[mynewsla.com – 7/8/20] Should registered sex offenders be allowed to serve on juries, just as other convicted felons? A judge said Wednesday she is inclined to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Superior Court and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra in which five registered sex offenders say they and people like them are being unconstitutionally barred from serving as jurors. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper, saying there are “novel issues the court is being asked to consider,” took the case brought by the Alliance for Constitutional…
Read MoreCategory: California
CA Governor Extends Encouragement to Stop In-Person Registration
[ACSOL] California Governor Gavin Newsom has extended the provisions of an Executive Order that encourages local law enforcement organizations to forego in-person registration. The original Order, issued on May 8, included a waiver from obtaining individuals’ fingerprints and photographs for a period of 60 days. The Governor’s revised Order was issued quietly on June 30 without a press release. According to the revised Order, the provisions in the original Order are extended until the revised order is “modified or rescinded, or until the State of Emergency is terminated, whichever occurs…
Read MoreCA: COVID Cuts A Lethal Path Through San Quentin’s Death Row
[californiahealthline.org – 7/8/20] The old men live in cramped spaces and breathe the same ventilated air. Many are frail, laboring with heart disease, liver and prostate cancer, tuberculosis, dementia. And now, with the coronavirus advancing through their ranks, they are falling one after the next. This is not a nursing home, not in any traditional sense. It is California’s death row at San Quentin State Prison, north of San Francisco. Its 670 residents are serial killers, child murderers, men who killed for money and drugs, or shot their victims as…
Read MoreCA: Scammers Target Los Angeles Registrants, Families [UPDATED 7/3/20]
[7/3/20 Janice’s note: we have received new reports regarding the scams in Southern CA, so we are re-posting this 8/4/19 article since it is still happening] Aug 4, 2018: Scammers, who often pose on the phone as law enforcement officials, are threatening registrants with arrest and demanding immediate payment of sums up to $3,000 in order to avoid jail or prison. There are reports of this occurring during the past week in at least two different cities in Los Angeles County — Upland and Lawndale. According to the reports, the…
Read MoreCA: COVID-19 is a death sentence for many California prisoners. Gov. Gavin Newsom must act
In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed a death penalty moratorium in California. Will it matter? The COVID-19 outbreak unfolding at San Quentin State Prison – and in other jail and prison facilities around the state – may impose death sentences on people who never received them from the courts. As of Wednesday, over 1,100 of San Quentin’s 3,000 inmates had tested positive for the virus and one had died. Dozens were hospitalized, but hospitals had started to reject further transfers from the prison, according to the Marin Independent-Journal. The problem…
Read MoreLos Angeles Superior Court Denies TRO Application
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied a TRO application filed by the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) that, if granted, would have required the CA Department of Corrections (CDCR) to release from prison individuals convicted of a sex offense based upon the same eligibility factors as those convicted of a different type of offense. The basis of the TRO application was the equal protection clause of the state constitution. “We are deeply troubled by the court’s decision because it fails to recognize that individuals convicted of…
Read MoreCA: California’s state funded program for sexually violent predators costs taxpayers $4,000 a month in rent in Jacumba Hot Springs
[kusi.com – 7/1/20] JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS (KUSI) – A state funded program for sexually violent predators is paying out four times the going rate for housing in San Diego’s East County. In a lease obtained by KUSI News, taxpayers are paying $4,000 a month in rent for each sexually violent predator housed in Jacumba Hot Springs. Watch the video
Read MoreACSOL Files TRO Application to Stop CDCR’s Exclusion of Registrants from Early Release
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) filed an application today for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that, if granted, would stop the exclusion of all registrants from early prison release granted by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The basis for the releases is to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 infections for both prisoners and staff. “CDCR has declared that the lives of registrants are worth less than the lives of others by categorically and unjustifiably excluding registrants from its efforts to mitigate the spread of…
Read MoreACSOL Files Lawsuit Challenging CDCR Early Release Plans
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) filed a lawsuit today challenging the early release plans of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The agency plans to begin releasing from prison on July 1 anyone convicted of a non-violent offense who has a release date no later than December 31. The agency’s plans, however, exclude anyone required to register as a sex offender. According to a press release issued by CDCR, prisoners will be released early in order to reduce the possibility of their infection by COVID-19. The…
Read MoreCA: 2020 Ballot Initiative to Repeal Justice Reform Would Come at a High Cost
A new report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) analyzes a November 2020 ballot measure that seeks to roll back key elements of recent justice reforms, including Public Safety Realignment, Prop 47, and Prop 57. As California continues to disproportionately arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate Black, Indigenous, and Latino people, this proposal will particularly harm communities of color. Full Article Report – CJCJ – June 2020
Read MoreCA: CDCR community supervision plan aimed to protect inmates [except PC 290 sex offenders], staff from spread of COVID-19
[bakersfield.com – 6/17/20] The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will implement a community supervision program to eligible inmates in order to further protect staff and inmates at state prisons from the spread of COVID-19. CDCR’s community supervision plan will be for inmates who have 180 days or less to serve on their sentences and aren’t currently serving time for domestic violence or a violent or serious crime. Those required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code 290 won’t be eligible. Read more
Read MoreBallot Proposition Increases Violent Felonies, Requires DNA Collection for Misdemeanors
[ACSOL] A ballot proposition that will appear on the November 2020 ballot in California, if passed, would significantly increase the number of violent felonies as well as require the collection of DNA from individuals convicted of some misdemeanor offenses. The title of the ballot proposition is “Violent Crime, DNA Collection and Parole Initiative.” The proposition has not yet been assigned a number or a letter that will be included on the ballot. “We must work together in order to stop this ballot proposition,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “If…
Read MoreCA: Registration Procedures Vary Greatly at Local Law Enforcement Agencies
[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…
Read MoreCA: California progressive politicians turning away campaign cash from cops
[cbs8.com – 6/9/20] As the wave of protests over incidents of police brutality and racist policing enters its second week, progressive California politicians are rethinking their financial relationship with the unions that represent law enforcement officers. On Thursday, state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, a Democrat, announced on Twitter that he would no longer be accepting campaign contributions from police, sheriff and prison guard unions. He promised to donate roughly $20,000 he has received from such labor groups to date to nonprofits that serve Bay Area youth. Sen. Lena…
Read MoreCA: Vallejo Police Department temporarily modifying its sex offender registration process
[timesheraldonline.com – 6/9/20] The Vallejo Police Department is temporarily modifying its sex offender registration process to include telephonic and appointment-based registrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. New or existing registrant or a registrant required to update his/her status as a sex offender under California penal codes 290 PC and/or 457.1 PC, must update their status by calling the Vallejo Police Department’s telephonic registration line at (707) 917-4124, according to a new release from the police department. “If you are a registrant without telephone access or who has special needs, you will…
Read MoreACSOL 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 MoreFL: Sex offender blames COVID-19 quarantine for not registering
[ocala-news.com – 5/27/20] A convicted sex offender from Ocala says he failed to register in April as required by law because he was in quarantine. Christopher Anthony Votos, 65, of 4064 SW 50th Road, was charged recently with failing to register biannually as a sex offender. Votos was convicted in August 2015 of using a computer to solicit or lure a child to engage in sexual conduct and is required to register twice a year – in April and October. Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show he has registered…
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…
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