The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is dedicated to protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registrants and their families. In order to achieve that objective, ACSOL will educate and litigate as well as support or oppose legislation. The ACSOL website and recordings are provided as a service to registrants, registrants’ families, and others for general information only. The information on the website and in the recordings are not designed to provide legal or other advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. You should not take, or refrain from taking, action based on their content. Prior results and case studies do not guarantee a similar outcome in future representations. ACSOL accepts no responsibility for any loss or damages that may result from accessing or reliance on content on the ACSOL website and recordings and disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all liability with respect to acts or omissions made by registrants, registrants’ families and others on the basis of content on the ACSOL website.
Important News / Announcements
General News Feed
23
Sep
2013
Presentation videos from from the National RSOL Conference continue to be published. Instead of posting them here piecemeal we are linking to the RSOL YouTube Channel. Thanks to RSOL for making these invaluable videos available. The 2013 National RSOL Conference was held in late August in Los Angeles and was hosted by California RSOL. -- One of the presenters references an excellent article that...
23
Sep
2013
SACRAMENTO -- California has signed a contract with private prison contractor Geo Group to lease space for 1,400 inmates in overcrowded state lockups. The company announced the contract early Monday morning, even before Gov. Jerry Brown learns whether federal judges will grant his request for a three-year delay in the courts' orders to cap the prison population. The governor's lawyers have asked judges to...
According to a survey of parents around the world, thanks to the internet, kids are being exposed to adult content at an ever earlier age. More than 19,000 parents took part in an online study conducted by Bitdefender, an anti-virus company based in Bucharest. Full Article
It’s rare to find a progressive trend in our Republican-dominated legislature, but their recent effort (House Bill 301) to downsize Missouri’s “sex offender registry” is laudable, even as Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto is perplexing. Registering “sex offenders” (far too broadly defined) is based on the questionable idea that they are more likely to offend once released — even though a U.S. Department of Justice study of...
REDWOOD CITY -- The former head of San Mateo County's probation department was taken away in handcuffs Friday to begin serving 10 months in jail for having child pornography on a work computer and other electronic devices. ____ _____, dressed in a dark suit, was stoic as sheriff's deputies led him from a San Mateo County Superior courtroom. Before the sentence was handed down,...
An Orange County city will probably toss out a law requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign in front of their homes on Halloween to discourage trick-or-treaters after it was hit with a federal lawsuit alleging the practice is unconstitutional. Registered sex offenders in the city of Orange are legally required to post a sign on Halloween, no smaller than 12 by 24...
Fresno State’s Associated Students, Inc. senate rejected a resolution Wednesday that aimed to promote the disclosure of the identities of registered sex offenders on campus. “I just do not see the necessity of this resolution as it pertains to the college campus,” said Daniel Ward, senator-at-large for academic affairs. “We do not have the authority to change a law. The intention is in the...
After three violent inmates escaped from an Arizona private prison in July 2010, prompting a two-week, multi-state manhunt, state corrections officials demanded improvements and stopped sending new inmates to what they called a "dysfunctional" 3,300-bed facility. Less than a year later, the company that runs the prison, Management & Training Corp., threatened to sue the state. A line in their contract guaranteed that the prison...
20
Sep
2013
Editorial, 9/19: The village board of Alexandria got some valuable advice from the ACLU about its proposed ordinance that would establish new restrictions on where sex offenders could live. The board ought to take heed. Following the ACLU's recommendations could help the board steer clear of legal travails. The desire to protect children is understandable. But there's a right way and a wrong way to go...
The tall, middle-aged man strode to the microphone in front of approximately 100 citizens in the Belmont High School auditorium Thursday night, Sept. 19. Wearing loose-fitting jeans, a T-shirt and unbutton shirt combo over a slight paunch, the man could be anyone of thousands of parents or guardians ready to speak about school fees, the latest round of test scores or if the town...
An Orange County city will consider a provision in an ordinance that requires sex offenders to post signs outside their homes that indicate they do not have candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters. The Orange City Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the ordinance, which also bans sex offenders from displaying Halloween decorations, opening their doors to children and leaving lights on Halloween night. Part...
LA Times - A city law requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign in front of their homes on Halloween to discourage trick-or-treaters is unconstitutional and should be tossed out, a federal lawsuit alleges. Registered sex offenders in the city of Orange are legally required to post a 12-by-24 inch sign reading "no candy or treats at this residence." Violators face a $1,000...
Mary Sue Molnar of Texas Voices For Reason and Justice talks about her experience and the formula for successful support groups for ex-offenders. Phil Taylor also contributes his experience. - "Introduction to Support Groups" Recorded Friday August 30, 2013 in Los Angeles at the RSOL Annual National Conference. More RSOL Conference Workshop / Presentation Videos [hana-flv-player video="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFW_JftJK-o" width="400" height="240" description="" player="5" autoload="true" autoplay="false" loop="false" autorewind="true" /]...
18
Sep
2013
Keynote Speaker Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower speaks on "Restorative Justice and Sexual Offenders" during the RSOL Conference in Los Angeles last August. More RSOL Conference Workshop / Presentation Videos [hana-flv-player video="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjUDF7isgbM" width="400" width="240" description="" player="5" autoload="true" autoplay="false" loop="false" autorewind="true" /]
A lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court challenging the Halloween ordinance adopted by the City of Orange which requires “sex offenders” to post a sign on the front door of their residence. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the city ordinance violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and places “sex offenders” as well as anyone living with a “sex offender” at...
18
Sep
2013
The county Board of Supervisors gave the initial nod Tuesday to essentially creating a Megan's Law-type list for vicious dogs. Megan's Law provided the online database for registered sex offenders. So just think of the new proposed site like that. Only with dangerous pooches. The supervisors voted 4-0 to tentatively approve changes to the county's ordinance regulating vicious dogs to allow for the database. A...
VANCOUVER -- The federal government acted to get even tougher on child predators at home and abroad as Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled plans Monday for a publicly-accessible national sex offender registry and a law forcing convicted sex offenders to alert Canadian authorities before they travel internationally. Under the Conservatives’ Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, to be introduced in Parliament this fall, convicted...
... Suffolk County on Long Island allows a victims’ advocacy group, Parents of Megan’s Law, to monitor sex offenders. The measure was approved unanimously in February of this year and is being heralded by lawmakers as a cost-effective way to keep the community safe. Parents for Megan’s Law is a nonprofit organization that will receive close to $1 million a year to implement the...
17
Sep
2013
Catherine Carpenter (Southwestern Law School) was a keynote speaker at the recent RSOL Conference in Los Angeles. Her excellent presentation can be viewed here. This is the paper she is referencing in her workshop. Download it here
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma Supreme Court says people convicted of sex crimes in other states are not required to register as sex offenders in Oklahoma if the convictions occurred before the Legislature passed a sex offender law and if they completed their sentence, probation or parole before Nov. 1, 2005. The justices ruled that two men convicted of sex crimes in other states were...