Source: ACSOL A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 16 challenging a provision of the California Tiered Registry Law. Specifically, a registrant is challenging his assignment to Tier 3 based upon his conviction for violating Penal Code Section 288(c)(1). According to the lawsuit, the registrant’s tier assignment violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The lawsuit requests that the court prohibit the California Department of Justice from assigning individuals convicted of Section 288(c)(1) to Tier 3. After his original conviction of a felony violation…
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Location Selected for March 2023 Conference in D.C. Area
The Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia, has been selected as the location for the March 2023 conference. The hotel is located at 300 Army Navy Drive near National Airport. There is a free shuttle bus between the hotel and that airport. Click here to reserve your room in our block. The first day of the March 2023 conference will begin on Sunday, March 5, at 8 a.m. Invited speakers include Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, who is a vocal supporter of registrants, Professor Jill Levenson, David Cole of the…
Read MoreACSOL Joins Pacific Legal Foundation in Challenge to SORNA Regulations
Source: ACSOL The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) to challenge the federal SORNA regulations that became effective in January 2022. As a signatory to the MOU, ACSOL has agreed to serve as a named plaintiff in the lawsuit which will be filed in the Central district of California, a federal trial court. The remaining plaintiff is a registrant who resides in California and will be known as “John Doe.” The lawsuit will include a request…
Read MoreACSOL Leaders to Educate Judges, DA’s and Others in San Diego Conference
Source: ACSOL Several ACSOL leaders will educate judges, district attorneys, public defenders, law enforcement and mental health professionals this week at the annual conference of the Forensic Mental Health Professionals. The conference will be held on April 13 through April 15 in San Diego. ACSOL leaders participating in the conference include Vice President Catherine Carpenter who will make a presentation regarding registrants and the challenges they face. In addition, ACSOL board members Jay Rice and Alex Gittinger will make a formal poster presentation regarding the impact of current laws and…
Read MoreNumber of CA Registrant Continues to Decline
The number of persons required to register in California continues to decrease according to a report from the CA Department of Justice (CA DOJ) presented during today’s meeting of the CA Sex Offender Management Board. Specifically, the number of registrants has decreased by 108 persons during the month of February to a new total of 108,432. “Although the reason for the smaller number of persons required to register was not disclosed during the meeting, it is believed that the decrease is due to an increase in the number of petitions…
Read MoreALI Council Approves Most of Model Penal Code
The Council of the American Law Institute (ALI) has approved most of the model penal code (MPC) adopted by its members. The Council’s approval took place during its meeting held this week following a decision in January to delay consideration of the model penal code. The most significant portions of the MPC include: (1) significant reduction in the number of offenses that require registration, (2) maximum registration period of 15 years, (3) elimination of all public registries and (4) prohibition against many collateral consequences. “The American Law Institute is to…
Read MoreACSOL Has New Mailing Address
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has a new mailing address: ACSOL 2110 K Street Sacramento, CA 95816 The new address is very similar to the old address. The only changes are the “house” number and the last digit of the zip code. Please address all future correspondence to the new address effective immediately. Thank you.
Read MoreACSOL Files SORNA Regulations Complaint with DOJ’s Inspector General
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today filed a complaint regarding the new SORNA regulations with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice. According to that complaint, the regulations are unlawful for several reasons. First, the regulations are not based on empirical evidence which demonstrate that most individuals required to register no longer pose a current risk to society. This evidence includes studies conduct by and reports issued by both government and academic sources. Second, the regulations create an unfunded mandate upon both state and local…
Read MoreACSOL President Honored in Wall Street Journal
Source: ACSOL ACSOL President Chance Oberstein was recently honored in the Wall Street Journal after being selected as a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is provided to individuals based upon their career longevity, philanthropic endeavors and lasting contributions. “We congratulate Chance Oberstein for this well deserved recognition,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “ACSOL is indeed fortunate to have Chance serve as president of the board of directors for more than five years.” During Mr. Oberstein’s tenure as president, ACSOL has successfully challenged residency…
Read MoreFederal SORNA Regulations Litigation Fund Now Has Matching Grant Program
UPDATE FROM JANICE 12/15/21: We made it! During the past 6 hours, we crossed the finish line and will be able to fully match the $15,000 grant. That means ACSOL has raised at least $30,000 to challenge the new SORNA regulations. Sincere thanks to everyone who donated $5 to $500! Your donation made a difference and so will our litigation. Of course we welcome additional donations so we can continue to increase the fight for justice! The federal government published final SORNA regulations last week that cause great uncertainty…
Read MoreACSOL Leaders Discussed New SORNA Regulations
UPDATED: Click here to find out how your donation to fight SORNA regulations will be doubled! ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci discussed the new SORNA regulations during an “emergency” meeting held on Dec. 11 for two and a half hours. The meeting was attended by about 250 people from at least 10 different states. “ACSOL thanks everyone who attended Saturday’s meeting regarding the new SORNA regulations,” stated Bellucci. “It was an opportunity for registrants and family members to hear the views of two experienced and…
Read MoreFederal Government Finalizes SORNA Regulations (and Emergency ACSOL Zoom meeting recording )
UPDATE: Read a summary of the SORNA meeting Listen to the recording of the meeting The federal government today published final SORNA regulations in the Federal Register. According to this publication, the regulations will become effective on January 7, 2022. “The only thing that can stop these regulations is a formal objection by Congress during the next 30 days which is unlikely to happen,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Therefore we must prepare to challenge the regulations through litigation filed in federal courts.” Despite acknowledging that more than 700…
Read MoreLos Angeles Courts Grant Two Petitions
Source: ACSOL Two superior courts in Los Angeles county have granted petitions submitted on behalf of two different registrants. The first petition was granted on Nov. 5 in the San Fernando Valley court house to a registrant convicted of Penal Code section 243.4 whose tier had not yet been determined. This registrant was represented by ACSOL President Chance Oberstein. The second petition was granted today in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse to a registrant convicted of Penal Code section 288(a) and assigned to Tier 2. This registrant was represented by…
Read MoreCASOMB Reports Increased Number of Registrants, Registrants in Violation
Source: ACSOL During today’s (11/18/21) meeting of the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB), the California Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that the total number of people required to register is 108,539 which reflects an increase of 377 individuals. DOJ also reported that the number of registrants in violation for failure to register is 19,146, an increase of 330 individuals. Finally, DOJ reported that the number of homeless registrants is 6,761 which reflects a decrease of 251 individuals. Also during today’s CASOMB meeting, the California Department of Corrections reported that 7,171…
Read MoreACSOL is fighting for you! Read how
Please click on this link to see all the ways ACSOL is making a difference to you. We will keep that page updated as we continue the fight for you! To read it in the future, click on the “About Us” menu at the top of every page, then select “Major ACSOL Accomplishments and Plans”. Sincerely, Janice
Read MoreACSOL to Conduct SORNA Regulations Meeting on November 1 at 3pm PT
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will conduct a meeting on Monday, November 1 starting at 3 p.m. (Pacific) to discuss the proposed SORNA regulations. ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci will lead that meeting using Zoom technology. The recording of the meeting is now available here. Click here to learn how to fight these terrible SORNA regulations ACSOL SORNA Regulations Meeting: recording now available
Read MoreCA: Demurrer Hearing Scheduled for December 17 in Resentencing Regulations Challenge
Source: ACSOL The Attorney General of California has filed a demurrer in the pending challenge of regulations issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that prohibit anyone convicted of a sex offense from resentencing opportunities. A hearing regarding the demurrer is scheduled for December 17 at 11 a.m. in Sacramento Superior Court. The challenge to CDCR’s regulations was filed on July 6, 2021, after ACSOL formally opposed the regulations both in an April 2021 letter as well as during two hearings conducted in May 2021. CDCR’s regulations…
Read MoreACSOL Conducts Successful 2021 Conference
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) conducted a successful two-day virtual conference on September 17 and September 18. More than 240 tickets were sold for the conference which included plenary presentations from subject matter experts Dr. Jill Levenson of Florida and ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman of Michigan. The conference also included a wide variety of presentations on topics such as stigma and PTSD experienced by registrants and their families as well as domestic and international travel, parole and probation conditions, and failures to register. Further, the conference included…
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