[timedone.org] The Road to Redemption in California is part of a national effort, called #TimeDone, to raise awareness of how many people are affected by the barriers associated with convictions and the extent to which they undermine, economic security, family stability, and public safety. Today, an estimated 70 million people in the U.S. are living with a current or old criminal conviction. This means that long after they’ve successfully completed their sentence, nearly 1 in 5 people continue to face restrictions on jobs, housing, education and other supports that are key…
Read MoreCategory: California
ACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting in L.A. on Saturday, Sept 22
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones. They are usually held the fourth Saturday of each month, so this year they are planned for: Sep 22, Oct 27, Nov 24, Dec 22 The next meeting is Saturday, Sept 22, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide registrants and their loved…
Read MoreCA: Man Held 17 Years Without Trial Ordered Free by Appellate Court
Attributing a California man’s 17-year detention awaiting trial for commitment as a sexually violent predator to a “systematic breakdown in the public defender system,” a California appellate court ruled Wednesday the man be released from a state hospital without trial. Full Article Opinion Related The Endless Punishment of Civil Commitment Action Alert: CA Dept. of State Hospitals Schedules Hearing on Sept. 20
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in Berkeley on Sat, Sept 15
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in Berkeley: Sept 15 10 a.m. Finnish Hall (upstairs meeting room) 1970 Chestnut Street Berkeley 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 up!
Read MoreCA: Legislature Passes Helpful Bills, Stops Hurtful Bills
The California legislature has recently passed two bills that could help registrants and stopped two bills that could have harmed registrants and their families. In the first of the helpful bills (AB 2138), the legislature made it more difficult for the Department of Consumer Affairs to revoke existing, or deny applications for a new, professional licenses. The scope of the bill covers licenses for many professions such as barbers and court reporters, but does not address licenses for many other professions including attorneys and doctors. In the second of the…
Read More20th Century Fox pulls scene after director casts a registered sex offender
Twentieth Century Fox was just days away from locking picture on “The Predator” when an urgent note came in: Delete the scene featuring ____ ____ ____. ____, 47, didn’t have a big role in his longtime friend Shane Black’s reboot of the sci-fi thriller — just a three-page scene shared with actress Olivia Munn. But last month, Munn learned that ____ is a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty in 2010 after facing allegations that he attempted to lure a 14-year-old female into a sexual relationship via the internet. When…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: You May Be Eligible to Vote (CA)
The mid-term election will take place in about two months. And it is important that your voice as well as the voices of all eligible registrants be heard in that important election. Many, although not all, registrants in the State of California are eligible to vote. For example, you are eligible to vote if you are currently in jail provided that you are serving a misdemeanor sentence or are awaiting trial. You are also eligible to vote if you are on federal supervised release, mandatory supervision or probation. Finally, you…
Read MoreCA: Bail overhaul plan would limit release of sex crime suspects
People arrested on suspicion of crimes that would require them to register as sex offenders would need a judge’s approval to leave jail while awaiting trial under a change to the state’s new landmark law ending bail. State senators voted Wednesday to send the bill to Gov. Jerry Brown, just a day after Brown signed the law that will make California the first state to end bail in October 2019. In the place of bail, judges and county officials will determine whether to release suspects before trial based on the…
Read MoreCA: Bill to Track Registered Sex Offenders Detained in County Jail Advances to Gov’s Desk
Today, the Assembly unanimously approved Senate amendments to Assembly Bill 1994 by Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), sending it to Governor Jerry Brown for his consideration. AB 1994 will provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to track registered sex offenders. “It is unacceptable that neither law enforcement nor the public are notified when registered sex offenders are released into our communities,” Assemblymember Cervantes said. “This bill will provide law enforcement with more tools to track registered sex offenders and help keep our streets and neighborhoods safe.” Full Article
Read MoreCA: Gov. Brown signs Wilk’s sex offender bill into law
Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1199 into law Monday evening, an attempt to correct the way Jessica’s Law led to a disproportionate number of sexual offenders being released to rural areas. The bill’s author, Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, said the bill addresses an unintended consequence, which created a burdensome and unfair situation in several parts of the 21st Senate District, which he represents, as well as rural communities throughout the state. Full Article
Read MoreLiving with 290: No More use of the term “Sex Offender”
I would like to ask and insist that we all stop, that is STOP using the words “sex offender.” It’s pejorative, demeaning, and keeps the idea that registrants keep “offending.” Word use is VERY IMPORTANT in our cause – and the words we choose to use make people either cringe or open their minds. Just like any other racial or otherwise de-humanizing words, and we know what those words are, continuing to use them keeps up the hate, the fear, and the political rhetoric. Let us choose BETTER words because…
Read MoreAction Alert: CA Dept. of State Hospitals Schedules Hearing on Sept. 20
The California Department of State Hospital (DSH) will conduct a public hearing on September 20 for the purpose of considering proposed amendments to regulations that limit patients” possession of, or access to, electronic property. The hearing will begin at 2 p.m. at 1600 9th Street Room 100 Sacramento ACSOL will be attending the meeting. We look forward to you joining us to stand for and write for those incarcerated in Dept of State Hospitals like Coalinga. If we only stand up for issues that directly affect us, unity is lost.…
Read MoreCA: Everyday People Expungement Fair
[www.lareentry.org] If you have past criminal convictions of any kind and you want to find out if you can remove it or you need help getting it removed, reduced, or expunged then register for this free expungement clinic. Saturday, September 8th 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Holy Trinity AME Church 200 E. 68th Street, Long Beach, CA 90805 Attorneys and paralegals from the Los Angeles County Public Defenders Office will be onsite providing free post-conviction relief. This event will be in place of our regularly scheduled monthly record changing clinic.…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Register Today as a Los Angeles County Poll Worker
[ACSOL] The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters has adopted a policy that prohibits anyone convicted of a sex offense from working as a poll worker. This policy defies logic and violates both state law as well as the federal constitution. According to state law, anyone eligible to vote is eligible to serve as a poll worker and will be paid to do so. Most counties abide by that law by allowing individuals convicted of a sex offense from serving as a poll worker during an election. With the importance…
Read MoreCA: Did California Authorities Suppress Research on Sexually Violent Predators?
[thecrimereport.org – 8/3/18] State laws that allow sexually violent predators to be locked up even after they have served their sentences are based on questionable assumptions that they continue to pose a danger to society, according to a study published in the American Criminal Law Review. The study focused on California where, according to the authors, research indicating that sexually violent predators (SVPs) are less likely to re-commit crimes than other offenders was suppressed because it challenged the constitutional legitimacy of the state’s SVP laws. The research in the mid-2000s…
Read MoreCA: Assessing the Real Risk of Sexually Violent Predators: Doctor Padilla’s Dangerous Data [Paper]
[ssrn.com – 7/16/18] Abstract This Article uses internal memoranda and emails to describe the efforts of the California Department of Mental Health to suppress a serious and well-designed study that showed just 6.5% of untreated sexually violent predators were arrested for a new sex crime within 4.8 years of release from a locked mental facility. The Article begins by historically situating sexually violent predator laws and then explains the constitutionally critical role that prospective sexual dangerousness plays in justifying these laws. The Article next explains how the U.S. Supreme Court…
Read MoreCA: Maywood City Council Begins Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The Maywood City Council began a two-step process aimed at repealing its residency restrictions during a regularly scheduled meeting on July 11. The second step is expected to take place during the Council’s next meeting on July 25. As currently drafted, the Maywood residency restrictions prohibit individuals convicted of a sex offense from living in virtually all of the city. A lawsuit challenging the restrictions was filed in Norwalk Superior Court on March 15. The City of Maywood originally refused to repeal the ordinance, however, the city’s position changed after…
Read MoreCA: Child molester slain by fellow inmate at California prison
[abc7.com – 7/11/18] WASCO, Calif. — Authorities say a convicted child molester was beaten to death by another inmate just days after arriving at a California prison. Wasco State Prison officials said Wednesday that 19-year-old Andres Ayon began striking 66-year-old Agustin Duran in the face and chest with his fists Saturday night. Guards broke up the assault with a pepper spray grenade. Duran was airlifted to an outside hospital, where he died Sunday afternoon. He arrived in prison July 2 to serve a life sentence after he was convicted in…
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