Registrants and their families are suffering in the State of Georgia. The cause of their greatest concern is a state law that prohibits anyone convicted of a sex offense that took place after July 1, 2008, from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of a long list of locations including schools, churches and any place “where children congregate”. As a result of this law, there are thousands of families in Georgia that are already homeless or could become homeless at a moment’s notice. One of those families includes a…
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Janice’s Journal: Court Decision an Important Point on Path to Tipping Point
Another court has spoken the truth: registration is punishment. That court is Division III of the Colorado Court of Appeals. The case is People v. In the Interest of T.B. which was decided last week. This is a case that could be overlooked. After all, this court in only one of several courts of appeal in the state of Colorado. And the plaintiff in this case was a juvenile when he was convicted. The reason the case should not be overlooked is that it is an important data point on…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Today is A Day to Remember
Today is Memorial Day. A day to remember those who paid the “ultimate price” as members of the U.S. Armed Forces. As a U. S. Navy veteran, I salute those who died in combat. As a leader of this movement, however, I cry for those who died not in combat, but at the hands of vigilantes. For the fights they fought were both unfair and unnecessary. The fights were unfair because, unlike soldiers, the registrants who were killed were not armed. That is because as registrants, they could not possess…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: All Felons Deserve the Right to Vote
Although the next major election is more than a year away, it’s not too early to focus on who is eligible to vote. This issue is important because the total number of voters, in general, and the groups of people eligible to vote, could determine the result of that election. I am saying this while watching a struggle in Florida. A struggle about who may be eligible to vote in November 2020 and beyond. As the number of candidates for the 2020 election continues to grow, the State of Florida…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Flowers of Justice are Blooming
Spring has begun and the flowers of justice are blooming. One of these flowers, which is especially beautiful and fragrant, is a decision issued today by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that significantly limits the use of GPS devices for those convicted of a sex offense even if the registrant is on probation. In its decision, the Court determined that GPS monitoring of an individual convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography constitutes a violation of the Fourth Amendment which protects against unreasonable searches. Specifically, the court stated that “(t)he government’s…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: When Will They Learn?
The CA state legislature began a new two-year session just last month. And in that short period of time, legislators are already heading down the wrong path. What path? The path which identifies all individuals convicted of a sex offense as dangerous and likely to commit a new sex offense. For example, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty who is known for his compassion for those who are or have been incarcerated, introduced a bill (AB 277) that would allow parolees to earn “reintegration credits” that could ultimately allow them to travel greater…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Justice an Important Pillar
As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day, it is important to remember that an essential pillar of his civil rights platform was Justice. ACSOL which is a civil rights organization has, in fact, adopted and advanced one of Dr. King’s best-known sayings about justice: “Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere” in our lobbying efforts in the state capitol. We credit the wisdom of Dr. King, as expressed in the saying above, as we recognize and celebrate that our efforts of 6 ½ years, as well as the…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Registry Continues to Grow by Leaps and Bounds
The registry continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In fact, the registry grew by almost 5 percent during the past 12 months. That means there are currently more than 912,000 people on the registry in the U.S., an increase of 42,001, according to The Dobbs Wire. The recent increases in the number of people on the registry are not uniform throughout the nation. In fact, the number of registrants decreased in the states of Vermont and Kentucky as well as in the District of Columbia. But in the vast…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Church Guidelines Repeat Myths, Spread Fear
It is essential that registrants have access to church services because for some registrants the ability to worship at a church is more important than food, shelter and clothing. In the words of North Carolina attorney Glenn Gerding, “Given….residency and employment restrictions, as well as societal discrimination against and vilification of sex offenders, churches are often the last hope for many sex offenders who need the stability and guidance a church pastor and church family can provide.” Why is it then that some churches place outright bans on registrants who…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: How Many Dead Registrants is Enough?
Today a registrant in Orange County, California, is dead. He may have died at the hands of another or he may have taken his own life. This brings the total number of known dead registrants, killed by the hands of another or themselves, in California to 18 since 2005. How many dead registrants is enough? How many dead registrants will it take to persuade the public, elected officials and even the U.S. Supreme Court that registration is punishment….and not the same as being a member of Price Club. How dare…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Pedophiles Deserve Death Penalty
The son of Rev. Billy Graham, Rev. Franklin Graham, declared on National Public Radio this weekend that pedophiles deserve the death penalty. He also declared that we are a nation of laws. Not only is Rev. Graham’s first statement outrageous, it is undermined and contradicted by his second statement. Why? Because the laws in many states do not include the death penalty. Furthermore, most of the 31 states that do have a death penalty law do not apply that law to an individual who is convicted solely of a sex…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: You May Be Eligible to Vote (CA)
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 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 MoreJanice’s Journal: Three Courts Issue Three Harmful Decisions
In the span of just one week, three courts have issued decisions that significantly harm registrants. Those decisions affect registrants’ marriages, homes and overseas travel. It’s a lot to absorb in a short amount of time. It’s too much to fight at this time. But fight we must in the near future. In the first of those decisions, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals validated a provision of the Adam Walsh Act that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for an individual convicted of a sex offense to sponsor his…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Voting Rights Act for Registrants May Be Required
Today is election day. Today California voters will cast their ballots in a primary election that determines the nomination of candidates for offices from Insurance Commissioner to U.S. Senator as well as the outcome of several ballot propositions. Because it is a mid-term election, the percentage of people expected to vote is low, perhaps as low as 30 percent. Missing from the number of people who vote today, however, may be many registrants, some of whom have been misinformed and told that they are not eligible to vote. For example,…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Three Opportunities in Thirty Days
We have three opportunities during the next 30 days to Show Up – Stand Up – Speak Up. Our first opportunity is in Sacramento on April 24 when the Senate Public Safety Committee will consider Senate Bill 1143. If passed, that bill would require registrants convicted of an offense involving a minor to disclose their status as a registrant to potential landlords as well as to home sellers if the property is within one-quarter mile of a school or a park. The penalty for not making such a disclosure is…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Beware of False Prophets….and Some Lawyers’ Letters, Too
Attorneys have sent letters to registrants for many years. In the past, the rate and regularity of those letters has been slow and uneven. In the past, such letters were often sent after an important case was decided by a state or federal court. That appears to be changing now as the rate and regularity at which attorneys are sending letters to registrants has increased significantly. In addition, some attorneys are even sending letters to registrants in a different state. In California, the rate and regularity of attorneys sending letters…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Murder at the Hands of Vigilantes
It happened again. Another CA registrant was murdered by vigilantes for no reason other than he was required to register as a sex offender. This horror began when four men went shopping together to buy pliers and bolt cutters, common tools later used to torture and kill a registrant. A 61-year-old man who had paid his debt to society and was living peacefully in the community. The men used the pliers they bought to break into the registrant’s home. It is not known, but can only be imagined, how they…
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