February 1: After meeting in the offices of all newly elected members of the state legislature as well as members of the Senate Public Safety Committee, more than 35 ACSOL members concluded their early lobbying efforts on January 31. “We educated the newly elected members and staff regarding the need for a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence as well as the harm that could be caused by prohibiting all registrants from visiting all K-12 schools for all reasons,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. The ACSOL members were organized into…
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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 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 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 MoreACSOL to Lead Lobbying Effort on Jan. 30 and 31
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will lead a lobbying effort on Jan. 30 and 31 in Sacramento to discuss both the tiered registry bill and a bill that would prohibit all registrants from visiting all schools. Registrants, family members and supporters are welcome to join the effort. Training will be provided on Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. in the ACSOL office at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, Sacramento. Following training, individuals will be organized into teams in order to meet with elected officials and staff in the…
Read MoreACSOL Board of Directors Determines Initial Positions on Tiered Registry Bill
The Board of Directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has determined its initial positions on the Tiered Registry Bill. The determinations were made during the board’s meeting on December 8. “After careful consideration of input from registrants, family members and supporters, the ACSOL board of directors has decided that the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The board of directors also decided to oppose the Tiered Registry Bill in its current form because it is…
Read MoreACSOL to Lobby Newly Elected State Legislators – Jan 30/31, 2017
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will lobby newly elected state legislators in Sacramento on January 30 and 31. Training will be provided to registrants, family members and supporters who lack lobbying experience on January 30 at 9 a.m. at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor. Those with lobbying experience will begin meetings in the offices of the newly elected legislators on the same date and at the same time in the State Capitol. Additional details regarding these activities will be provided on this website in January 2017.
Read MoreAdelanto plans to educate on sex offenders
Facing potential legal consequences if they attempt to locally regulate registered sex offenders who already fall under state scrutiny, city officials said recently they’ll instead plan to seek out meetings with senior political figures and build a framework for educating residents. Full Article City Council Workshop Audio Workshop Agenda
Read MoreCA DOJ Makes Significant Changes to Megan’s Law Website
The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) recently made significant changes to the state’s Megan’s Law website, including the addition of conviction and release dates on the profiles of about 50,000 registrants. The state agency agreed to add the dates as the result of a lawsuit filed in November 2015 and settled in August 2016. “The recent addition of conviction and release dates is expected to help registrants find better jobs and housing,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Additional conviction and release dates will be added to the website as…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: ACSOL Board Faced With “Sophie’s Choice” [updated with Guide to Tiers on Tiered Registry Bill]
During the five years in which this organization has existed, we have often heard a wish expressed – that registrants in California be treated differently, not the same. That wish was expressed in many variations including that registrants should be treated differently according to their current risk or that registrants should be treated differently according to the offense for which they were convicted. Those wishes are now nearing reality in the form of a tiered registry bill expected to be introduced in the state legislature early next year. As drafted,…
Read MoreLos Angeles DA to Co-Sponsor Tiered Registry Bill
Los Angeles District Attorney (DA) Jackie Lacey has agreed to co-sponsor a tiered registry bill along with the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB). A copy of the draft bill was distributed during today’s CASOMB meeting. As expected, the draft bill proposes dividing registrants into three tiers based upon the offense for which the registrant was convicted as well as his/her risk level. For registrants in the first two tiers, their duty to register would end in either 10 or 20 years after release from incarceration provided that they have…
Read MoreNotice of Appeal Filed in IML Case
A notice of appeal was filed today in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. This is the first formal step required in order to appeal the dismissal of the only court challenge to the International Megan’s Law (IML). “The IML unfairly and unjustly labels hundreds of thousands of American citizens as sex tourists and sex traffickers,” stated ACSOL President Janice Bellucci. “This punishment will increase when the State Department adds unique identifiers to their passports.” The IML challenge was filed in federal district court in February, one day after it…
Read MoreACSOL Conference Call November 16 – Polygraph Exams [Recording Added]
ACSOL’s will hold a public conference call on Wednesday, November 16, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. The topic of the call will be “Polygraph Exams” and the call will follow the same format as the previous calls. There will be a brief presentation of the topic to be followed by a Q&A session where call attendees may ask questions pertaining to the topic. Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 I look forward to having you call in. Sincerely, Janice Conference Call Recordings
Read MoreEmotional Support Group to Meet on December 10 [date change]
The Emotional Support Group, which is focused upon the emotional needs of registrants and family members, will meet on December 10 (new date) in Los Angeles. The meeting will be held at the ACLU Building, 1313 W. 8th Street, starting at 10 a.m. Free parking is available in the building’s underground garage. The meeting will begin promptly at 10 a.m. and those who arrive late will not be able to attend the meeting.
Read MoreACSOL Monthly Meetings Q1 2017
ACSOL holds monthly meetings in various locations on a monthly basis throughout most of the year. Meetings are held on Saturdays – starting at 10 am and lasting about 2 hours. Meetings are open and free to registrants, family members and those who support them. Government officials, the media and all others are not allowed to attend the meetings. Meetings will focus on general issues facing registrants and families, as well as current topics at the time of meeting. Meeting dates for First Quarter of 2017 are: January 28 in Sacramento…
Read MoreNorwalk Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Norwalk City Council unanimously agreed to repeal the city’s residency restrictions during its meeting on November 1. The repeal will take effect 30 days after that vote. In considering what action to take, the Norwalk City Council noted that studies and reports “suggest that blanket enforcement of residency restrictions have not improved public safety”. The Council also noted that “residency restrictions have the unintended consequence of increasing homelessness among registered sex offenders, thereby actually threatening public safety.” “The Norwalk City Council is to be commended not only for its…
Read MoreACSOL Conference Call Nov 2 – International Travel [Recording added]
Conference Call Recording added here ACSOL’s will hold a public conference call on Wednesday, November 2, at 5 p.m. Pacific time. The topic of the call will be “International Travel” and the call will follow the same format as the previous calls. There will be a brief presentation of the topic to be followed by a Q&A session where call attendees may ask questions pertaining to the topic. Dial-in number: 1-712-770-8055 Conference Code: 983459 I look forward to having you call in. Sincerely, Janice
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