A win in the 11th Circuit today! Miami-Dade is infamous for encampments of homeless registrants, permanent housing very scarce because of residency restrictions. Despite national media attention to bad laws that had people living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway–courts haven’t been much help. Now there’s an interesting development. A lawsuit in federal court challenging those residency restrictions had been dismissed. However, today a federal appeals court *reversed* that dismissal and sent it back to the original court for further proceedings. Congrats to John Doe #1, John Doe #2, John Doe…
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Federal Judge Dismissed Challenge to IML
A federal district court judge today granted the government’s motion to dismiss a challenge to the International Megan’s Law. The law, passed by Congress in February, allows the federal government to notify foreign countries that a registrant whose offense involved a minor is traveling to that country and requires the federal government to add a conspicuous unique identifier to their passports. “Today’s decision is a travesty of justice,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “As a result of this decision, registrants’ lives will be placed in danger and their ability to…
Read MoreACSOL Conference Call on September 28 – International Megan’s Law
ACSOL is pleased to announce that our first conference call will be on Wednesday, September 28, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. I will speak about our challenges to the International Megan’s Law and the State Department regulation which attempts to implement it. We will only discuss these two topics. Also, I will answer your questions. Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 I look forward to having you call in. Sincerely, Janice
Read MoreID: 104 sex offenders sue Idaho over its registry laws
A lawsuit challenging Idaho’s laws governing registration and community notification of sex offenders seeks a permanent injunction to stop the state and counties from enforcing portions of the law. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Boise federal court on behalf of 104 unnamed sexual offenders, identified as Does 1-104, argues that Idaho’s sex offender registry laws violate the U.S. and Idaho constitutions. Full Article Lawsuit
Read MoreAtlanta RSOL Conference 2016 take-away: Whose voice is missing?
This year’s RSOL conference in Atlanta was the author’s first, as speakers from across the country brought to bear upon an audience ready and needful of informative lectures and empathetic, well-sourced thought-pieces a whole host of ideas long overdue. Full Article
Read MoreSlovakia: US and Slovakia agree to share sex offender information
An agreement has been signed in order to gain more information on the movement of convicted child sex offenders by Alan Bersin, the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs of the United States’ Department of Homeland Security and Dušana Višňovská, the Head of Office of the Minister of the Interior of the Slovak Republic. Full Article
Read MoreIA: Sex offenders sue over Iowa’s civil commitment program
Nine men who were convicted of sex crimes, served their prison sentences and are now indefinitely confined to an Iowa mental health unit have filed a federal lawsuit against the state, claiming its civil commitment program is unconstitutional. Full Article
Read MoreHeated debate over tougher punishment for sex crimes as some worry it could unfairly affect California’s minorities
High-profile cases have spurred a number of bills now before Brown, many of which like the proposal championed by Sanchez, would provide tougher penalties and repercussions against defendants in sex crimes. But their approval is not an easy task at a time when California and a number of advocacy groups and associations are reevaluating the effectiveness of strict punishment policies. Full Article
Read MoreGA: Man mistaken for child molester yells during fatal beating, ‘I have kids. It’s not me’
While being beaten to death, mistaken for a man his alleged attackers believed had molested a young girl, ____ ____. screamed, “I didn’t do this. I have kids. It’s not me,” a Bibb County prosecutor said at a Thursday hearing. Full Article
Read MoreMN: South St. Paul set to dramatically restrict where sex offenders can live
Eyebrows also raised when ____ ____ moved to the inner-ring suburb. ____ was busted for criminal sexual conduct in 2011 after repeated contact with a 10-year-old girl. But it was ____ ____’s arrival that caused South St. Paul, population 20,000, to go on the offensive. ____ is a convicted sex offender whose past includes repeated attempts at accosting females with a weapon. The City Council is in the process of deciding whether to implement one of the strictest residency restrictions for sex offenders anywhere in Minnesota. Full Article
Read MoreTustin Repeals Residency Restrictions
In a unanimous vote, the Tustin City Council decided on September 20 to repeal the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registered citizens from residing in most of that city. The vote followed a lawsuit filed in August 2016 which challenged the city’s restrictions. “This is a significant victory for registered citizens who wish to live in Tustin,” declared ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Families in that city will no longer be torn apart.” The City Council’s vote on September 20 is the second and final step taken by the council. The…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: The Failure of Fontana
Shame on the Fontana Unified School District! Members of their Board of Education unanimously agreed last week to bar registered citizens from every school in their district. The decision applies to all registered citizens, including parents of students in that district, regardless of the offense for which they were convicted and regardless of whether they pose a current danger. What makes this terrible decision worse is that the school board’s decision was in reaction to a few angry parents who ignorantly proclaimed during a school board meeting that the presence…
Read MoreMN: What is deserved for a sex offender?
Two painful, recent stories illuminate complex controversies that surround Minnesota’s practice of locking up certain sex offenders in a “treatment program” after they’ve served prison sentences for their crimes. Full Article
Read MoreUK: He Is A Paedophile, But That Does Not Make Him A Child Molester
Let me start by being really clear, that all child sexual abuse needs to be stopped. That includes everything: from inappropriate sexual conversations with children, sexual behaviour in the presence of a child through to looking at child abuse images and contact offences with children. Part of my life’s work is to work to reduce sexual abuse in all its forms, and I am very aware of the horrific consequences of child sexual abuse. However, many people never think about the world of the non-offending paedophile, and that is what…
Read MoreAre sex offender lists making us safer?
While covering a rally where sex offenders were protesting the International Megan’s Law, I got a chance to talk to some registered citizens, as they prefer to be addressed. They shared some details about what life looks like when your name comes up on Megan’s list. Full Article
Read MoreCanada: NOT WANTED – The sex offender next door (Part 1)
Does a convicted and paroled sex offender live in your neighbourhood? While police occasionally issue public warnings about offenders moving into communities, their addresses are not disclosed. In some cases, such individuals may live in a residential area for months or years without the knowledge of their neighbours. Full Article Note: This is Part 1 of several…
Read MoreAZ: If You Change a Baby’s Diaper in Arizona, You Can Now Be Convicted of Child Molestation
The Arizona Supreme Court issued a stunning and horrifying decision on Tuesday, interpreting a state law to criminalize any contact between an adult and a child’s genitals. According to the court, the law’s sweep encompasses wholly innocent conduct, such as changing a diaper or bathing a baby. As the stinging dissent notes, “parents and other caregivers” in the state are now considered to be “child molesters or sex abusers under Arizona law.” Those convicted under the statute may be imprisoned for five years. Full Article Related PROSECUTORS WOULD NEVER DO…
Read MorePA: Supreme Court Further Restricts Sex Offender Registry
The registration of sex offenders in Pennsylvania, known as Megan’s Law, has had a tumultuous existence, including a number of revisions to comply with several successful challenges before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Last month, the state’s high court further refined the state’s sex offender registry. The Supreme Court made a ruling that will have an impact on determining which sex offenders will be considered lifetime registrants. The court narrowed the ability of the authorities to designate an offender as a lifetime registrant as the result of being convicted of multiple…
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