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 MoreCategory: California
CA: 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…
Read MoreCA: Pico Rivera Repeals Residency Restrictions
The City of Pico Rivera repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city, on either a temporary or a permanent basis, and the repeal of the city’s restrictions will become effective on July 12, 2018. The City’s repeal followed the filing of a lawsuit in federal district court on February 22, 2018. “The Pico Rivera lawsuit is number 30 of 31 lawsuits filed thus far challenging residency restrictions adopted by cities and counties,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci “The lawsuits have resulted in…
Read MoreCA: Maywood to Consider Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The City of Maywood is scheduled to consider repeal of its residency restrictions during a City Council meeting on July 11. If the City Council approves repeal of the restrictions on that date, a second vote will be required at its next meeting on July 25. “The current residency restrictions in the City of Maywood virtually banish all people required to register from living in that city,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “As a result, Maywood families have been torn apart.” ACSOL notified the City of Maywood in a…
Read MoreCA: In ‘Sex, Crime and Culture’ Class, Students Scrutinize Policies, Practices
[fullerton.edu – 7/3/18] Summer Young, a student working toward a career as a prosecutor, was intrigued by the title of a criminal justice class at Cal State Fullerton: “Sex, Crime and Culture.” “This is a topic that many tend to shy away from,” said Young, who took the course over the summer. “There are too many stereotypes that cloud our judgment of what a person who sexually perpetrates looks and acts like.” The course is led by Alissa Ackerman, an assistant professor of criminal justice and sex crimes researcher who…
Read MoreCA: Dismantling at-risk inmate housing brings hurdles
Special California prisons intended to protect gang informants, disgraced cops and child molesters have become so violent, gang-riddled and crowded that officials are dismantling what’s become the United States’ largest protective custody program. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Senate Public Safety Approves Weakened AB 514 [UPDATED]
[UPDATED 6/29/18 with court decisions regarding cities – see the end of this article] The Senate Public Safety Committee today approved a weakened version of Assembly Bill 514. The original version of AB 514 would have prohibited some individuals convicted of a sex offense involving a minor from living within 1,000 feet of day care centers. The bill would have applied to both registrants on parole as well as registrants not on parole. The amended version of AB 514 does not prohibit any individual convicted of a sex offense from…
Read MoreCA: Lawsuit Challenges New Prop. 57 Regulations
A lawsuit has been filed challenging new regulations issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that implement Proposition 57. The lawsuit was filed in Sacramento Superior Court on June 25. “In its new regulations, CDCR repeated its original mistake of excluding everyone convicted of a sex offense from the benefits of Proposition 57,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “As recognized by the Court in our first lawsuit, the agency lacks authority to change the public’s decision to provide the benefits of Proposition 57 to everyone convicted…
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