IL: Former Sex Offenders can Proceed with Lawsuit Challenging Restrictions on Internet Use

A group of former sex offenders may continue with their lawsuit, challenging the constitutionality of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC’s) restrictive policy on internet access for those convicted of sex crimes. A federal district court has ruled that it is premature at this early stage of the litigation to dismiss the lawsuit. Full Article

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Janice’s Journal: The Big Picture

I founded California Reform Sex Offender Laws, the predecessor of the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) eight years ago in September 2011. I did so after reading the book, “We’re All in This Together”, by Frank Lindsay who was convicted of a single sex offense in 1979. My decision to create this organization was based upon the outrage I experienced after learning that not only Frank’s civil rights, but the civil rights of a large group of people in this country were being violated every day, 24 hours…

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ACSOL Makes Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board

ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci made a presentation to the California Sex Offender Management Board during the board’s monthly meeting on September 19. During their presentation, the ACSOL leaders informed the board about changes needed to the Tiered Registry and asked the board to support those changes. Also during the meeting, CASOMB members reported on the number of registrants in the state. The Tiered Registry should be modified to allow individuals convicted of child pornography (CP) offenses to be removed from Tier 3 which requires…

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AL: SPLC sues Alabama officials for overly severe sex-offender law that punishes children for life

____ ____ met ____ ____ when their mutual friends introduced them at a local skating rink. He was 14 and she was 12. Over time, the two became a young couple, going out on movie dates, hanging out with friends at each other’s houses, and attending school dances together. Eventually, the high school sweethearts got married, bought a house, and had three children. They’ve been married now for 20 years. But this otherwise happy love story has a sad twist: When Herbert was 17 and Candi was 15, her mother…

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NJ: He was labeled a sex offender as a teen. Now he is challenging the law that made him register as one.

At a glance, the 23-year-old has a stellar resume. He graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University, where he was a part of an Honors Academic Society and routinely on the Dean’s list. During college, he tutored others in calculus and was a teacher’s assistant. He also volunteered at the Jewish Relief Agency collecting, packaging and distributing goods to disadvantaged families. The Union County resident now works as a financial analyst-at-large for an international telecommunications company in the tri-state area. But each year he must check in with law enforcement. He…

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CA: Georgia Couple Posed as L.A. County Deputies to Scam Victims Out of $16K in Gift Cards

A couple from Georgia posed as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies in a telephone fraud scheme and scammed six people out of $16,000 in gift cards, the department said Monday. Nicolas Brady Kennedy, 29, and Ashley Marie Walker, 28, both of Loganville, Georgia, made a series of phone calls mostly targeting the elderly in Northern Los Angeles County, Sheriff’s Chief Patrick Nelson said at a news conference. Full Article

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San Diego To Enter Settlement Talks In Sex Offender Residency Lawsuit

San Diego City Council members on Tuesday will get their first official update in two years on a lawsuit challenging a city law that restricts where sex offenders can live. In August 2017, council members went against advice from the City Attorney’s Office and refused to repeal an ordinance banning sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks and other minor-oriented facilities. The city has not enforced the law since 2009 because of previous challenges to its constitutionality. Full Article

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CA: City of Lomita Repeals Residency Restrictions

The City of Lomita, which is located in Los Angeles county, has repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living permanently or temporarily within 2,000 feet of schools and parks as well as 300 feet from child care centers. As a result of the restrictions, registrants were unable to stay even one night in a hotel or motel in the City of Lomita. The Lomita City Council repealed the city’s residency restrictions during a regularly scheduled meeting on September 3. The repeal will become effective on October 2. “Registrants…

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Living with 290: The real walking Dead

I have been a RSO for many years now. I have over come so many adversities while growing up with disabilities. When I was young I couldn’t wait to become an adult so I wouldn’t be bullied anymore. I put my self through community college and learned a good trade. Got married and had a family. And then I did the thing I never thought I couldn’t do. I was one of those. I used to think any one with that type of crime should be hung. I did everything…

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CA: Recalled Judge Who Gave Stanford U Sex Offender Slap on the Wrist Fired as Girls Tennis Coach

The California judge who got ousted from the bench in a recall after he handed out a light sentence to a Stanford University student convicted of sexual assault is now out of yet another job, that of high school girls tennis coach. Former Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky was hired at the start of the school year to coach girls junior varsity tennis at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, Calif., according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But after word got out, and complaints came in, about…

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The Rise of Registries

Earlier this year, lawmakers in New York proposed a bill that would bar people convicted of multiple sex offenses from ever using New York City’s subway system again. The plan, which would inflict a form of banishment in the name of public safety, is part of a broader pattern. Sex offender registries increasingly include children under the age of 18, and some states permit children as young as 7 to be registered. But a growing body of evidence suggests that our reliance on registries—not just for sex crimes but also for terrorism, gun, and drug offenses—may allow politicians to…

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VA: Our Man in Arlington

A culture-clash of a trial will resume in late September in Arlington Circuit Court. The scantly reported-on civil procedure involves the disturbing topic of predatory sexual behavior and the Virginia laws intended to protect potential victims. The trial, preliminaries for which I attended Aug. 26, involves an Arlington family eager to spring a son from an open-ended incarceration they feel the state is pursuing to make a statement against a gay man. Full Article

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CA: Scammers Target Los Angeles Registrants, Families [UPDATED 9/2019]

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2019: THIS SCAM IS STILL ACTIVE. PLEASE READ BELOW. Aug 4, 2018: Scammers, who often pose on the phone as law enforcement officials, are threatening registrants with arrest and demanding immediate payment of sums up to $3,000 in order to avoid jail or prison. There are reports of this occurring during the past week in at least two different cities in Los Angeles County — Upland and Lawndale. According to the reports, the scammers have told registrants that they either failed to register or registered improperly. For example,…

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