People wishing to swim at Dublin’s two pools or exercise at its recreation center will have their names and photos checked against state and national sex-offender registries. If there’s a match, the person won’t be allowed in and Dublin police will be called. The city council, in approving the measure last week, said it is simply one more step toward ensuring the safety of others. Others see it differently. Full Article
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Huntington Beach Parks Ordinance Moratorium
The City of Huntington Beach has declared a moratorium on its sex offender ordinance which prohibits all registrants from visiting public parks and beaches. According to a memo from Police Chief Kenneth Small, the decision was made due to a pending legal challenge against the City. Small stated that he expects “the moratorium to remain in place until the Court of Appeal makes a decision on the pending case of People v. Godinez.” A decision in that case is expected no later than June 2013. “This is a good decision,”…
Read MoreSC: Boyfriend gets lifetime sex offender status for cellphone video
COLUMBIA, S.C. — ____ ____ will spend the next 18 months in a federal prison for 15 minutes worth of sex videos he made with his teenage girlfriend. The girlfriend, who knew ____ was videoing at the time, was 16– which made her a minor under a federal sex offender law meant to apply to serious sex crimes. Having the video on his cellphone meant ____ violated federal law by possessing child pornography. Full Article
Read MoreFederal: Failure to Register as a Sex Offender: A Legal Analysis of 18 U.S.C. 2250
Section 2250 outlaws an individual’s failure to comply with federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requirements. SORNA demands that an individual—previously convicted of a qualifying federal, state, or foreign sex offense—register with state, territorial, or tribal authorities. Individuals must register in every jurisdiction in which they live, work, or attend school. They must also update the information whenever they move, or change their employment or educational status. Section 2250 applies only under one of several jurisdictional circumstances: the individual was previously convicted of a qualifying federal sex offense;…
Read MoreCalifornia Municipal Ordinances List updated
Thanks to the tireless efforts of one of our volunteers the list of City and County Ordinances relating to 290 registrants has been completely revamped and updated. Thank you, S.! While the task was tedious, it is our hope that this list will soon be obsolete and that these laws will be repealed. California RSOL – registrants, family & friends and supporters – has been very active in speaking at various City Council Meetings against the adoption and for the repeal of these ordinances. Follow notices on this site to…
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Meeting in LA, January 19 – Recap & Presentation
The January 19 meeting in Los Angeles saw the greatest turnout of registrants, family & friends and supporters to date. About 60+ attended the meeting, about half of whom were first-time participants! As always, the meeting included topics such as on-going legislation, an update about recent organization activities, as well as questions and answers. The highlight was a presentation by Alex Landon, an attorney, law professor and author of a book on the subject of registration laws. He shed some light and perspective on the evolution of these laws. Thanks…
Read MoreHuntington Beach Votes to Continue Violations of Constitutions
The Huntington Beach City Council voted 6 to 1 in favor of continuing the city’s sex offender ordinance which bans all registrants from entering all city parks. The sole vote against the ordinance was cast by Councilwoman Jill Hardy. A total of eight representatives of California RSOL spoke in opposition to the revised ordinance which, in theory, would allow registrants an opportunity to obtain written permission to enter a city park. No one spoke in favor of the revised ordinance, including no members of the City Council, because the ordinance…
Read MoreHuntington Beach City Council Hearing – February 4
California RSOL will attend the Huntington Beach City Council Hearing and speak at the second reading of the proposed modification of the the Ordinance prohibiting registrants to enter public parks and places. Come join us at 6 pm on Monday, February 4th! 6:00 PM – Regular MeetingCouncil Chambers – 2000 Main StreetHuntington Beach, CA 92648 Agenda
Read MoreMI: RSO Freezes to Death – Federal District Court Case
In a unique way this judge resolves the issue so that it cannot happen again. And retains jurisdiction, apparently forever. In essence, overnight shelters ARE NOT a residence under MI SORA’s residency law. Full Article / Decision
Read MoreOH: Web sites profiting from mug shots sued
There’s a good chance that if you’ve been arrested in the past decade, your mugshot is available online, probably on numerous Web sites. A Toledo-based lawyer, Scott Ciolek, is taking on at least five of these sites, of which there are dozens, in a class-action lawsuit filed Monday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. The suit claims that more than 259,000 Ohioans have been cataloged on various mugshot Web sites and, to have a photo removed — even if an individual has been found not guilty or the charges were…
Read MoreShowdown looming over predictive accuracy of actuarials
If you are involved in risk assessments in any way (and what psychology-law professional is not, given the current cultural landscape?), now is the time to get up to speed on a major challenge that’s fast gaining recognition. At issue is whether the margins of error around scores are so wide as to prevent reliable prediction of an individual’s risk, even as risk instruments show some (albeit weak) predictive accuracy on a group level. If the problem is unsolvable, as critics maintain, then actuarial tools such as the Static-99 and…
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Lobbying in Sacramento
California RSOL will lobby newly elected members of the state Assembly in Sacramento on January 29 and 30. Thirty-nine new members were sworn in earlier this month. There are a total of 80 members in that legislative body. “It is important to meet with the newly elected state legislators this month in order to educate them regarding the true facts regarding registrants,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of California RSOL. “In the past, state legislators have passed laws based upon fear and misinformation that have diminished public safety and denied registrants…
Read MoreLos Alamitos Parks Ban Update
The City of Los Alamitos has suspended enforcement of Los Alamitos Municipal Code Chapter 9.14 CHILD SAFETY ZONES pending legal review. Los Alamitos Municipal Code
Read MoreRSOL 2012 National Conference: Janice Bellucci
VIDEO: “We’ve Come A Long Way Baby” Janice Bellucci talks about the beginning stages of formation of the California chapter of RSOL. Serves as a model for other state organizations. Recorded Saturday September 8, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDHH62DZvhY More Conference Videos
Read MoreNJ: Emails show FBI investigating Sen. Bob Menendez for sleeping with underage Dominican prostitutes
Documents published online for the first time Thursday indicate that the FBI opened an inquiry into New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on August 1, 2012, focusing on repeated trips he took to the Dominican Republic with longtime campaign contributor and Miami eye doctor Salomon Melgen. The DC reported in November that Menendez purchased the service of prostitutes in that Caribbean nation at a series of alcohol-fueled sex parties. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Facebook Sex Offenders Ban Ruled Unconstitutional By Indiana Court
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana law that bans registered sex offenders from using Facebook and other social networking sites that can be accessed by children is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Chicago overturned a federal judge’s decision upholding the law, saying the state was justified in trying to protect children but that the “blanket ban” went too far by restricting free speech. The 2008 law “broadly prohibits substantial protected speech rather than specifically targeting the evil of improper communications to minors,” the…
Read MoreHuntington Beach changes sex-offender ordinances after lawsuit [updated with video]
HUNTINGTON BEACH – The city has changed its sex-offender park ban after the law’s constitutionality was challenged in court. City Council members on Tuesday approved an amended ordinance that will allow police Chief Kenneth Small to write case-by-case exemptions to the sex-offender ordinance based on his discretion. The change comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by a convicted sex offender in October, naming Huntington Beach and other Orange County cities, which says the ordinances that ban sex offenders from parks and other public areas are unconstitutional. Lake Forest,…
Read MoreHuntington Beach to consider changes to sex offender rule
HUNTINGTON BEACH – City Council members will discuss changing an ordinance to allow some exceptions to a ban on sex offenders in city parks. The council will meet on Tuesday to discuss allowing Police Chief Kenneth Small to make exemptions to the rule based on his discretion, according to city reports. The changes come on the heels of a lawsuit filed in October, naming Huntington Beach and other Orange County cities, which says that the ordinances that ban sex offenders from parks and other public areas are unconstitutional. Full Article
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