Please join me and attorney Chance Oberstein for our very first telephone version of the live monthly meetings we have in various cities around California. The conference call will be on Saturday, August 12 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. This is separate from the topic conference calls, which we will still have. We are doing this in the hope that far more registrants–including those outside California–will attend. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics…
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AL: Teacher Accused of Sex with Students Gets Charges Thrown Out as Unconstitutional
DECATUR, Ala. – An Alabama teacher accused of having sex with two of her students succeeded in having her charges thrown out on constitutional grounds, Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson confirmed Thursday. Carrie Witt was facing potential prison time for allegedly having sex with two students between 16 and 19 years old while she taught at Decatur High School. Read more
Read MoreMI: Neighbors, community members react to registered sex offender looking to open business
A registered sex offender wants to open up shop two blocks away from a school, and right next door to a toy store. He says he wants to help the community, but some neighbors say no way! Full Article Update Sex offender warned to stay away from his own business
Read MoreSan Diego Sex Offender Residency Law Faces Uphill Legal Battle
[KPBS] An attorney filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday challenging a San Diego law that restricts where registered sex offenders can live. The City Attorney’s Office may now face the difficult task of fighting a legal battle it is not confident it can win. San Diego’s “Child Protection Act,” passed by the City Council in 2008, bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of minor-oriented facilities, including arcades, schools, parks and libraries. The law has not been enforced since 2009 because of concerns over its legality.…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group meeting – Aug. 26 in L.A.
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, August 26, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting.
Read MoreU.S. Counter-Terrorism Unit Targets Virginia Prisoner for Writing About Prison
Free Speech vs. Incarceration Nation: In case no one noticed ICE and the Counter-terrorism Units have branched out thanks in part to Trumps insistence on ‘Mexican Rapists.’ ICE’ website keeps bragging about all the ‘sex offenders’ they’ve caught trolling the internet (never mind that the sex offenders are not ‘illegal’ its just easier to hook into long standing prejudices and pump up their statistics. Instead of actually going after dangerous people ICE (and now with the BAN) they are targeting the easiest most accessible people (like federal prisoners and the…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Shame On the San Diego City Council
The San Diego City Council took the wrong action for the wrong reason last week when they failed to repeal the city’s residency restrictions which, if enforced, would prohibit registrants from living in virtually all of that city. The wrong action was taken by five members of the City Council who voted against repeal of the city’s residency restrictions. The reason for their votes is beyond comprehension. In many votes taken by elected officials, the elected officials will vote against an issue because it is unpopular and could adversely affect…
Read MoreThe school of redemption
[vindy.mobi] We forgive. We hate. They are two polarizing traits that distinguish humans from all other species. In America, we are exceptional at both, and that is the paradox in “The Land of Dreams.” We watch news footage of kangaroo leadership and human atrocities in far-flung places and convince ourselves that we are an advanced and reasoned society as we sign checks to the needy, walk racetracks for cancer, build homes for the poor and so on. All of it, though, conceals an ugly American truth – like a waterway…
Read MoreThe Practical Case for Parole for Violent Offenders
[NY Times] The American criminal justice system is exceptional, in the worst way possible: It combines exceptionally coercive plea bargaining, exceptionally long sentences, exceptionally brutal prison conditions and exceptionally difficult obstacles to societal re-entry. This punitiveness makes us stand out as uniquely inhumane in comparison with other industrialized countries. To remedy this, along with other changes, we must consider opening the exit doors — and not just for the “easy” cases of nonviolent drug offenders. Yes, I’m suggesting that we release some of the people who once committed serious, violent…
Read MoreFL: Hundreds of Miami Sex Offenders Live in a Squalid Tent City Near Hialeah
Cradling a heavy box of Budweiser against his flour-dusted apron, Mario Medina clicks open the door and greets two waitresses behind the counter at La Cascada, a retro Cuban pizza parlor in Northwest Miami-Dade. Besides the voice of a sports commentator on the TV and sporadic blips from arcade games in the back, the restaurant is quiet, and all five tables are empty. It’s 30 minutes into the lunch rush hour, but only three weary patrons in construction boots sit hunched over glasses of cold beer at the bar.“Before, we…
Read MoreThe Self-Identity of a Sex Offender
[counterpunch.org] Attitude, far from being “everything”, is simply an offshoot of the self-identity. People are constantly changing their self-identities, either to project the desired image or to gain personal growth. How do you perceive yourself? How much do you accept what other people want of you? Do their perceptions of you match what you want to portray? The men and women on sex offender probation have no choice about their identities. They are sex offenders, solely and clearly. Questions about perception and portrayal are nice but hardly applicable. Other people…
Read MoreEditorial, 8/5: Ruling gives justice to juvenile offenders
[journalstar.com] The blindfold seen on statues of Lady Justice worldwide represents how the judicial system must not be affected by outside influences. All who enter a courtroom must, too, be treated fairly. A Monday ruling by the 8th Circuit Court confirmed that justice must be blind to geographical boundaries and equitable to all juvenile Nebraskans, regardless of where they committed their offenses. By reaffirming that a teen should not be placed on the state’s sex offender registry because of a juvenile court ruling in his previous home state of Minnesota,…
Read MoreMost would prefer to die than be regarded as a child molester
[purityofheart.org] Many people would prefer to die than live a lengthy existence regarded as a child molester, a brand new psychology study reveals. Experts repeat the survey by researchers in Florida, New York, and Australia highlight how strongly humans worry about their status. Plus they claim it might reveal why online bullying can drive youthful individuals to depression, suicidal ideas, or perhaps to place their own existence. The research, printed now, comes among a significant push to curb youthful suicide, as figures in the CDC reveal rates have bending among…
Read MoreNew documentary explores the false freedom of life on parole
There’s a story the mainstream media trumpets most loudly when it comes to parole, and it’s a frightening one: A violent criminal is released from prison, and within weeks or months of their release, a heinous, tragic crime is committed again. The lesson this story teaches the public is toxic, and largely inaccurate. When the only stories of parole we tell are those that end in bloodshed, “getting out on parole” becomes synonymous with fear, and imparts the idea that no one should ever receive parole. Read more
Read MoreAfter Exoneration,Jarrett Adams is Helping Others Wrongfully Convicted
Lester Holt interviews Jarrett Adams, who was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault when he was just 17 and — as an attorney — is now helping others who are in similar positions as he used to be. Watch Video
Read MoreThe Well-Meaning ‘Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act’ Could Be A Trojan Horse
It’s hard for me to argue about a proposed law called Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act. After all, I’m co-founder and CEO of ConnectSafely.org, an internet safety group, and have been active in child protection organizations for decades. But this proposed law, which has the support of several prominent Republican and Democratic senators, may have some unintended consequences both for tech companies and the very people the bill hopes to protect. Read more Additional article from Slate.com
Read MoreCourt challenge to juvenile sex offender registration laws fails
Juveniles who are convicted of a sex crime in California and are sentenced to state custody can be required to register with police as sex offenders for life, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty and mandatory life sentencing laws cannot be applied to juveniles because of their lesser mental and emotional development. But the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said the same rationale does not apply to state sex offender registration laws, which are meant to protect the…
Read MoreCA Action alert: Join us at CDCR Hearing on Sept 1 on Prop 57 to help our incarcerated brothers
Petition and Complaint Regulations – July 2017 The CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will conduct a hearing on Friday, September 1, during which the public has an opportunity to comment on proposed regulations which attempt to implement Prop. 57. The hearing is scheduled to be held: 9 a.m. to noon 1416 Ninth Street Dept. of Water Resources Building Auditorium Sacramento “The proposed regulations issued by CDCR are unlawful because they prohibit registrants and others from the benefits of Prop. 57,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Prop.…
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