Category: General News

ALI Council Approves Most of Model Penal Code

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The Council of the American Law Institute (ALI) has approved most of the model penal code (MPC) adopted by its members.  The Council’s approval took place during its meeting held this week following a decision in January to delay consideration of the model penal code.   The most significant portions of the MPC include: (1) significant reduction in the number of offenses that require registration, (2) maximum registration period of 15 years, (3) elimination of all public registries and (4) prohibition against many collateral consequences. “The American Law Institute is to…

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Lawsuit Challenges Tiered Registry Law Provision

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A lawsuit was filed this week in Sacramento Superior Court challenging the application of a tiered registry law provision that has resulted in individuals being assigned to Tier 3, the highest tier, even though their felony conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor.  Specifically, the lawsuit is seeking relief for an individual convicted of a felony violation of Penal Code Section 288.2 that was later reduced to a misdemeanor. According to the lawsuit, the individual should not have been assigned to Tier 3 or to any tier, but instead should have…

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International Travel 2022

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This post is intended as a place for discussions about International Travel ONLY. We added a new post for this year in order to keep the discussion manageable.  For more information and previous discussions on the topic, please see the pages in the International Travel menu named International Travel [year number]  Click here for the latest International Travel Information and Resources  

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Michigan ACLU Attorney Miriam Aukerman will be in The Room!

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    Michigan ACLU Attorney Miriam Aukerman will be in The Room!     Please pre-register here to receive your link to engage with others in the WAR Room. Hopefully, our members and supporters have opened and read the blast received yesterday regarding the on-going saga of the war being waged in Michigan between their ACLU and the state ‘powers-that-be’!  We will have as our WAR Room guest on Tuesday, February 8th at 7 PM central time / 5 PM Pacific Time, Michigan ACLU Senior Attorney Miriam Aukerman. She will…

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FL: OUTCASTS Inside the community where hundreds of pedophiles live surrounded by gator-infested waters

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HUNDREDS of sex offenders live in a 24-acre private, isolated community along a miles-long Florida road lined by gator-infested waters and surrounded by thousands of acres of sugar cane. The community has been self-described as a safe haven for sex offenders who need a place to live because of the state’s laws that requires anyone on the registry to live between 1,000 and 2,500 feet from anywhere children might be.     It started as a pastor’s vision to help recently released inmates convicted of sex crimes in 2009 and…

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Women intimately involved with registrants: Zoom presentation on Wednesday Feb. 23

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Dr. Lisa Anne Zilney will give a Zoom lecture on her book, Impacts of Sex Crime Laws on the Female Partners of Convicted Offenders: Never Free of Collateral Consequences (Routledge, 2020). This event will be Wednesday, February 23 at 9:30 AM Pacific Time, 12:30 PM Eastern time.  To attend, email Dr. Emily Horowitz at [email protected]. She will email you the Zoom link. Dr. Zilney explores the experiences of women involved in intimate relationships with those on sex offense registries, focusing both on women who were involved with their partners prior to…

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NY: Social media ban ends for some sex offenders in NYS

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 Source: news10.com 1/24/22 ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — People on the sex offender registry in New York State can now access the internet and social media platforms without restrictions, except in some cases. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Rutgers Law School Constitutional Rights Clinic, and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York secured a settlement on January 24 ending the ban. The original Jones et al. v. Stanford complaint was filed against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and New York Board of Parole in…

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Action Alert for CA: Assembly Bill Would Deny Medical Licenses to Most Registrants

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California Assembly member Akilah Weber (Democrat, San Diego) has introduced a bill that, if passed, would deny a medical license to anyone required to register as a sex offender with one small exception.  The bill number is AB 1636 and it was introduced on January 12, 2022.  The small exception would apply to individuals convicted of PC 314, indecent exposure, provided that it was a misdemeanor conviction. “As currently written, this bill will prohibit every person required to register, including those who requirement to register has been terminated, from being…

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ACSOL February 19, 2022 Meeting

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Please join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci as well as ACSOL President and criminal defense attorney Chance Oberstein for our next meeting.  The meeting will be held on Saturday, February 19, 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 call in using a Zoom phone number. There is no registration needed for this meeting. You can use the Zoom app to see Janice and Chance and choose to show…

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FL: OPPAGA 2021 Sex Offender Registration and Monitoring Triennial Review

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Source: OPPAGA Report Summary: Both federal and Florida law facilitate oversight of sex offenders and predators living in Florida communities, with state agencies and local law enforcement monitoring, registering, verifying, and providing information about sex offenders. Florida is one of 17 states that is substantially compliant with federal sex offender registry requirements. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) sex offender registry lists more than 78,000 offenders and predators, of which, just over 30,000 reside in Florida communities, a number that has grown 62% since 2005. Approximately 6% of registered…

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FAC Member Contribution: The Last to Finish Can Win the Race

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When I was in my late forties I ran two miles a day. It was a joy to run on the rural Georgia roads, enjoying the clouds overhead and the delightful smell of honeysuckle by the side of the road. I was told of a 5k race in a small town near where I lived. I’m not sure how far 5k is, but I think it’s about 3 miles. I thought, “Why not?” so I signed up and showed up that Saturday, to find it was raining. Not pouring down…

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Bureau of Prisons director slated to resign amid controversy

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The director of BOP is resigning after 30 years in the bureau The director of the federal Bureau of Prisons plans to resign amid reports of widespread corruption in the federal prison system. Michael Carvajal, who was appointed to his present position under the Trump administration, told Attorney General Merrick Garland he is resigning from the bureau after serving in it for 30 years, according to a report from The Associated Press that was confirmed by Fox News. Carvajal intends to stay until his replacement is appointed. Carvajal’s pending departure comes months…

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Federal Government Finalizes SORNA Regulations (and Emergency ACSOL Zoom meeting recording )

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UPDATE: Read a summary of the SORNA meeting Listen to the recording of the meeting The federal government today published final SORNA regulations in the Federal Register.  According to this publication, the regulations will become effective on January 7, 2022.   “The only thing that can stop these regulations is a formal objection by Congress during the next 30 days which is unlikely to happen,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “Therefore we must prepare to challenge the regulations through litigation filed in federal courts.” Despite acknowledging that more than 700…

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Other than prison, electronic monitoring is ‘the most restrictive form’ of control, research finds

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Source: nbcnews.com 9/23/21 In the past 18 months, as the judicial system has increasingly used electronic monitoring instead of prisons to monitor inmates through the coronavirus pandemic, newly released data confirm what activists and advocates have long argued: Ankle monitors are onerous, and they often subject wearers to vague rules, like avoiding people of “disreputable character.” The ankle monitoring business, the research found, is also dominated by four profit-seeking companies, and it ultimately could drive more people back to prison. The new, comprehensive collection of hundreds of electronic monitoring-related rules,…

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Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography: Production Offenses

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Oct 13, 2021 This report updates and expands upon the Commission’s 2012 Report to the Congress: Federal Child Pornography Offenses. It provides the Commission’s most in-depth study of child pornography production offenses to date through an analysis of three primary factors that the Commission has identified as relevant to sentencing child pornography production offenders. Focusing on data related to child pornography production offenders’ proximity to the victim, participation in production, and propensity to engage in other abusive behaviors, this report provides insight into how offenders exploit victims and technology to…

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FL: Former Seminole County assistant state attorney enters plea on 2 felony sex charges

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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida. — A former Seminole County Assistant State Attorney has entered a plea on two felony charges of having sex with a minor who worked for him. There was emotional testimony on Thursday in court from the victim, as Andrew Jones took the deal. WESH 2’s Bob Hazen explains why he will avoid jail time for the crime. This former prosecutor, who wanted to be a judge, admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old girl. The victim testified she still has nightmares about it. But the lawyer’s plea…

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