Back in 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that the practice known as civil commitment was legal. This meant that 20 states—which had passed laws permitting the ongoing incarceration of sex offenders—could continue to keep the men confined even after they completed their prison terms. Full Article Related / from the same author Sex Crimes and Criminal Justice
Read MoreCategory: California
CA Senate Passes Senate Bill 145
The California Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 145 by a vote of 25 to 3 on May 28. Ten of the Senators present at the time of the vote chose not to vote on this bill. Due to the Senate’s passage of this bill, SB 145 will move to the Assembly for a series of votes. If the Assembly passes the bill, the Governor will be provided an opportunity to sign it. “Thank you to everyone who made phone calls and sent letters to the Senators who represent you in…
Read MoreCA: Sex Offender Law – Fight or Punt? City Choices Limited
Rock. Santa Clarita. Hard Place. That about sums up the situation the Santa Clarita City Council was in this past week, when council members faced a staff recommendation to repeal a city ordinance restricting the residency of registered sex offenders. Full Editorial Also see Sex Offender Case Posed Dilemma for City Council by Santa Clarita Mayer Pro Tem Related Santa Clarita City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions CA: Santa Clarita City Council To Consider Repeal Of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions
Read MoreSanta Clarita City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Santa Clarita City Council voted unanimously to repeal the city’s residency restrictions during its May 14 meeting. Because the issue was placed on the consent calendar, the vote took place without discussion or debate. A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on February 25, 2019, challenging the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living within 2,000 feet from schools, parks, public libraries and child care centers. The effect of this restriction was to place off limits virtually all of the city, including hotels, on either a…
Read MoreCA: ______ Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life
[theappeal.org – 5/13/19] California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Search for _____ California’s online database of registered sex offenders and you’ll see a snapshot of his offenses. You’ll learn that he was convicted of “rape in concert with force or violence” and “assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense.” You’ll also see his photo, his home address, and his birthdate, showing that he’s now 38. But you won’t learn that ___was labeled a sex offender for an assault that someone…
Read MoreCA: Visiting scholar, a registered sex offender, served felony sentence for sexually assaulting a child
Despite a 2005 felony conviction for sexual assaulting a minor, a registered sex offender is currently a visiting scholar in Stanford’s Economics department. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Santa Clarita City Council To Consider Repeal Of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions
The Santa Clarita City Council is considering repealing restrictions Tuesday which currently limit registered sex offenders from living near schools or parks after it was ruled unconstitutional, officials said. Full Article Related https://signalscv.com/2019/05/tracking-sex-offenders-in-the-santa-clarita-valley/
Read MoreAction Alert: CA Senate Bill 145 Hearing ON HOLD
5/5/19 UPDATE: THIS BILL IS ON HOLD. MORE UPDATES AS WE FIND OUT MORE . Please take action quickly even if you are not directly affected by this. We want to show our support for Senator Scott Weiner, author of the Tiered Registry Law and SB 145. Senate Bill 145, which would create equality for the purpose of registration between heterosexual and homosexual couples, is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Appropriations Hearing on Monday, May 6. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 4203 of the…
Read MoreCA: Sex offender challenges Commerce residency restrictions
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – An admitted sex offender who is not on parole is suing the city of Commerce, alleging its local regulations regarding where registrants can temporarily or permanently live in the city are so restrictive that he cannot find any affordable housing in the community. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Appeals court strikes down state law that banned early parole for youthful violent sex offenders
[sfchronicle.com – 4/10/19] Two men who received life sentences for a brutal sexual assault and robbery in Oakland when they were 19 must be given parole hearings during their 25th year in prison, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, striking down a state law that made them ineligible. A California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, one of a series of laws reducing mandatory penalties for youthful offenders, allowed those serving potential life terms for crimes committed when they were 25 or under to be considered for…
Read MorePublic Safety Committees Stop AB 884, Pass SB 145
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today, by a vote of 3 to 4, stopped Assembly Bill 884. Due to the committee’s vote, AB 884 will not receive further consideration. “This is a great victory for more than 40,000 people who would have been moved from Tier 2, which requires 20 years of registration, to Tier 3, which requires lifetime registration, when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This positive result came about because more than 75 people testified today in opposition to the bill.”…
Read MoreCA: Judge Allows San Diego Sex Offender Lawsuit To Proceed
[kpbs.org – 4/1/19] San Diego City Council members are under more pressure to repeal an unenforceable law restricting where sex offenders can live in the city, after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance to proceed. Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz ruled in January against the city’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in 2017 by a group of unnamed sex offenders. The lawsuit rests heavily on a 2015 decision by the California Supreme Court finding blanket restrictions on where all sex offenders can live increase the…
Read MoreCA: Newsom seeks to halt parole for some murderers and serious offenders. What does that signal?
[latimes.com – 3/26/19] ____ liked to suck on the toes of young boys and has spent the last 16 years in prison because of it. A jury convicted him in 2003 at age 32 in a case that shook Newport Beach, where he was a supervisor in the city’s youth recreation program. He was tried on multiple counts of child molestation and sentenced to two concurrent life terms after being caught in the act by a co-worker. Last week — despite an attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop it…
Read MoreCA: Judge Delays Decision on Sexually Violent Predator’s Release Into East County
A judge has delayed a decision to release a man convicted of sexually assaulting several children in the 1980s back into the San Diego community during a hearing Friday morning. Full Article
Read MoreOrganizations Join ACSOL’s Opposition to AB 884
Three organizations have joined ACSOL in its opposition to Assembly Bill 884 by sending formal letters of opposition to the Public Safety Committee. The organizations are Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, East Bay Community Law Center and Root & Rebound. In their letters, the organizations emphasized that Assembly Bill 884 would harm the original Tiered Registry Law which they supported in the past. They also noted the fact that a lifetime registry for all registrants does not increase public safety. “We appreciate the support of these organizations and look forward…
Read MoreALERT! AB 884 will be heard April 9!! Show up, and keep calling and writing. Here is how…
AB 884 will be heard April 9!! Click here to find out how to show up! We need at least 100 people for maximum impact! Please continue calling and writing. Please do so if you haven’t already. Here is the committee’s report: AB 884 – Assy Pub Safe – Analysis – April 2019_00001 Comments regarding the proposed bill start at the bottom of page 4 and a list of supporters and opponents is on page 10 (final page). Please note that there are only 3 supporters, 2 of which are…
Read MoreAssembly’s Public Safety Committee Approves Bill Excluding Registrants
The CA Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today approved Assembly Bill 277 (AB 277) that would provide benefits to all parolees except for those convicted of a sex offense. The committee members voted 6 to 1 in favor of the bill after ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci and nine ACSOL members stated their opposition. “Our main objection to the bill is that it would exclude anyone who has ever been convicted of a sex offense, regardless of whether the offense involved violence or occurred decades ago,” stated Bellucci. “There is no…
Read MoreCA: Many Californians can clear criminal records, but don’t. This bill would make it automatic
[sfchronicle.com – 3/7/19] People arrested or convicted of crimes in California could have their criminal records automatically cleared under a proposed law announced Thursday by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and Assemblyman Phil Ting. AB1076 would wipe out eligible convictions for people who have completed local sentences and eliminate many arrest records that have not resulted in convictions. Offenders already are eligible to petition the courts for the relief, but less then 20 percent take advantage of the program, said Ting, D-San Francisco. Under the law, people convicted of…
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