Was a homeless registrant who was found dead in the Michigan snow this week a victim of the frigid polar vortex that swept through half the country? (Autopsy report pending.) Or, was he the victim of Michigan’s state sex offender laws which deny emergency shelter to “sex offenders” even during the most brutal weather? What about the homeless registrant found frozen to death behind a Waffle House in Springfield, Missouri? The man’s snow covered body was found by other homeless people seeking shelter from the frigid weather. How many registrants…
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CA: Untouchable documentary in Oakland on February 12
There will be a showing of the documentary Untouchable February 12 6:30 pm New Parkway Theater 474 24th St, Oakland, CA 94612 Tickets are $12, $10 for students and old folks. Click here to Purchase your tickets today! It will be followed by a panel discussion that will include David Feige, the film’s director, and Keith Wattley of Uncommon Law, which among other things helps people on parole at their parole hearings. What it is about: When a Florida lobbyist discovers his daughter has been sexually abused, he harnesses his extraordinary…
Read MoreRegistrants needed for survey: Economic Impact of the Sex Offender Registry (ends March 1)
Below is a request for registrants only to provide researchers with information about economic impacts of the registry. If you wish, please contact them directly using the link below. The survey ends March 1. Thank you. Janice Hi everyone, Our names are Dr. Jennifer Klein and Dr. Danielle Bailey and we are both Assistant Professors at the University of Texas at Tyler. As you know, we have been collecting data for a project that analyzes the economic impact of the sex offender registry on those individuals required to register.…
Read MoreShould we show compassion?
The story of a couple who were found dead inside of a tent at a homeless encampment has led to questions in the community: What rights does a twice-convicted sex offender have and how much sympathy does he deserve? Full Article
Read MoreFormerly Incarcerated Sex Offenders Say Civil Commitment Programs Deny Proper Rehabilitation
Responding to several highly-publicized sex crimes and public fears, legislatures across the country have adopted statutes that allow the continued imprisonment of sex offenders after they have completed their sentences. Veteran investigative reporter Barbara Koeppel has spent the past 12 months reporting on this third rail of the criminal justice system. Full Article
Read MoreRenowned Law Professor Eric Janus to Speak at ACSOL Conference
Renowned law professor Eric Janus will speak at ACSOL’s third annual conference in Los Angeles on June 14. Professor Janus is a national expert on sexual violence law and policy. He was recently recognized for his lifelong commitment to justice and civil liberties work by the ACLU. “Professor Janus will share with all conference participants his unique perspective of current laws and policies that affect the daily lives of registrants and their loved ones,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Professor Janus served as President and Dean of William Mitchell College…
Read More‘Untouchable’ Makes the Case for More Lenient Sex Offender Laws in America
A new documentary forwards the argument that our sex-offender laws are based largely on bogus stats and deserve to be reevaluated. Full Article Also see Untouchable (Film) Available for Streaming on January 15
Read MoreUnited States v. Moorehead
The FBI accessed Playpen and verified that the website contained child pornography, then executed a search warrant at a North Carolina server hosting company that owned the IP address. The FBI seized a server that contained a copy of Playpen. Because of a server misconfiguration, the government was able to gain administrative control of the website. For two weeks, the FBI operated Playpen from a Virginia government-controlled computer server but was unable to identify the individuals who logged on. The FBI turned to counter-technology called NIT, which downloads on the…
Read MoreUntouchable (Film) Available for Streaming on January 15
FACT: More people are now listed on sex-offender registries than are currently in jail in the US. It’s an amazing statistic that illuminates one of the darkest corners of our criminal justice system: our fear-based approach to dealing with sex offenders. So why do we have these massive lists? Are they fair? Do they keep us safe? Untouchable, the award-winning documentary that takes an unflinching look at sex offenders, the laws used to punish them, and the people behind the making of those laws, will be available for personal streaming January 15th, on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. Look for…
Read MoreRIT study: More than half of child pornography probationers had sexual contact with kids
More than half of the men on federal probation in western New York for child pornography possession had instances of “sexual contact with children that were previously unknown to legal authorities,” according to a local study. Though completed early in 2018, the study conducted by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology, or RIT, is now beginning to make ripples in federal court. One federal prosecutor recently included the study in a court filing as evidence that a large percentage of individuals who are attracted to child pornography are a…
Read MoreGeneral Comments January 2019
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of January 2019. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreKat’s Blog: Sometimes A Song Is Just A Song
Baby It’s Cold Outside. It was just a wintery song from the late forties, nothing more. A song that’s been sung during the Christmas holidays for decades. Generations grew up singing along with the radio, no one ever had issues with it. That is until now. Now it’s the latest moral holiday debate. The victim of a # movement. Someone or some group decides they don’t like the sound of those lyrics, that the lyrics foster a pro- rape, sexist attitude in our society. And just like that, thousands of…
Read MoreNot all sex offenders are the same. It’s time we reform how we treat them – Opinion
Florida Bar Association President Michelle Suskauer recently penned a column published in FLORIDA TODAY about needs for reforming the criminal justice system. In her piece, she focused on a number of important issues about mental health, curbing recidivism, re-entry, sentencing and much more. Missing among these targets for reform, however, is the ever-present quagmire dealing with sex offenders, a topic most politicians and justice officials prefer to ignore. Suffice to say, the very term “sex offender” presents a vile image that calls for eternal condemnation of anyone within that category.…
Read MoreThe Carceral Problem Is Getting Worse
The criminal justice reform bill, hopefully dubbed the First Step Act, represents a real accomplishment — a positive development in otherwise conservative times. It is all the more remarkable that a reactionary president, who ran a tough-on-crime campaign, is now poised to sign the bill. … Mass incarceration is no doubt the most glaring feature of the punitive turn. But the punitive state is not only about prison. Sex offenders represent a rapidly growing subset of the prison population, not doubt; their numbers help keep the system bloated. But sex…
Read MoreWhy Should Feminists Be Against the Sex Offender Registry?
In October, the Supreme Court heard a case that was painfully ironic, considering the Kavanaugh hearings the nation had just been subjected to: a challenge to the United States’ extremely restrictive sex offender registry laws. While opinions on the case Gundy v. United States, which challenges the Attorney General’s ability to retroactively impose registry requirements, have yet to come out, debate around sex offender registries is particularly important in the wake of #metoo. Established in the ‘90s following several high-profile rapes and murders of children, the sex offender registry used…
Read MoreInterpol Response re. Green Notices
Submitted by Steve: Some off you are aware that I sent in a inquiry to Interpol that questioned their standards for issuing green notices…well I got a response back from Interpol, Lyon Paris (Yes the mothership AJ) In my letter I stated that I have not yet had a green notice issued against me (haven’t travel abroad yet) but asked the question are they appealable. I pointed out to them that the US government does not assess any Registered Sex Offender for dangerousness they just send out blanket notices to Interpol.…
Read MoreOR: Dad who attacked sex offender in court won’t face charges
Charges have been dropped against the father who attacked a former pastor during a federal court proceeding. Full Article
Read MoreKat’s Blog: The Registry “Jingles” Away With Your Money
The holidays, a time of giving. But for registrants, that “giving”, goes on all year. Registrants fork over payment for all sorts of fees all year long. Registry fees, polygraphs fees, assessments, “sex offender” treatment fees, etc. These fees are not inexpensive and if you are unfortunate enough to have to register in December and take a polygraph in December and pay for treatment in December, you’re left with empty pockets come Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Here’s an approximate total of the yearly “giving” cost for new registrants on probation:…
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