Source: usatoday.com 12/5/24 After a fruitless 25-year search, a California woman found her long-lost brother in a USA TODAY story. But the case may not be the heartwarming reunion it first appeared. When Marcella Nasseri, a native of northern California, saw a May USA TODAY story asking for readers’ help to identify a nonverbal man at a Los Angeles County hospital, she was shocked. Local law enforcement confirmed that the man was her brother, Thomas ______, who vanished in 1999. But new details uncovered by USA TODAY reveal that Thomas…
Read MoreCategory: California
CA DOJ Issues Guidelines Regarding New Tier Assignments for Attempted Offenses
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) has issued guidelines regarding the reassignment of tiers for those convicted of an attempted offense. According to CA DOJ, there are more than 3,000 registrants who have been convicted of an attempted offense. The guidelines state that the majority of registrants who will be re-tiered are those who have been assigned to tier 3. They noted, however, that not all registrants assigned to tier 3 due to a conviction of an attempted offense will be reassigned to tier 1 but could…
Read MoreCA Dept. of Justice Statistics Reflect Changes in Registry
The California Depart of Justice (CA DOJ) has provided statistics to the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) that reflect changes in the number of people eligible to petition for removal from the registry. The statistics were accurate as of November 20 and were provided to ACSOL in response to several Public Records Act requests. According to CA DOJ, only 41 percent of registrants have been assigned to Tier 1 or to Tier 2 pursuant to the Tiered Registry Law. Specifically, there are 15,925 registrants assigned to Tier 1…
Read MoreCA: 11/14/24 CASOMB Reports have limited information this month
Source: CASOMB, reported by Janice The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) met on November 14, 2024. During that meeting, statistics were provided regarding the number of registrants on parole, the number of registrants on parole who are considered high risk as well as the number of registrants in prison. Additional statistics regarding registrants, including but not limited to the total number of registrants, were not provided today due to the absence of the board member representing the California Department of Justice. Category Current Former Change Total number of registrants…
Read MoreCA: Bay Area Community Services (BACS) is hiring
Source: bayareacs.org The California-based Bay Area Community Services (BACS) is looking to expand our services in the Sacramento region. There are several positions open, which including supervisory roles, employment or housing coordinators. Here at BACS, we look for the very best people and then give them meaningful work to do. We do whatever it takes to stop the cycle of poverty — end homelessness — and help people living with mental illness recover. Our team is filled with smart, creative, socially conscious, and dynamic people who are committed to providing…
Read MoreCA: CDCR Kicks Off ‘Operation Boo’ Halloween Safety Campaign
Source: cdcr.ca.gov 10/28/24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Halloween is fast approaching, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is helping to keep kids and families safe. Throughout the week, CDCR parole agents will be providing safety tips for trick-or-treaters via social media and as part of a comprehensive parents’ guide on our 2024 Operation Boo webpage. (Follow us on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X) THE BIGGER PICTURE: Hundreds of parole agents across the state, in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, will conduct compliance checks on sex offender supervised…
Read MoreCA: Public opposition thwarts success of sexual predator placement program, state says
Source: dailybreeze.com 10/21/24 Public opposition is making it difficult to reintroduce sexually violent predators into California communities even though they have undergone post-prison treatment that makes them much less likely to reoffend, according to a new state audit. The 57-page audit released last week said it can take months or even years to find community housing for SVPs, as sexually violent predators are called, after they have finished treatment through California’s conditional release program. … California designates those convicted of specific sexually violent crimes who also have significant mental health…
Read MoreCA: New CDCR Regulations Limit Treatment Requirements for Parolees
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has issued new regulations that limit treatment requirements for registrants while on parole. The regulations were issued on October 14 and became effective on that date. According to the regulations, registrants on parole will be evaluated annually to determine whether treatment beyond the first year of parole is required. If additional treatment is required, that decision must be written and a copy of that decision must be provided to the registrant within 30 days. “The new regulations will benefit many…
Read MoreCA: LA Archdiocese agrees to pay $880M to settle clergy abuse claims
Source: dailyjournal.com 10/16/24 The deal, subject to approval from all the plaintiffs, would provide compensation to 1,353 victims. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed Wednesday to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse. With the $740 million paid to victims in 2007, the church has now agreed to pay a record $1.5 billion. “It’s been a long time coming and a huge amount and work to get to this point. I’m convinced that the archdiocese has done everything they could to make this thing work and compensate clients.…
Read MoreCA: Federal court ruling leads to removal of mugshots on Lake County Sheriff’s Office website
Source: lakeconews.com 9/19/24 LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A federal court ruling handed down earlier this month has resulted in changes to inmate and arrest information posted on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website. The Houston V. Maricopa County ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court led to the sheriff’s office temporarily disabling its “recent arrests” and “in custody” online tools on its website at www.lakesheriff.com. The Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that Maricopa County, Arizona’s practice of posting photographs of arrestees — which is common across the United States — is not…
Read MoreCA: New CDCR Treatment Regulations Delayed
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported today a delay of up to 30 days in issuance of new regulations that are expected to clarify how long registrants on parole must undergo treatment. The projected date for issuance of the regulations is no later than October 30, 2024. CDCR previously entered into a settlement agreement regarding this matter several months ago in response to a lawsuit challenging an unwritten CDCR policy that required all registrants on parole to undergo treatment the entire time they are on…
Read MoreCA: Federal court ruling leads to removal of mugshots on Lake County Sheriff’s Office website
Source: lakeconews.com 9/19/24 A federal court ruling handed down earlier this month has resulted in changes to inmate and arrest information posted on the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website. The Houston V. Maricopa County ruling in the Ninth Circuit Court led to the sheriff’s office temporarily disabling its “recent arrests” and “in custody” online tools on its website at www.lakesheriff.com. The Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that Maricopa County, Arizona’s practice of posting photographs of arrestees — which is common across the United States — is not constitutionally permissible because it…
Read MoreCA: CASOMB Reports Increase in Petitions Files, Decrease in Persons Required to Register
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CAOSMB) met today and during that meeting several reports were presented that reflected both an increase in the number of petitions filed, a decrease in the number of persons required to register and other information. Below is a chart listing those and other statistics presented during today’s meeting. Category Current Former Change Total number of registrants 104,571 104,795 -224 Registrants in violation 19,543 19,602 +59 Transient registrants 6,322 6,578 -256 Petitions filed 9,590 8,982 +608 Petitions granted 7,565 6,927 +638 Petitions denied…
Read MoreCA: Placer County Superior Court grants DA’s motion for extraordinary SVP circumstances
Source: Placer County DA on Instagram 9/16/24 Today, the Placer County Superior Court held a check-in for the release of state-designated Sexually Violent Predator William Stephenson. The District Attorney’s Office’s assigned prosecutor was present at the hearing alongside county counsel and joined by county representatives, and community members to monitor the update given to the court. William Stephenson appeared virtually with the Department of State Hospitals and their contractor, Liberty Healthcare. DSH reported they are currently assessing an undisclosed location in Placer County. They reported once the state does…
Read MoreCA: Man killed within 45 min. of being placed in Alameda Co. jail cell with SVP
Source: kron4.com 9/5/24 [ACSOL is posting this to show how the actions of one registrant can negatively affect all registrants] DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) – Alameda County is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit after an inmate, Yuri Brand, was slain inside Santa Rita Jail. Attorneys claim Alameda County Sheriff Deputies – who are Santa Rita Jail’s guards – “negligently placed” Brand and a violent sex offender into the same cell. Approximately 45 minutes later, the complaint alleges the inmate with mental health issues killed his new cellmate by choking him…
Read MoreCA DOJ to Send Notices to Those Convicted of Attempted Offenses
Source: ACSOL The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) will send notices to those convicted of an attempted offense regarding the lowering of their tier assignment, according to a message received from that agency. The notices will be mailed to the homes of those who are affected by this change. CA DOJ sent an email message yesterday to an attorney who requested in June 2024 a new tier assignment for an individual convicted of an attempted offense. This request was made after a court issued a decision in March 2024…
Read MoreCA: California Supreme Court upholds law that treats rapists more harshly than some murderers
Source: sfchronicle.com 8/29/24 Prisoners serving life terms for violent sex crimes committed between ages 18 and 25 are not entitled to a parole hearing after 25 years, even though such hearings are available for some convicted murderers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The so-called one-strike sentences, approved by the California voters in 2006 and expanded by the Legislature in 2010, made violent sex offenders ineligible for early parole hearings because of the seriousness of their crimes and the danger they could pose after release, the court said. Lawmakers reasonably…
Read MoreCA: Background Check Vendors Reckon With Increased Job Bias Scrutiny
Source: bloomberglaw.com 8/23/24 Third-party employee screening companies are finding themselves more in the litigation fray in California for blocking job seekers with criminal records thanks to a growing advocacy and legal movement that’s pushing to hold them accountable alongside employers. A group of background check companies—DISA Global Solutions Inc., the Health and Safety Council, and the North American Background Screening Consortium—and three oil refinery businesses are accused of using a rating system that screens out otherwise qualified candidates solely based on their previous convictions that have no adverse relationship with…
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