Source: ACSOL The Third District Court of Appeals in California issued a decision today stating that every person convicted of Penal Code (PC) Section 288.2, providing harmful material to a minor, must register for life including those whose felony conviction has been reduced to a misdemeanor. The Court based its opinion on an interpretation of PC Section 17(e) which states that judges cannot remove from the registry a person convicted of that offense. “Today an appellate court made a bad decision,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That bad decision will…
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Please Call to Oppose CA Senate Bill 1128 that Could Add up to 32,000 People to Registry
It’s not too late to call members of the CA Assembly Public Safety Committee and let them know that you oppose Senate Bill 1128. The committee will hear that bill on July 2. Committee members need to know that if this bill is enacted into law, up to 32,000 people could be added to the registry according to the California Department of Justice. People who may have been convicted more than 30 years ago and who have never been required to register. They also need to know that judges already…
Read MoreACLU Attorney to Speak at ACSOL Conference
ACLU attorney Kimberly Buddin has agreed to speak at the ACSOL conference on Friday, September 20. Buddin is senior policy counsel for the justice division of national ACLU. “Attorney Buddin is a dynamic speaker who is well informed regarding registrants, the challenges they and their families face as well as solutions to those challenges,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “She is a welcome addition to our annual conference.” Ms. Buddin will make a plenary presentation at the ACSOL conference on Friday starting at 9:20 a.m. The topic of her…
Read MoreCA: Turlock, Stanislaus and state officials hold press conference protesting pedophile’s release
Source: modbee.com 6/21/24 At a press conference held at the Turlock Police Department on Friday, state and county officials, as well as members of the community, protested the planned release of convicted child sex offender Kevin Gray. Gray, 72, was convicted of four separate sex crimes against children age 11 and younger. However, he’s admitted that he was not prosecuted for most of his crimes — saying that he’s fondled 50 young girls and indecently exposed himself to 1,000. State Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero, Turlock…
Read MoreSCOTUS Makes It Easier for Victims of Retaliatory Arrests To Vindicate Their First Amendment Rights
Source: reason.com 6/20/24 When someone claims to have been arrested in retaliation for constitutionally protected speech, what sort of evidence is necessary to make that case? Five years ago in Nieves v. Bartlett, the Supreme Court held that an arrest can violate the First Amendment even if it was based on probable cause, provided the claimant can present “objective evidence that he was arrested when otherwise similarly situated individuals not engaged in the same sort of protected speech had not been.” Today in Gonzalez v. Trevino, the Court said that showing…
Read MoreFL: MMA fighter turns vigilante: Man busts alleged child predator at Walmart
Source: abc45.com 6/21/24 DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — As a professional MMA fighter, Dustin “Scrappy” Lampros spends most of his days training for the ring. But in his free time, he fights for those who can’t defend themselves: hunting down predators who prey on children. One recent case involved Nicholas _____, 43, who was recently arrested for allegedly attempting to meet a minor for illicit purposes. The incident unfolded at a Walmart in Delray Beach. “I have the time to go and do this. Also, I have the skill set…
Read MoreThe Prosecutor Paradox – Premal Dharia, James Forman & Maria Hawilo – Inquest
Source: inquest.org 6/20/24 This article is part of a roundtable about the authors’ coedited collection, Dismantling Mass Incarceration. Next week, we will publish a set of responses from progressive prosecutors, scholars, and activists, followed by a concluding essay from Dharia. In the popular imagination, lawyers argue each side of an issue, while the judge or jury makes the decision. But when we worked as public defenders, we learned that prosecutors were often the true power brokers: They chose what charges to bring, how much discovery material to provide, and whether…
Read MoreCongress can score another bipartisan win for safety and justice
Source: thehill.com 6/18/24 As a recent eruption between members of the House Oversight Committee demonstrated, Congress doesn’t always model good behavior. But beyond the theatrics and gridlock that make headlines, many Americans might be pleasantly surprised to find encouraging examples of serious lawmakers working together. The bipartisan Safer Supervision Act is just that. The legislation, co-authored by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), aligns with the research on what works to make communities safer and provide second chances, building on the success of the First Step Act, on which a Democratic Congress and…
Read MoreEU cancels vote on child sexual abuse law amid encryption concerns
Source: politico.eu 6/20/24 A vote scheduled today to amend a draft law that may require WhatsApp and Signal to scan people’s pictures and links for potential child sexual abuse material was removed from European Union countries’ agenda, according to three EU diplomats. Ambassadors in the EU Council were scheduled to decide whether to back a joint position on an EU regulation to fight child sexual abuse material (CSAM). But many EU countries including Germany, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic were expected to abstain or oppose the law over cybersecurity and privacy…
Read MorePorn addiction a serious mental health issue
Source: uintacountyherald.com 6/19/24 Most people recognize the harm and dangers of drugs, alcohol and nicotine addiction, but porn addiction is often overlooked and not recognized due to the taboo nature of the subject. Most people don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it. Porn addiction often begins at a young age due to technology and the internet making it more available than ever before. Gary Wilson, teacher of anatomy and physiology in Scotland and author of “Your Brain on Porn,” wrote, “The neurological impact of frequent exposure…
Read MoreJudge Tosses Biometric Data Suit Against X
Source: reason.com 6/19/24 X’s child porn detection system doesn’t violate an Illinois biometric privacy law, the judge ruled. A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit concerning the software X (formerly Twitter) uses to find illegal porn images. The suit was brought by Mark Martell, who objected to X using Microsoft’s PhotoDNA software. Martell argued that PhotoDNA—which is used across the tech industry to detect and report child porn—required the collection of biometric data and that this collection violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). A win for Martell could have imperiled…
Read MoreCA Action Alert: Please Call and Send Letters Opposing Senate Bill 1128 that Could Add up to 32,000 to Registry
It’s time to be heard! The Assembly Public Safety Committee will consider CA Senate Bill 1128 about two weeks from now on July 2. We need to strongly oppose this bill because it could add up to 32,000 people to the registry. Prior to the hearing, it’s important to call members of the committee as well as send letters to both committee members and the committee itself. Below is a list of committee members that includes office phone numbers and mailing addresses. Letters can also be sent to the Public…
Read MoreSave the Date: ACSOL Zoom Conference to be held on September 20 and September 21
The 2024 Conference for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will be held on Friday, September 20, and Saturday, September 21. The conference will begin both days at 9 a.m. (Pacific) and end about 5 p.m. Conference signs up will begin in early July on this website. “This year’s conference will be virtual in order to help registrants and their loved ones in every state,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. One keynote speaker for the conference is attorney Molly Nixon of the Pacific Legal Foundation. She will…
Read MoreACSOL Online Meeting July 20, 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 July 20 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 a…
Read MoreAR: A 30-year sentence for sex offender failure to register: How far over the top will this go?
Source: NARSOL.org 6/14/24 By Sandy . . . It happened in Arkansas, in Garland County, and, according to local media, the jury deliberated for 17 minutes before recommending the highest allowable sentence plus a $5,000.00 fine. Granted, this registrant does have a rather colorful history of failing to register. He has several convictions for that offense in three states, including this one and another in Arkansas. However, his criminal record reveals only one other conviction, his sexual crime conviction in 2002. Making this situation even more ludicrous, this most current…
Read MoreJoin ACSOL on July 2 to Oppose SB 1128
Senate Bill 1128, that could add up to 32,000 people to the registry, will be considered by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on July 2. The hearing is: CA State Capitol Room 126 Tuesday, July 2 Will begin at 9 a.m. Other bills will also be considered that day. “It is extremely important that as many people as possible attend the July 2 hearing,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “We must stop Senate Bill 1128 and attendance at this hearing may be the last opportunity to do so. Although…
Read MoreCA: Currently individuals convicted of PC 261.5, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor are not required to register regardless of the age gap. SB1128 would make them register.
Source: ACSOL Up to 32,000 people could be added to the California registry if Senate Bill 1128 is enacted into law, according to the California Department of Justice. That is because the bill would require individuals convicted of Penal Code Section 261.5, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, to register if the age gap was 10 years or more. Currently individuals convicted of PC 261.5, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor are not required to register regardless of the age gap. If enacted into law, the bill would be applied…
Read MoreCA: CASOMB Reports Increase in Petitions Filed, Decrease in Persons Required to Register
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CAOSMB) met today and during that meeting several reports were presented that reflected both an increase in the number of petitions filed, a decrease in the number of persons required to register and other information. Below is a chart listing those and other statistics presented during today’s meeting. Category Current Former Change Total number of registrants 104,795 104,894 -99 Registrants in violation 19,602 19,539 +63 Transient registrants 6,578 6,433 +145 Petitions filed 8,982 8,646 +336 Petitions granted 6,927 6,704 +223 Petitions denied…
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