a statement that “recent developments have necessitated new executive employees be installed at the institution.” The agency wouldn’t specify what the developments…
Read MoreCO: Colorado Bureau of Investigation finds DNA scientist manipulated data in hundreds of cases over decades
Source: yahoo.com 3/9/24 A now-former forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) manipulated or omitted DNA test results in hundreds of cases, an internal affairs investigation found, which prompted a full review of her work during her nearly 30-year career at the agency. The CBI released the findings of the investigation into Yvonne “Missy” Woods Friday, which concluded Woods’ handling of DNA testing data affected 652 cases between 2008 and 2023, including posting incomplete results in some cases. A review of her work from 1994 to 2008 is…
Read MoreLobby Day 2024 Successfully Educates CA Legislators, Staff Regarding Proposed Improvements to Tiered Registry Law
More than 50 registrants, family members and supporters successfully educated dozens of state legislators and legislative staff members during CA Lobby Day on March 6. The education efforts were made by participants in 12 groups that each had three pre-arranged meetings. Some of the groups also participated in drop by meetings when or more of members of the group were constituents of a legislator. “We shared important information with legislators and staff members about necessary improvements to the Tiered Registry Law,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That information included…
Read MoreFL: ‘Traumatized’ Florida mother suspected of trafficking her own child on Southwest Airlines flight speak out
Source: bizpacreview.com 3/3/24 A mother’s “traumatizing” law enforcement experience traveling with her four-year-old son prompted her to call for changes from the government and airlines. On Feb. 17, Bridgetta Tomarchio was making a routine trip from her home in Florida with her son Lucian to visit the boy’s father in Ohio. However, the journey took a detour at the car rental counter when she was approached by officers under suspicion of child trafficking. “As I’m in Hertz getting my car, these two officers come in, and they say, ‘Excuse…
Read MoreAction Alert for MO residents: Missouri Bill Makes Teachers Sex Offenders If They Accept Trans Kids’ Pronouns
Source: riverfronttimes.com 3/1/24 A new bill introduced in the Missouri House would force teachers to register as sex offenders if they use the names and pronouns of transgender children or otherwise support them and their identity. HB2885, filed on Thursday, February 29 by state Representative Jamie Gragg (R-Ozark), would make it a Class E felony for teachers or school counselors to aid the “social transition” of a child — meaning that a teacher “provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information, or other resources to a child regarding…
Read MoreThe FBI Is Using Push Notifications to Catch Sexual Predators
Source: gizmodo.com 2/29/24 The data in a push notification can help law enforcement officials identify and track a criminal suspect. Most people turn on mobile push notifications and then promptly forget about them. However, it turns out that if you’re up to no good, those notifications could get you thrown in prison. The Washington Post reports that the FBI has been using mobile push notification data to unmask people suspected of serious crimes, like pedophilia, terrorism, and murder. The Post did a little digging into court records and found evidence…
Read MoreGeneral Comments Mar 2024
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of Mar 2024. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
Read MoreCA: A Beverly Hills middle school is investigating students sharing AI-made nude photos of classmates
Source: nbcnews.com 2/27/24 Students at a middle school in Beverly Hills, California, used artificial intelligence technology to create fake nude photos of their classmates, according to school administrators. Now, the community is grappling with the fallout. School officials at Beverly Vista Middle School were made aware of the “AI-generated nude photos” of students last week, the district superintendent said in a letter to parents. The superintendent told NBC News the photos included students’ faces superimposed onto nude bodies. The district did not share how it determined the photos were produced…
Read MoreIL: Ex-Chicago police officer is sentenced to a year in prison for forcing woman to perform sex act in squad car
Source: currently.att.yahoo.com 2/27/24 A former Chicago police officer who forced a woman to engage in a sex act in his squad car in 2019 was sentenced to a year in federal prison, prosecutors said Monday. James Sajdak, 65, pleaded guilty in November to one count of deprivation of civil rights, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement. He was sentenced Friday to the maximum allowed for the misdemeanor charge. On March 5, 2019, Sajdak flashed the lights of his police vehicle at…
Read MoreElectronic Monitoring Is an Extension of Mass Incarceration
Source: vera.org 1/30/24 Craig Caudill had a plan for life after his release from prison. While incarcerated, he completed a commercial driver’s license truck driving program in Huntsville, Texas. He was even entrusted to drive trucks for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison system after completing the program, transporting cotton across the state. Working as a truck driver seemed like a solid option after his release in 2021. He knew there was a demand for truck drivers and that the work paid well. But four days before his…
Read MoreTX: Texas Sues Pornhub for Failing to Check IDs
Source: news.yahoo.com 2/28/24 The first age verification lawsuit against a major web porn purveyor is here. On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he was suing Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo. Paxton claims it is violating HB 1181, a Texas law passed last year. The new law requires porn websites to use “reasonable age verification methods” to make sure viewers are 18 or above and to post warnings about porn’s alleged harms, along with a number for a national mental-health hotline. “Texas has a right to protect its children…
Read MoreGA: Georgia lawmakers hold out hope for bill that would restrict publication of mugshots
Source: georgiarecorder.com 2/26/24 Sheriff’s offices posting mugshots of booked people has been a commonplace practice for a while now. It also has some blood on its hands. “An 18-year-old committed suicide because they did not have the money to get the mugshot removed, and he could not get a job,” said Tyrone Democrat Rep. Derrick Jackson. Georgians who have not been convicted of a crime have lost their jobs and reputations because of their posted mugshot. Those with criminal records have unemployment rates at 27% according to the Prison Policy…
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