ACSOL’s annual conference is just weeks away on June 14 and 15. Our theme is “Together, One Voice: Show up, Stand up, Speak up!”! Our speakers will teach you how to do that, plus a lot of other useful information. You will feel hope as you talk with other registrants and supporters. Click here to sign up now to make sure you get a seat! We aren’t just saying that, because we really were given a limit to the number of people who can be seated comfortably in the beautiful…
Read MoreAuthor: R H
MA: Harvard professor loses post for defending an unpopular client
[theappeal.org – 5/14/19] As soon as it was revealed earlier this year that a house faculty dean at Harvard University, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., had decided to join the legal team of Harvey Weinstein, students spoke out. Two undergraduates wrote an op-ed in The Crimson, calling on Harvard to “remove” Sullivan, because he chose to defend Weinstein, “the man whose infamous sexual misconduct and assault of over a dozen women initiated the #MeToo movement.” The students say that they “condemn Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein” while serving as dean, and…
Read MoreSingapore: Suspended sentences: Sex offenders should undergo psychological evaluation, treatment
[singaporelawwatch.sg – 5/14/19] In dealing with sex offenders with mental illness, the best solution may not be rehabilitation, says the writer. Assistant Professor Benjamin Joshua Ong’s idea of imposing suspended sentences on voyeurs is a good one (“NUS case: Suspended sentence in place of police warning will have added benefit of judicial oversight”; May 9). These include jail sentences passed by a court that do not take effect if offenders comply with conditions, such as refraining from re-offending, attending counselling sessions, or staying away from certain areas or persons. The…
Read MoreGuam: Mandatory rather than optional chemical castration for sex offenders sought
[guampdn.com – 5/14/19] A new bill seeks to make chemical castration among Guam’s sex offenders released on parole mandatory, rather than optional or voluntary, under a 2015 law that’s never been enforced. “The intent of the legislation is to add more teeth to an existing mandate,” Sen. James Moylan, R-Tumon, said in introducing Bill 137 on Tuesday. The objectives are not only to reduce recidivism among convicted sex offenders, but also to keep the community safe, the senator said. Moylan’s bill would make the hormone or anti-androgen treatment program, also…
Read MoreCA: ______ Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life
[theappeal.org – 5/13/19] California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Search for _____ California’s online database of registered sex offenders and you’ll see a snapshot of his offenses. You’ll learn that he was convicted of “rape in concert with force or violence” and “assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense.” You’ll also see his photo, his home address, and his birthdate, showing that he’s now 38. But you won’t learn that ___was labeled a sex offender for an assault that someone…
Read MoreNJ: Gov. Murphy Vetoes 12 Bills, Signs Law Protecting Sex Victims
[patch.com – 5/13/19] New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to help protect sex-abuse victims while also vetoing 12 bills on Monday. Murphy signed legislation (S477) extending the statute of limitations in civil actions for sexual abuse claims. The signing comes just days after a law firm released the names of more than 100 people who allegedly committed sexual abuse while serving in the Catholic church’s clergy. The law also creates a two-year window for parties to bring lawsuits based on sexual abuse that would be time-barred even with the…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting May 18 in West Sacramento
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting: Saturday, May 18 10 a.m. 1275 Starboard Drive West Sacramento, CA Registrants, friends and family and interested service providers are invited to attend these free meetings. There will be no law enforcement or media present in order to protect everyone’s privacy. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Human Sexuality VS Human Kindness
Human Sexuality is described as the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, erotic, physical, emotional, social or spiritual behaviors. But many of us seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere, we’ve misconstrued human kindness with human sexuality. Look at poor Joe Biden, accused of invading several women’s sexual boundaries by giving them what they are now saying were “unwanted hugs” sometime ago. (Never mind that they didn’t complain about it until he threw his hat in the presidential ring.) Joe grew up in an era…
Read MoreShould Sex Offenders Be Allowed to Get Federal Pensions?
[fedsmith.com – 5/8/19] Legislation has recently been introduced that would prohibit convicted pedophiles from receiving federal pensions. The Denying Pensions to Convicted Child Molesters Act (S. 1264) was introduced by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). It would block convicted sex offenders from receiving federal pensions. Daines introduced the bill in response to news that Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber, a former pediatrician with the Indian Health Service, was recently convicted to 18 years in federal prison for molesting children while he worked at the agency. Since he will continue receiving an approximately…
Read MoreThe rise of fear-based social media like Nextdoor, Citizen, and now Amazon’s Neighbors
[vox.com – 5/7/19] Violent crime in the US is at its lowest rate in decades. But you wouldn’t know that from a crop of increasingly popular social media apps that are forming around crime. Apps like Nextdoor, Citizen, and Amazon Ring’s Neighbors — all of which allow users to view local crime in real time and discuss it with people nearby — are some of the most downloaded social and news apps in the US, according to rankings from the App Store and Google Play. Nextdoor bills itself as the…
Read MoreAZ: Sex registry bill defeated as senators protest failure to expand rights for sex abuse victims
[azmirror.com – 5/7/19] Lawmakers argued passionately and the Senate president turned off a fellow Republican’s microphone as senators killed a bill expanding the number of people who are eligible to be removed from Arizona’s sex offender registry to protest the blocking of an unrelated bill that would give victims of child sex abuse more time to sue in civil court. House Bill 2613, sponsored by Speaker Rusty Bowers, passed 56-4 in the House of Representatives. But it failed 11-18 in the Senate on Tuesday after Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, led…
Read MoreID: Sex offenders ask court to revive Idaho registry lawsuit
[washingtontimes.com – 5/6/19] A group of 134 sex offenders have asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court to revive their lawsuit against the state of Idaho because they say they were denied their constitutional rights when they were forced to register as sex offenders. The group, referred to only as John Does 1 through 134 in the lawsuit, notified U.S. District Judge David Nye on Sunday that they would ask the appellate panel to review Nye’s ruling dismissing the lawsuit. The group originally filed the lawsuit in 2016, contending that Idaho…
Read MoreKat’s blog: The Definition of Words Matters
Watch the current goings on in Washington. Politicians have become fluent at arguing over the definition of words. During the Clinton administration it was the word “is” that Pres. Clinton needed defined. Now, with Attorney General Barr the word “summary” is an issue. I don’t know about the folks in Washington but where I come from all you have to do is look up the definition of a word in the dictionary. It’s not rocket science. Definitions of words are pretty clear cut aren’t they? While those in Washington may…
Read MoreNY: Animal-abuser registry plan advances in Oneida County
[romesentinel.com – 5/3/19] A plan to start a registry of convicted animal abusers in Oneida County advanced through a legislative committee this week but not without questions. The Board of Legislators’ Health and Human Services Committee passed the proposal on to the full board Wednesday. The measure would establish an website similar to that of sex offenders, with offender’s names, residence, birth dates, photo and a description of the offense and the sentence. Animal shelters and pet sellers would be able to check it to help reduce the chances of…
Read MoreNC: Child exploitation operations net 82 arrests in eight states
[cnn.com- 5/3/19] Authorities in eight states arrested 82 people in operations this week that also rescued or identified 17 children thought to be victims of exploitation, officials announced Friday. “This three-day operation provides a snapshot of the work that the (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force is doing round the clock, seven days per week. Predators are real, and they walk among us,” Alan K. Flora, commander of the North Carolina task force, said. An ex-school bus driver pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl. He got probation. The…
Read MoreNY: Child porn convict living across from school, locked up in Ohio
[whec.com – 5/1/19] News10NBC is tracking the case of ________. We are trying to learn why a man who is a registered sex offender after a child porn conviction, was allowed to live across the street from an elementary school. ________ was in federal court in downtown Rochester Wednesday morning. It was a brief hearing to discuss his most recent arrest. We learned ________ is housed in a federal prison in Ohio where inmates with health issues are kept. ________’s attorney had no comment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to…
Read MoreKS: Bill outlaws lowering sentences for some sex offenders in Kansas
[kshb.com – 5/1/19] Kansas lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would prevent judges from reducing sentences for adult sex offenders because a child victim was the “aggressor.” Events that unfolded in a Leavenworth County courtroom in December inspired the change after 67-year-old Raymond Soden , who was charged with soliciting teen girls online for sex, received a reduced sentence. Despite a standard sentence for such crimes of 14 years, Judge Michael Gibbins sentenced Soden to fewer than six years, saying the 13- and 14-year-old victims were “aggressors” in the case.…
Read MoreWI, IL: Wisconsin, Illinois sued over transgender name-change laws
[washingtonpost.com – 5/1/19] Attorneys sued Wisconsin and Illinois Wednesday over laws that forbid transgender individuals from changing their names if they have certain criminal convictions. Both federal lawsuits argue that the states are violating free speech rights and are preventing people from expressing how they identify themselves. “The impact on their lives is severe. This is an issue of equality and equal participation in society,” said Lark Mulligan, an attorney who filed the Illinois lawsuit. Mulligan, who is a transgender woman, noted “all the times that people are forced to…
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