CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A San Diego judge sentenced former ‘teacher of the year’ ____ to 30 years to life of prison Friday. ____ broke down in tears as she read a prepared statement in a Chula Vista courtroom, admitting to sex crimes against two former students at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City “I shamed the title of teacher,” she said, sobbing as her family members watched from the courtroom gallery. San Diego Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena said ____ was able to groom the 11 and 12-year-old…
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Survey Responses Suggest Few U.S. Jails Use Screenings and Assessments for Behavioral Health Diversion
Just 33% of facilities queried said they deploy these tools to divert people with substance use and mental health issues to non-jail settings By: Alexandra Duncan & Julie Wertheimer A survey of administrators at U.S. jails shows that only about one-third of facilities use information from behavioral health screening and assessment tools to divert people from jail. Most facilities do conduct screenings and assessments, but few use them for diversion purposes. That represents a significant missed opportunity to connect people to the care they may need. The Pew Charitable Trusts invited more than…
Read MoreCA SB 286: The bill excluding violent sex offenders from elderly parole
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — (KBAK/FOX58) California State Senator Brian Jones, the Senate Minority Leader, has voiced strong support for Senate Bill 286, which seeks to exclude some violent sex offenders from being eligible from elderly parole. Jones suggested that the bill should not even require debate, stating, “We should not have to have a Senate bill for this because it should have never been passed in the first place.” Jones emphasized the significance of the legislation, saying, “This is such a major policy change that affects the entire state.” He expressed surprise…
Read MoreCriminal – Downward variance – Child pornography – Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
Source: masslawyersweekly.com 4/11/25 Where a defendant who pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography was sentenced to time served (21 days) and seven years of supervised release, the defendant must be resentenced because the district court did not adequately explain its basis for granting such an extraordinary downward variance. “Defendant Carlos Vázquez-Narvaez (‘Vázquez’) pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. §2252A(a)(5)(B). For that offense, the probation office calculated a guideline sentencing range of fifty-one to sixty-three months of imprisonment…
Read MoreMO: Guy Hamilton Smith: Nine Families from Missouri
By Guy Hamilton Smith April 1, 2025 Nine Families from Missouri Two things happened this past week that have been in process for years. Most important first: we went to trial. Nine pseudonymous plaintiffs in a civil rights lawsuit offered evidence in a federal trial in Jefferson City, Missouri about the impact that the sex offense registry has had on them. This case, like many others like it around the country, has largely centered on the question of whether or not the registry is punishment. Amongst the claims that survived…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA! Call and Write Now, then Show Up to Committee April 8 Hearing on Senate Bill 680 That Could Add 30,000 People to Registry
The CA Senate Public Safety Committee is scheduled to conduct a hearing April 8 regarding Senate Bill 680 that could add up to 30,000 people to the registry! “We must stop this bill in order to prevent the addition of thousands of people to the California registry,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “A similar bill (Senate Bill 1218) was introduced last year and ACSOL as well as other organizations were able to stop it due to our strong opposition.” (1) SEND A LETTER: Please send a…
Read MoreFAC Launches New PSA Videos on YouTube Shorts & Social Media – Watch, Share, & Support!
Source: Florida Action Committee 3/26/25 The Florida Action Committee (FAC) is excited to announce the release of our latest public service announcement (PSA) videos, now available on YouTube Shorts and social media! These impactful videos are designed to educate the public on the facts vs. myths surrounding the registry, helping to drive awareness and positive change. Watch the videos and give support
Read MoreSD: Sentence reduced for man convicted of possession of child porn
Source: keloland.com 12/2/24 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A jury found Michael ______ guilty in September of 2020. Monday a judge heard arguments for and against a lighter sentence. Investigators found more than a million images on Michael’s phone and computer hard drive in 2018. A jury decided 15 of them were child pornography. A different judge sentenced him to 10 years with six years suspended. That was four years ago, which means Michael could be out of Mike Durfee State prison but according to today’s testimony the Department of…
Read MoreSORNA Case Advances in Federal Court; PLF Files Motion for Summary Judgment
The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) filed a motion for summary judgment on November 18 in its pending case that challenges current federal SORNA regulations. The U.S. Department of Justice is required to file its opposing brief to this motion no later than December 23. The PLF will have a final opportunity to support its motion in a response due no later than January 24, 2025. A hearing on the motion is scheduled to be held on March 10, 2025. In its motion, the PLF argued that the SORNA regulations are…
Read MoreFL:What’s behind the recent uptick in local child predator arrests?
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — This week, we have seen an alarming number of child predators arrested. Is that because there are more cases out there, or is law enforcement getting better at catching these criminals? Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers credits that success largely to social media sites and app developers, that are helping to weed out bad actors. “A lot of these platforms have really complied, not just with our requests for subpoenas, but really been somewhat voluntary with us,” he told CBS12 News. “These companies have…
Read MoreACSOL CA Good News Alert: Senate Bill 1128 Stopped in Committee Hearing
CA Senate Bill 1128 was stopped today during a hearing conducted by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee. The committee did not provide a reason for stopping the bill, but it has been reported that strong opposition to the bill by ACSOL and its leaders was an important part of that decision. “ACSOL thanks every person who showed up at the committee hearing on July 2, who sent a letter to the committee and who called committee members,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “You made a difference by showing up,…
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting August 17, 2024
You are invited to join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci and an ACSOL board member for our next meeting. The meeting will be held on Saturday August 17 online on Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 PM Eastern, and will last at least two hours. You can use the Zoom app or you can call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. No government officials are allowed to attend the meetings. This meeting will be recorded. Within…
Read MoreFlorida City to Consider Significant Increase Residency Restrictions
The City of Westlake, Florida, is scheduled to consider tomorrow a significant increase in its residency restrictions from 1,000 feet to 2,500 feet. If the city ordinance is adopted, most individuals convicted of a sex offense involving a minor who is 15 years or younger would be prohibited from living near schools, libraries, day care centers, parks, playgrounds, community centers, day camps or any other place where children regularly congregate. “The city ordinance under consideration would violate state law if it is adopted,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That…
Read MoreCA Democrats ‘Water Down’ Sex Trafficking Bill. Good. The original version was overly punitive.
By: ELIZABETH NOLAN BROWN California Democrats are taking heat for “water[ing] down” a “child sex trafficking bill.” But—as anyone whose brain isn’t completely broken by politics might imagine—this isn’t a case of lawmakers trying to make life easy for people who abuse and exploit children. They’re just trying to insert a smidge of sanity into the bill’s punishment schemes. The scorn with which this has been met underscores how hard it is for legislators to push back against policies that are purportedly about protecting children. The Bill The measure in question—Senate Bill…
Read MoreRead the responses from convicted police officers and their agencies
A Washington Post investigation found hundreds of police officers have sexually exploited kids. The Washington Post obtained thousands of court filings, police records and other documents to report on law enforcement officers accused of crimes involving child sexual abuse. Read the findings of our investigation, Abused by the Badge. Information about some of the officers, including whom they worked for, what they were convicted of and any comments they provided, appear in this key. The Post tried to contact them and the lawyers who represented them in their criminal cases.…
Read MoreFilming your front porch without a warrant is now fair game for the feds
Source: qz.com 3/20/24 A federal court says privacy rights are diminished due to the proliferation of video cameras throughout society Law enforcement in Kansas recorded the front of a man’s home for 68 days straight, 15 hours a day, and obtained evidence to prove him guilty on 16 charges. The officers did not have a search warrant, using a camera on a pole positioned across the street to capture Bruce Hay’s home. A federal court ruled on Tuesday that it was fine for law enforcement to do so, in what’s…
Read MoreFL: North Lauderdale Man Who Transported Child Pornography Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Source: justice.gov 4/19/24 MIAMI – On March 14, a North Lauderdale man, who is a registered sex offender, and who was convicted of transportation of over 620 electronic images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore, who sits in Miami. Jason Hemans, 40, arrived at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Jamaica on August 18, 2023. Due to Hemans being a registered sex offender, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers conducted an…
Read MoreD.C. Vigil Educates U. S. Supreme Court, Public – Smith v. Doe Must Go!
A vigil was held on Friday, March 15, near the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to educate both the Court and the public regarding significant harms that have resulted from Smith V. Doe, a decision issued by that court in 2003. Speakers at the vigil included civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci of California, David Garlock of Pennsylvania, Danell Puglisi-Knutson of Florida, Shawna Baldwin of Arizona and Christopher Sparks of Florida. The vigil was live streamed using Zoom technology and a recording of the vigil will be available soon on…
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