Last week a federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a constitutional challenge to the so-called International Megan’s Law (IML), which requires special passports for sex offenders and authorizes notification of foreign governments when they travel. The lawsuit, filed last February by seven unnamed sex offenders who worry that the IML will impair their freedom to travel, argued that the law, which was enacted in February, violates the First Amendment by compelling speech, imposes retroactive punishment, violates procedural and substantive due process, and denies the plaintiffs equal protection. Phyllis Hamilton, chief…
Read MoreCategory: California
Governor signs bill requiring tighter background checks by Uber, Lyft
SACRAMENTO >> Uber and Lyft will have to start taking a deeper look into their drivers’ criminal histories under a new law signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Starting Jan. 1, ride-hailing startups in California must look at violent convictions throughout a prospective driver’s entire record, instead of examining only those that occurred within the past seven years — as the companies do now. The new law requires Uber, Lyft and others to reject any driver who has been convicted of a violent felony or a terrorism-related offense, or is…
Read MoreCalifornia Changes Its Rape Laws
California has eliminated its statute of limitations for rape and other sexual-assault charges—in a major change to its criminal code. The measure, proposed by State Senator Connie Leyva, a Democrat from Chino, eliminated the state’s 10-year window on prosecuting a broad set of sex-related crimes. Governor Jerry Brown signed the measure into law Wednesday alongside dozens of other bills. Full Article Related http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gloria-allred-responds-bill-cosby-inspired-california-law-933596
Read MoreSex offenders will have to disclose email addresses, user names under new law
Sex offenders will soon have to report their email addresses, user names and other Internet identifiers to police under a bill Governor Jerry Brown signed Wednesday. The bill, authored by state Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego), will apply to people convicted on or after Jan. 1, 2017 of Internet-related sex crimes. Full Article
Read MoreCampaign uses Mostly False specter of Brock Turner case to oppose Prop 57
“Brock Turner’s early release will be a regular occurrence if Prop. 57 passes,” claims the headline of a news release on the Stop57.com campaign website. Later in the press release, the campaign expanded on this claim saying Prop 57 “would make reduced sentences and early release for persons convicted of the same sex crimes committed by Turner a permanent part of California law.” We decided to fact check the bold claim in the headline, and to keep in mind the context included later in the press release. Full Article
Read MoreHeated debate over tougher punishment for sex crimes as some worry it could unfairly affect California’s minorities
High-profile cases have spurred a number of bills now before Brown, many of which like the proposal championed by Sanchez, would provide tougher penalties and repercussions against defendants in sex crimes. But their approval is not an easy task at a time when California and a number of advocacy groups and associations are reevaluating the effectiveness of strict punishment policies. Full Article
Read MoreTustin Repeals Residency Restrictions
In a unanimous vote, the Tustin City Council decided on September 20 to repeal the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registered citizens from residing in most of that city. The vote followed a lawsuit filed in August 2016 which challenged the city’s restrictions. “This is a significant victory for registered citizens who wish to live in Tustin,” declared ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Families in that city will no longer be torn apart.” The City Council’s vote on September 20 is the second and final step taken by the council. The…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: The Failure of Fontana
Shame on the Fontana Unified School District! Members of their Board of Education unanimously agreed last week to bar registered citizens from every school in their district. The decision applies to all registered citizens, including parents of students in that district, regardless of the offense for which they were convicted and regardless of whether they pose a current danger. What makes this terrible decision worse is that the school board’s decision was in reaction to a few angry parents who ignorantly proclaimed during a school board meeting that the presence…
Read MoreAre sex offender lists making us safer?
While covering a rally where sex offenders were protesting the International Megan’s Law, I got a chance to talk to some registered citizens, as they prefer to be addressed. They shared some details about what life looks like when your name comes up on Megan’s list. Full Article
Read MoreFontana School Board votes to prohibit all access to registered sex offenders on campuses
The Fontana Unified School District Board of Education approved two motions on Wednesday, Sept. 14 to prohibit access to registered sex offenders on campuses as both volunteers and visitors. Full Article Related http://www.pe.com/articles/sex-813398-board-school.html http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/09/15/parents-outraged-to-find-out-bill-passed-in-2014-allows-sex-offenders-on-school-campuses-with-principals-permission/
Read MoreRegister by October 24, 2016 to vote in the election on November 8, 2016
You can register and vote in California . . . Even if you have to register pursuant to Penal Code section 290 Even if you are currently on felony or misdemeanor probatio Even if you are post-release community supervision (Realignment) or federal probation Even if have been to prison for felonies in the past, whether or not you have received a Certificate of Rehabilitation or Pardon Even if you are currently in jail. In many cases, you can register and vote by mail Questions? Find more information on voting with…
Read MoreBrock Turner, Bill Cosby driving California sex-crime lawmaking
After decades of tough-on-crime policies that swelled California prisons to the point that they had to be depopulated under a Supreme Court order, support has mounted for rethinking criminal punishment. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender registries face scrutiny after Turner’s release
When ex-Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner became a registered sex offender for life last Tuesday, he joined a nationwide list of registered sex criminals that has grown dramatically in recent years to more than 800,000. Even some who have denounced Turner’s six-month jail sentence as too lenient for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman question whether he should spend his life with the stigma and onerous restrictions of a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreBrock Turner’s real sentence: A lifetime as a sex offender
The outpouring against Judge Aaron Persky’s lenient six-month sentence of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner is symptomatic of a societal change — attitudes unsupported by realities. It’s the “I know what I feel and don’t bother me with any facts” refrain, and it’s scary. Full Article
Read MoreBig headlines make bad laws (Opinion)
When horrific and ugly crimes make headlines, politicians like to seize the opportunity — to make their own headlines. So when Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky sentenced former Stanford student Brock Turner, now 21, to six months in jail — he served only three months — for sexually assaulting a woman who was too inebriated to consent to sex in 2015, California lawmakers did not hesitate. The same California Legislature that just passed the Restorative Justice Act, which touted alternatives to incarceration, shamelessly passed two tough-on-crime laws. Both are now…
Read MoreCDCR Agrees to Drop Halloween Sign Requirement
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has agreed to permanently eliminate on a statewide basis its requirement that registrants post a sign on their residences on Halloween. This agreement is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2015 by California RSOL and two individual plaintiffs in San Diego and Los Angeles. “In the past, CDCR placed registrants they supervised and their loved ones in danger of significant harm, even death, by their requirement that registrants post a sign on their residence on Halloween,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci.…
Read MoreRate of Re-Offense Drops Again
According to a new report from the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the rate of re-offense for registrants on parole declined again in 2015. This is the third consecutive reduction in the rate of re-offense reported by the CDCR. The new CDCR report states that the rate of re-offense for registrants on parole was .6 percent in 2015. That rate compares to CDCR reported rates of .8 percent in 2014, 1.8 percent in 2013 and 1.9 percent in 2012. “The CDCR reports debunk the myth that registrants have…
Read MoreTeam finds Sacramento County sex offenders living with minors
A special Sacramento County law enforcement team recently visited dozens of homes looking for sex offenders who might be in violation of their registration requirements. Full Article
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