[ACSOL] Registration procedures currently vary greatly at local law enforcement agencies in the state of California. While some agencies, such as the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), are remotely registering individuals by telephone, there are other agencies that continue to require individuals to register in person. “It is difficult to understand why local law enforcement agencies continue to require individuals to register in person during a pandemic after issuance of both the Governor’s Executive Order and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bulletin,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Based upon…
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ACSOL Submits Formal Comments Regarding Proposed Tiered Registry Petition Forms [Updated 6/18 with Ellman comments]
[Updated 6/18 with Ira and Tara Ellman comments] The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has submitted formal comments regarding proposed Tiered Registry petition forms to the Judicial Council of California. The deadline for submitting formal comments regarding the proposed forms is June 9, 2020. “The comments submitted by ACSOL are based, in large part, upon input received from ACSOL members,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. ACSOL provided a total of eight comments in an eight-page letter to the Judicial Council. The letter includes as an enclosure a…
Read MoreACSOL Phone Meeting on June 13
Please join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci as well as ACSOL President and criminal defense attorney Chance Oberstein for our next phone meeting. The meeting will be held on Saturday, June 13, beginning at 10 a.m.Pacific time and will last at least two hours. Discussions topics will include in-person registration during the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming Tiered Registry, residency restrictions, overseas and domestic travel as well as other current topics and pending legal action throughout the nation. Please Show Up, Stand Up and Speak Up! Dial-in…
Read MoreCA: Federal Judge Denies TRO Request to Stop In-Person Registration
A federal district court judge denied today a request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that would have immediately stopped in-person registration in Fresno County. The judge accepted statements from the county that the current registration process is “no contact,” socially-distanced, and takes places outdoors. The judge did not allow registrants an opportunity to dispute those statements in a reply brief. Nor did the judge make reference to the Executive Order issued by Governor Gavin Newson on May 8, 2020, encouraging remote registration. “The court’s decision to deny our TRO…
Read MoreCA Supreme Court Denies Review of Challenge to In-Person Registration
The California Supreme Court issued an order today denying ACSOL’s challenge to in-person registration requirements by local law enforcement agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Court’s decision to deny review is based upon the fact that the Governor issued an Executive Order earlier this month that encourages, but does not require, local law enforcement agencies to remotely register individuals. In its short decision, the Court cited only part of the Executive Order which suspends the taking of fingerprints and photographs as well as the requirement to sign and initial the…
Read MoreACSOL May 16 Phone Meeting
Please join me and ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, a criminal defense attorney, for our “monthly” meeting to be held as a telephone conference call. The conference call will be on Saturday, May 16 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. Topics of conversation will include information about COVID-19 and its impact upon registrants and their families as well as the Tiered Registry and other current topics as well as recent court decisions and pending legal actions throughout the nation. Please Show up,…
Read MoreACSOL Files TRO Application in Los Angeles Superior Court
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has filed an application for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in Los Angeles Superior Court. If granted, the TRO would require both the Attorney General and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to temporarily stop in-person registration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The TRO application, filed yesterday, requests a hearing or a decision without a hearing on April 14. “In-person registration continues to threaten the lives of registrants, their families, law enforcement and the public because it increases the risk of infection from COVID-19,” stated…
Read MoreACSOL Requests CA Supreme Court Review of In-Person Registration Requirement
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is requesting review by the California Supreme Court of the requirement that individuals register in person at local law enforcement agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The request was submitted earlier today, however, the Court has not yet formally acknowledged receipt of that request. “Because it is impossible to obtain relief from the state’s Superior Courts, which are closed or operating at a minimal level, ACSOL is requesting relief from the state’s Supreme Court,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “If it chooses…
Read MoreSex Registration and the COVID-19 Pandemic
[ACSOL] A word or two concerning sex registration and the COVID-19 pandemic. As the landscape continues to change, and additional containment measures go into effect, I want to assure you that ACSOL is committed to protecting the health and safety of our community as well as that of the general public. Therefore, all those who are required to register should continue to comply with state law. However, since the pandemic will affect jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies in different ways, registrants should call the agency they register with first before…
Read MoreACSOL Conference ticket sales halted
The ACSOL board of directors has decided to halt the sale of tickets for ACSOL’s annual conference which is scheduled to take place on May 29 and May 30 at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. This decision is based, in part, upon the fact the law school closed its campus to the public on March 11 for an indefinite period of time. ACSOL has not yet decided whether to postpone or to cancel the annual conference which could be held at a different location. Refunds for past ticket sales…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in Berkeley on Saturday, March 7
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in Berkeley: Saturday, March 7 10 a.m. Finnish Hall (upstairs meeting room) 1970 Chestnut Street Berkeley Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!
Read MoreCA: Appellate Court Upholds Challenge to Prop. 57 Regulations
An appellate court in California today upheld ACSOL’s challenge to regulations issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that prohibit anyone convicted of a sex offense from receiving early parole consideration. This type of consideration was granted by Prop. 57 to all persons convicted of a non-violent offense. In its decision, the Third Appellate District Court noted that CDCR has made “repeated attempts to exclude categories of inmates undisputedly classified as ‘nonviolent’ from early parole consideration.” The court rejected CDCR’s argument that the exclusions were necessary due…
Read MoreACSOL Meeting Feb 8 in L.A.
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting: Saturday, Feb 8 10 a.m. ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles (free parking below building) Registrants, friends and family and interested service providers are invited to attend these free meetings. There will be no law enforcement or media present in order to protect everyone’s privacy. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak…
Read MoreACSOL Lobby Day 2/11 — please keep calling and writing
Thanks to those who showed up on the 2/11 ACSOL Lobby Day, which focused on needed changes to the Tiered Registry Law that will take effect in 2021. Changes included new tier assignments for those convicted of felony offenses involving illegal images and sexual battery as well as creation of an off-ramp for those assigned to the highest tier. We ask that you make phone calls or send letters supporting these changes to the office where we will meet,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The messages to be delivered…
Read MoreCA: Sex Offenders Fight To Serve As Poll Workers In LA
Two registered sex offenders and the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws can proceed to trial with their lawsuit challenging a Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder policy that prohibits all registrants from serving as poll workers, a judge ruled Friday. Full Article
Read MoreDistinguished Speakers, Informative Panels Added to ACSOL Conference
Social justice leader Alissa Ackerman and civil rights attorney Aaron Marcus have been added to the 4th Annual ACSOL Conference to be held on May 29 and May 30 in Los Angeles. Ackerman and Marcus will join keynote speaker Justin Brooks of the CA Innocence Project as well as Chance Oberstein, ACSOL President, and Janice Bellucci, ACSOL Executive Director at the conference. In addition to presentations from these civil rights leaders, the conference will offer panels on issues such as how to survive parole and probation, employment, the Tiered Registry…
Read MoreSex Offender Laws Are Broken. These Women Are Working To Fix Them.
Sandy Rozek is the polar opposite of what comes to mind when you hear the word activist. A 78-year-old great-grandmother and retired high school English teacher who lives in Houston, Rozek is not woke, doesn’t post on Twitter, and spearheads a movement you’ve probably never heard of. Rozek works with the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL). She is one of several women who lead an effort to oppose the unjust, irrational, and ineffective laws that continue to punish sex offenders long after they have served their time. Full…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group Meeting January 25 in LA
Emotional Support Group meetings will be held for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. This meeting, which is based upon the format of 12 Step meetings, provides registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and share their experiences, strengths and hopes, with each other. Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. There is no cost to attend. No reservations are required. Face-to-face and phone emotional…
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