Source: ACSOL
A total of 43 organizations, including ACSOL and NARSOL, have reached an agreement regarding a letter to be sent this week to Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court. The letter criticizes the court for its decision, Smith v. Doe, that has negatively and significantly impacted the lives of those required to register as well as their families.
The list of significant adverse effects listed in the letter include unemployment or underemployment, limited housing opportunities, denied entry into homeless shelters and prohibited from being buried in a military cemetery. The letter also notes that registrants and members of their families are often harassed, threatened and assaulted. In some cases, vigilantes have killed registrants and family members.
The letter notifies members of the Court that there will be a vigil near the steps of the Court on March 3 at 11 a.m. in order to educate the Court regarding the results of its decision issued 22 years ago. The March 3 event will be the third annual vigil to be held at that location.
The letter takes notice that the Court’s decision was based, in part, upon the myth that the re-offense rate for sex-related crimes is “frightening and high” up to 80 percent. The source of that myth is one statement made in one article published in Psychology Today magazine and was not the result of any type of research. Instead, it was a marketing statement made by a counselor.
The 43 organizations include eight national organizations as well as 35 state organizations.
“It is notable that 43 organizations have joined together to help educate the U.S. Supreme Court regarding a mistake it made 22 years ago,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The Court can and should correct its mistake as soon as possible.”
In addition to the vigil, a one-day conference will be held on Sunday, March 2. Representatives of the eight national organizations have been invited to speak or present a workshop during the conference. The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn National Airport, 2650 Richmond Highway, Arlington, Virginia. Registrants can visit the State of Virginia for up to 30 days before they are required to register.
Click here to sign up for the conference. The cost to attend the conference is only $25 and scholarships are available upon request.
Letter to SCOTUS - Jan 2025
Thank you ACSOL and all of the other organizations and individuals that helped made this happen. Educating people with the truth always has value. Even if Chief Justice Roberts, cannot or will not accept that the Court made a terrible mistake all those years ago, perhaps his colleagues will. Even if not, the truth is still being spoken aloud for the whole world hear! That also has value.
Perhaps the justices of the court have forgotten that Justice denied to one, is Justice denied to another. Either all benefit, in all ways, and at all times, or Justice dies.
Only the most corrupt systems have two tiers, and two ways. By standing by this abomination, they make it clear that what is done to PFRs, their families, and loved ones, can be done to any. The same dubious claims of “Necessity” can be made for anyone. The same pogroms applied to any the State wishes to. The same results can befall anyone the State wants to place in harm’s way, for any reason.
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary”.
– James Madison
Federalist 51
I would like to voice my support for this letter and it’s message with some examples of how the Registry has personally impacted me since my release from prison in 2017 and completion of probation in 2019.
Let me first state that since my release I haven’t had so much as a speeding ticket, much less any re-offense relating to my original conviction. Let me also state that my original conviction was a non-contact crime. I have never, nor would I ever, harm another human being…especially not a child.
I was a regular customer at a local restaurant for nearly two years when one night I arrived and the manager asked to speak to me in private outside. I was told that one of the staff had seen my picture on the Registry and no longer felt comfortable having me as a customer…despite there being no issues at all for the two years ate there. I was barred from the restaurant for life.
Similarly, I was a regular customer at a local discount store where I procured inventory for my small business. (A business I started because I couldn’t get hired at any other job due to my Registration.) I had become friends with the owners of the store and was even brought out to dinner by them to discuss additional opportunities that our partnership could create. I was told that I was one of the two customers they actually trusted because I always paid what I owned and stood by my word on certain agreements.
Just like the restaurant situation, one day I showed up to shop and was escorted outside. My Registration was brought up and I explained in detail everything that had happened. Regardless, I was barred from entering the premises again. The positive relationship and goodwill was thrown away due to my status alone. My business was hurt as a result despite me doing absolutely everything right in terms of the business relationship.
I took on an additional part time job last July to help provide me some additional resources to grow my business sooner. While I’m able to work in my state, the job provides lots of additional opportunities in my neighboring State that I must decline due to Registry rules. The owner knows my situation and understands. However, his desire to put me in a management roll (which would benefit both of us) can’t happen if I can’t work half the jobs available. Yet another consequence of what the Registry has become.
In my neighborhood, I have been harassed by multiple neighbors. Some even had the Sheriff’s Office show up at my door to inquire about false charges that they accused me of. Nothing ever came of it, thank God, because I could easily prove I wasn’t where they said I was. A couple weeks later, one neighbor used her car to block my ability to leave my parking space and she proceeded to scream at me for nearly 5 minutes about all sorts of things that I never did.
I could go on, but I’m already long. The point is that the Registry was a bad idea from the start, and it has morphed into something that even those with good intentions at the start could never have foreseen. It has turned us into second class citizens who lose friendships, business relationships, opportunities, and even just the peace and quiet that living in a nice neighborhood should allow. I attend a great men’s Bible study at my church, but I’m even terrified to attend regular services for fear of being recognized and accosted.
The Registry must end. I would honestly be better off had I committed a violent crime that didn’t end with forced registration. To put it colloquially, “that’s just messed up”.
It is sadly ironic who this notice has been addressed to; before he was Chief Justice, Chief Justice John Roberts was the attorney who defended the State of Alaska and prevailed for the state with the ruling that the law was not a violation of the expost facto clause. How likely is it that he will have a change of heart and reverse a ruling that he himself won for the state of alaska. Perhaps with more irony, on July 25, 2008 the supreme court of the state of alaska published an opinion with the opposite finding; they found the scheme was punitive in effect and an expost facto violation. Since that date, persons convicted prior to August 10, 1994 (I believe in any jurisdiction) no longer have to register in the state of alaska.
I’d like to respectfully make an observation.
While the idea of an open letter to the supreme Court addressed to the Chief Justice is a good start, I believe that a copy of this letter should be sent to ALL 9 JUSTICES. Furthermore, I feel that a copy of this letter should be sent to all 50 state governors and to the president of the United States. The letter should also be delivered to all of the major news outlets of the United States as well as international news outlets such as API, Reuters, Deutsche Welle (DW) and BBC.
I think these should all be delivered at the same time In order to generate the greatest amount of “buzz”.
Half measures are anathema to our cause for liberty and equal justice!
The agreement reached by these 43 organizations is both notable and commendable. It is a shining example of joining together to do what needs to be done. In this case, we are working together to overturn Smith v. Doe so that registrants and their families can live their lives more safely, peacefully and prosperously.
There’s also the fact that he should not have been able to touch that case a second time
This is truly outstanding that we are gaining so much support and becoming so organized and ACSOL has been a major part of this forward motion. Thank you.
Praying that this ridiculous SO registry be abolished. There are too many people, I know, who have died for being on that unjust registry and some committed suicide. God shall rebuke this horrible registry.
WRT to the veteran, it is the Tier 3 with lifetime imprisonment that is denied not only burial, but all that goes with it even if they are not buried in a VA cemetery, rather a non-VA cemetery w/a standard VA headstone, flag, certificate, etc. The letter should’ve noted that. Next time there is a letter such as this, it needs to include that detail since not every vet desires to be buried in a VA cemetery, but maybe a hometown cemetery with their parents/family. Otherwise, great letter that needs to be read all of the bench riding Justices. Maybe, someone(s) could send it to the entire bench to be read instead of relying on the original sender to do so?
This is wonderful news! It has been a particularly difficult start to the week, but seeing this made my day and brought tears to my eyes. I wish IL Voices was on the list, but I know Adele and Mark (from IL) are active with NARSOL.
I cannot wait to be part of this conference and vigil. Thank you for making it happen.
The registry violates the 8th Amendment because it is punishment that does not fit the crime. The registry was instituted on the aftermath of heinous crimes (Megan, Walsh, Wetterling, etc.). These crimes prompted legislator to enact the registry requirement, which although still constitutionally questionable, may have been justified due to the nature of those crimes.
The registry, however, is arbitrarily applied to anyone convicted of a sexual offense regardless of the severity of the offense. This is cruel and unusual punishment!
Thank you to everyone who worked on this.
The Registry in its inception was designed to keep account of the “worst” people when they crossed state lines. It was never intended to be a public list akin to a Scarlet Letter for people who did things that were not hands on such as viewed pornography that already existed online or got caught in a computer sting.
The Federal government monetarily incentivized states to make more and more offenses registerable and to add more and more people to the list. This is much like what was done by the federal government to make states adopt speed limits.
The Registry has morphed into something absolutely punitive, regardless of what Smith v. Doe alleges. Those who ruled on that case have never before experienced the discrimination, the difficulty, the danger, or the straight up vitriol from the public or their very neighbors that PFRs endure every day.
If it was truly just a “civil regulatory scheme” none of this would be occurring. It would be just like registering your car. PFRs would be happy to do that. But the connotations that come from being on the Registry affect registrants [and their family members] negatively every single day.
All because a pop psychology article one stated that people who commit these types of offenses have a “high and frightening” rate of recidivism. This has been proven repeatedly to be untrue. The rate of recidivism for this population has been determined by scientific study to be 1-5%. This is a lower recidivism rate than almost any other crime except for Murder.
DUI’s have a 60% recidivism rate!!! And DUIs arguably pose a greater risk to society as a whole than someone who looked at porn online. Our priorities and thoughts need to realign in this country.
It is time to extinguish the myth of the Invisible Boogeyman, that of the PFR in America and abolish this discriminatory and dangerous registry.
thanks to everyone who worked on this project.
The letter is all well and good, but that one immigrant that raped the woman has a larger affect on the court’s decision concerning the registry than 5000 such letters. Just a accept that public sentiment is never going to be in our favor. It has become blatantly clear that this version of SCOTUS clearly doesn’t listen to or care about facts in any argument. But I guess having it in the record is better than nothing.
May God move upon the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse Smith vs. Doe. Amen.
Wonderful Work Janice, ESQ !
You have “Nailed It”
Only know if the SCOTUS especially him will
Read This
W O R D !
Thank You JB,
You Will Go Down In History Texts Someday