Source: cdcr.ca.gov 10/28/24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Halloween is fast approaching, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is helping to keep kids and families safe. Throughout the week, CDCR parole agents will be providing safety tips for trick-or-treaters via social media and as part of a comprehensive parents’ guide on our 2024 Operation Boo webpage. (Follow us on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X) THE BIGGER PICTURE: Hundreds of parole agents across the state, in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, will conduct compliance checks on sex offender supervised…
Read MoreAuthor: R H
Janice’s Journal: Answers to Questions are Only Stop Gap Measures
About a month ago we identified three cases for which we had not yet received an answer. As of today, we have answers to those questions, however, some of those answers have resulted in more questions. First, a federal district court in Missouri has issued its decision regarding Halloween signs. That decision was strong and clear: Halloween signs are unconstitutional. The court even granted a permanent statewide injunction that in essence prohibits law enforcement in the state of Missouri from enforcing the state law that required the Halloween signs. While…
Read MoreAre you the parent of someone forced to register? Please take this survey
Source: Illinois State University Are you the parent of someone forced to register? If so, please participate in a research study conducted by Morgan Zornow under the supervision of Dr. Jessie L. Krienert in the Criminal Justice Sciences Department at Illinois State University. The study examines the stigma faced by parents of those convicted of a sexual offense. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. You must have a child/relative convicted of a sex offense at least three months ago to participate, and you must be 18 years of…
Read MoreIL: How do scores of Chicagoans arrested for sex crimes stay off the sex offender registry once convicted?
Source: nbcchicago.com 10/22/24 When John heard the news on a recent Friday, it hit him hard: Elliott ____, a former Chicago public schoolteacher and John’s former colleague, had been arrested and charged with three counts of child exploitation, after allegedly exposing himself to three girls – ages 10, 9, and 7. Eight years ago, John – who does not want to be identified by his real name – was one of more than two dozen victims recorded by Elliott after he hid a motion-activated camera in an employee bathroom at…
Read MoreMT: Montana’s Porn Age Verification Law Is Headed to Court
Source: reason.com 10/23/24 “Invoking the innocence of children is not…a magic incantation sufficient for legislatures to run roughshod over the First Amendment rights of adults.” It seems that a puritanical wave is sweeping the country as state governments increasingly try to make it more difficult to access pornography from within their borders. A lawsuit is challenging one of those laws, and this week, a federal judge allowed it to continue. Montana is one of multiple states in recent years to pass a law requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages. Under Senate…
Read MoreEnough With the Sex Offender Registry
Source: filtermag.org 10/23/24 Law enforcement has done a good job of portraying recidivism as a kind of unfortunate tendency some people just can’t help. Rarely do media and pop culture indicate that a parole violation can mean the state equivalent of the FBI taking you into custody without warning because you were using an adult webcam site while inside your own home. Christy paroled out of Georgia Department of Corrections custody in September 2023, after about 13 years of incarceration stemming from survival sex work. Being forced to register as a sex offender comes with an…
Read MoreFL: 47 Sex Workers and 96 Clients Arrested in Florida ‘Human Trafficking’ Sting/Sham
Source: reason.com 10/21/24 Polk County, Florida, continues to be one of the worst offenders for sham efforts to combat human trafficking. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is publicizing “Operation Autumn Sweep” as a “human trafficking operation” that netted 157 arrests, including 25 arrests of illegal immigrants. But the vast majority of those arrested are accused not of anything the average American would view as trafficking. Instead, they were allegedly either soliciting prostitution or offering to commit prostitution. After posing online as either (adult) sex workers or prospective customers, cops…
Read MoreCA: Public opposition thwarts success of sexual predator placement program, state says
Source: dailybreeze.com 10/21/24 Public opposition is making it difficult to reintroduce sexually violent predators into California communities even though they have undergone post-prison treatment that makes them much less likely to reoffend, according to a new state audit. The 57-page audit released last week said it can take months or even years to find community housing for SVPs, as sexually violent predators are called, after they have finished treatment through California’s conditional release program. … California designates those convicted of specific sexually violent crimes who also have significant mental health…
Read MoreEmpowering Voices: Building Hope and Taking Action – Danell at ACSOL – W.A.R. Meeting on Oct 22
Source: Women Against Registry (W.A.R.) We hope you will join us for a WAR Room Zoom meeting: Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT Click here to sign up now Our guest this week is going to be a special treat! Danell is a dedicated advocate for registered citizens, currently serving as the Advocacy Director on the Florida Action Committee (FAC) Board and recently appointed to the ACSOL Board of Directors. With a background in political science, real estate, and cancer…
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting November 23, 2024
MD: 13-year-old boy charged for sex offense on University of Maryland campus
Source: dcnewsnow.com 10/18/24 [ACSOL note: this shows the need to educate children in how to avoid violating the law] COLLEGE PARK, Md. (DC News Now) — A 13-year-old boy was charged with a sex offense at the University of Maryland (UMD), police said Thursday. … A student told police that around 11 a.m., she was walking in that area when a “young male” walked up to her and started to ask her questions. She said that during that conversation, the boy touched her inappropriately before running away and leaving down…
Read MoreKY: AG defending state law requiring child sex offers to use full name on social media
Source: amnews.com 10/17/24 As a parent, I’m grateful to my own State Senator, Lindsey Tichenor, and Kentucky’s legislators who are protecting our children from predators,” Coleman stated. “This statute doesn’t ban any speech, but it simply empowers kids and their parents to know who may be lurking in the shadows of the internet. The law clearly passes constitutional muster, and we hope the Sixth Circuit will quickly allow it to take full effect.” The brief noted, “The law is therefore little different than sex-offender registry laws, whose constitutionality is not…
Read MoreMO: Attorney General Files Notice of Appeal in Missouri Halloween Case
Source: ACSOL The Missouri Attorney General filed a notice of appeal today notifying a federal district court in Eastern Missouri that they will seek review of that court’s decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The district court’s decision permanently prohibits enforcement of a state law that requires registrants in Missouri to post a sign on their residence on Halloween. “We are not surprised that the Attorney General has filed a notice of appeal in this case,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The filing of this notice, however,…
Read MoreCA: New CDCR Regulations Limit Treatment Requirements for Parolees
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has issued new regulations that limit treatment requirements for registrants while on parole. The regulations were issued on October 14 and became effective on that date. According to the regulations, registrants on parole will be evaluated annually to determine whether treatment beyond the first year of parole is required. If additional treatment is required, that decision must be written and a copy of that decision must be provided to the registrant within 30 days. “The new regulations will benefit many…
Read MoreNew report, One Size Fits None, explores counterproductive and difficult conditions of probation in all 50 states
Source: prisonpolicy.org 10/15/24 Easthampton, Mass. — A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative provides one of the most comprehensive 50-state compilations of “standard” conditions of probation to date, shining a light on the burdensome rules that govern the lives of nearly 3 million people and that doom many to inevitable further punishments. The report, One Size Fits None, and accompanying data organize probation rules from 76 jurisdictions into topical categories — allowing readers to compare rules in their state to other states, and exposing how these systems turn even everyday behaviors into acceptable reasons for…
Read MoreCA: LA Archdiocese agrees to pay $880M to settle clergy abuse claims
Source: dailyjournal.com 10/16/24 The deal, subject to approval from all the plaintiffs, would provide compensation to 1,353 victims. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse. With the $740 million paid to victims in 2007, the church has now agreed to pay a record $1.5 billion. “It’s been a long time coming and a huge amount and work to get to this point. I’m convinced that the archdiocese has done everything they could to make this thing work and compensate clients.…
Read MoreTim Ballard files lawsuits against women accusing him of sexual assault
Source: thespectator.com 10/10/24 A number have alleged the subject of Sound of Freedom used the ‘couples ruse’ as a pretext to make unwanted sexual advances Timothy Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad and subject of the film Sound of Freedom, has filed lawsuits against seven women who are accusing him of sexual assault: Celeste Borys, Sashaleigha Hightower, Mary Hall, Kira Lynch, Krista Kacey, Bree Righter and Amy Morgan Davis. Specific accusations against Ballard include pretending to have sex with Borys in the shower, grinding, grabbing, kissing and licking. “It…
Read MoreNothing Sums Up the Sex Offender Registry Quite Like Halloween
Source: filtermag.org 10/9/24 Since 2008, people on sex offender registries in Missouri have been required to post a sign at their home each year on October 31: No candy or treats at this residence. In a ruling issued October 2, a federal judge found the signs unconstitutional because they’re a form of “compelled speech”—when the state forces you to express a viewpoint you don’t agree with. Judge John A. Ross noted two other courts to previously address similar Halloween signs, both of which found them unconstitutional for the same reason. California overturned the requirement in 2012. Georgia…
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