CLEVELAND, Ohio – People convicted of abusing animals can no longer have pets and must register with the Cuyahoga County sheriff, under legislation approved Tuesday by Cuyahoga County Council. Council created an animal abuse registry, which was prompted by a new state law that makes cruelty to pets a felony. Full Article
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Inglewood City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Inglewood City Council voted in favor of repealing the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city during its meeting on January 24. The City Council is expected to finalize its decision to repeal the restrictions during its next meeting which is scheduled for January 31. “This is a significant victory for registrants and their families,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “No longer will families be separated by a law that failed to increase public safety and yet violated the Constitution.” If the City…
Read MoreNC: Lawsuit Contends Sex Offender Law Goes Too Far
Convicted sex offenders are pushing back against North Carolina laws they contend deprive them of constitutional rights without protecting children. Two anonymous sex offenders and a Raleigh-based national nonprofit that advocates for them filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the state laws. It’s part of an effort to trim sex registry laws that now require more than 800,000 convicts nationwide to register their names, addresses and photographs, perhaps for as long as they live. Full Article Related / NARSOL website http://nationalrsol.org/narsol-ncrsol-file-suit-challenging-north-carolinas-sex-offender-registry/
Read MoreThe FBI ran a child porn site to catch predators, and now the accused are crying foul
When ____ ____ ____ logged into a large child pornography website and downloaded images using his work computer, he was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. The operator of the website that was exploiting children, however, was not arrested. That’s because it was the FBI. And federal prosecutors are defending the agency’s decision to secretly hijack and peddle child porn for two weeks as part of a sting operation. Full Article
Read MoreCT: Legislator wants “johns” to face felony charge, register as sex offenders
Advocates for human trafficking victims hope to use momentum from last legislative session to target those who pay for sex. Lawmakers and nonprofits have been pushing for changes in the law, including more leniency for prostitutes and stiffer penalties for their customers. Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, is behind a bill that would make solicitation of a prostitute a felony and require those convicted to register as a sex offender. The offense is currently a misdemeanor, even when a minor is involved. Full Article
Read MoreIA: New art exhibit features Luther College graduates
Wartburg College’s Waldemar A. Schmidt Gallery exhibit “Sexy/OFFENDER” opened Jan. 9 and exhibits artwork from Byron Anway and Ben Moore, Johanna Kramer-Weston, Gallery Director and Exhibitions manager said. Kramer-Weston said the two collaborated for the exhibit because they share a fascination of classical portraiture in the age of Facebook, Snapchat and selfies. She said they pull their inspiration from magazines, criminal mugshots and media websites. “All portraits are handled with the same beauty and attention, causing the viewer to question who is the deviant, who is the social media star…
Read MoreFL: Sex Predator Who Won Lottery Settles Lawsuit
ORLANDO, Fla. — (WKMG) — A convicted sex predator who won a $3 million Florida Lottery jackpot has settled a lawsuit filed by his alleged victims. The plaintiffs’ suit against ___ ____, 45, was scheduled to go trial this week in Orange County Circuit Court. However, like many other civil cases, the parties were able to reach an agreement days before jury selection was expected to begin. Full Article
Read MoreACSOL Makes Formal Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) made a formal presentation to the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) during the board’s monthly meeting on January 19. In its presentation, ACSOL notified CASOMB that it would lobby on both the tiered registry bill and Senate Bill 26. ACSOL told CASOMB that while the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry, it has several serious concerns about the draft tiered registry bill. One of those concerns is the amount of discretion provided to district attorneys to stop the petition…
Read MoreWA: State corrections agency right to retire the word ‘offender’ (Editorial)
Words matter because the meaning that we give words matters even more. This is especially true of the words we use to describe each other, which is why it’s useful to have a discussion about the words we use to refer to those who have committed crimes, those who are currently incarcerated or are otherwise serving their sentences and those who have rejoined society at large. And it’s why a recent decision by the state Department of Corrections to phase-out the use of the term “offender” in written policies and daily…
Read MoreVA: Lawmakers say judges being too lenient on people possessing child porn
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced. “We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Cooper supports bills including SB 1278 that aim at making sentencing guidelines what they were prior to last year’s changes. Full Article
Read MoreVA: Lawmakers say judges being too lenient on people possessing child porn
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced. “We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Full Article
Read MoreMS: Sex offenders could pay for trooper school under new bill
JACKSON, MISS– One of the main talking points of this legislative session is the incredible shortage of state troopers. Representative Tom Miles told News Mississippi just how critical the shortage is Monday, outlining that only 489 highway patrolmen are on the roadways, and 189 of those are ready to retire. The state needs an ongoing school for state troopers, and the idea has pitched to the state legislature before. The problem has always been how to fund it. Representative Andy Gipson has a solution, at least a long term one. Tuesday, House…
Read MoreWI: Appeals court upholds provisional release of sex offender
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The state Court of Appeals has upheld a judicial panel’s decision to provisionally release a man from the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. ____ ____, formally known as ____ ____, pleaded guilty in 1976 to kidnapping and raping a woman in Ramsey County. He was civilly committed and asked for a provisional discharge from the sex offender program in 2013. It was granted, but the state says the judicial appeal panel erred because it relied on a witness with inaccurate information. Full Article
Read MoreFullerton, Desert Hot Springs to Consider Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The City Councils of Fullerton and Desert Hot Springs are scheduled to consider repeal or revision of the residency restrictions in those cities on January 17. The residency restrictions in both cities were challenged in federal lawsuits filed in September 2016. According to current law in those cities, registrants are prohibited from permanently residing in virtually all parts of the city. In addition, Desert Hot Springs prohibits registrants from residing in that city on a temporary basis. A total of 18 lawsuits have been filed challenging residency restrictions in the…
Read MoreSIGN UP NOW for ACSOL’s 1st Annual Conference – We Are All in This Together (June 16/17)
Join us for ACSOL’s first annual conference on June 16/17 in Los Angeles! The featured speaker will be Emily Horowitz PhD. Emily is a Professor in Sociology and Criminal Justice at St. Frances College in New York and author of the book “Protecting our Kids? How Sex Offender Laws are Failing Us”. She is excited to share with us at the conference the results of a project that reviews 20 years of data regarding the ineffectiveness of sex offender registries. Experience two days full of speakers, presentations and workshops, as…
Read MoreAdelanto sued over sex offender residency rules
A federal lawsuit challenges the city’s residency restrictions for registered sex offenders, concluding that the local ordinance’s exclusion zones “cover virtually all residential property within the city” and are more stringent than rules by similar municipalities. Filed Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court by Sacramento-based attorney Janice Bellucci, the lawsuit claims Adelanto’s local law violates the 14th Amendment, which ensures due process and equal protection of law, and is unconstitutionally vague. Full Article
Read MoreFIRE DESTROYS SQUAW VALLEY TRAILER WHERE A SEXUAL PREDATOR HAD CONTRACTED TO LIVE
FRESNO, California (KFSN) — The owner of a remote trailer in Squaw Valley was the only one of several hundred properties that were deemed suitable for Jeffrey Snyder to live in. Just days after it was announced the property owner would allow the violent sexual predator to live there the home was destroyed by a fire. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: It’s Time to Topple California’s Lifetime Registry
Less than two weeks into the new year, it’s clear that we have a lot of work to do in the State Capitol. We are already facing a bill that would prohibit all registrants, including parents, from visiting all schools for all reasons as well as the promise of a bill that would end the state’s lifetime registry. It is understandable that Senator Connie Leyva would introduce a bill (Senate Bill 26) with a zero-tolerance policy toward registrants on school campuses. After all, the district she represents includes the City…
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