[eluniversal.com.mx – 3/15/20] Mexico City’s Congress recently approved the creation of the Sex Offender Registry as part of a strategy to prevent Sexual abuse. Eduardo Santillán Pérez, the head of the Justice Commission, presented the bill and explained that in order to create the Sex Offender Registry, lawmakers agreed to reform the criminal code and at least 2 laws. According to the bill, criminals will appear in the registry 10 and 30 years, depending on the crimes perpetrated. Read the full article
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ACSOL Conference ticket sales halted
The ACSOL board of directors has decided to halt the sale of tickets for ACSOL’s annual conference which is scheduled to take place on May 29 and May 30 at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. This decision is based, in part, upon the fact the law school closed its campus to the public on March 11 for an indefinite period of time. ACSOL has not yet decided whether to postpone or to cancel the annual conference which could be held at a different location. Refunds for past ticket sales…
Read MoreMO: The man who has to register as a sex offender based on lies
[womenagainstregistry.org – 2/20/20] ST. LOUIS – He’s the sex offender who’s innocent. According to the reported victims, _____ didn’t do it. Tuesday’s interview with _____ is part of Fox 2’s ongoing investigation into why the Missouri justice system isn’t listening. “I’ve been fighting this for 31 years of my life and it has caused me something new, every time I turn around,” _____ said. “The neighbors looking at me wrong, not being able to go to a state park. Just recently I found my passports got pulled because of a…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: The Hypocrisy of Society
By now we are all on coronavirus overload. It’s a serious pandemic. We hear about it all day long, watch newscasts of cruise ships that are forbidden from docking, parked out in the ocean, passengers awaiting clearance or confinement. Citizens around the world are wearing face masks and hand sanitizer is selling for $200 a bottle on eBay. There’s a new danger in our communities and society is in panic mode. Daily we are bombarded with scary words that put fear in all of us, infection, isolation, segregation, self-quarantine, containment…
Read MorePlease participate in SORS (Sex Offense Registry Study)
[sorstudy.org] [Note from Janice: I can attest that this is a legitimate study] We are looking for research participants who can help us learn about important issues related to sex offense registries. We are collecting anonymous information from people required to register. WHO? You are eligible to participate in this study If you are 18 or older, and are required to register on a sex offender registry in the United States. Please complete the survey using this link: http://bit.ly/sors2020 HOW? The survey is conducted online and will take 20-30 minutes to complete.…
Read MoreFresno Co., CA, striking residency restrictions due to ACSOL suit
[narsol.org – 3/11/20] Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted this week to repeal an ordinance that restricts how close convicted sex offenders can live near schools and parks — a policy California’s Supreme Court found unconstitutional. The move by Fresno County also includes a settlement with a Sacramento-based attorney who sued over the law. The county has joined other localities across the state who have lifted the 2,000-foot or greater buffer many municipalities required of sex offenders for more than a decade. About 40 localities, like Santa Clarita, Lompoc and…
Read MoreFive lessons pandemics can teach us about criminal justice reform
[prisonpolicy.org – 2/6/20] No need to wait for pandemics: The public health case for criminal justice reform We offer five examples of policies that could slow the spread of a viral pandemic in prisons and jails – and would mitigate the everyday impact of incarceration on public health. by Peter Wagner and Emily Widra The United States incarcerates a greater share of its population than any other nation in the world, so it is urgent that policymakers think about how a viral pandemic would impact people in prisons, in jails,…
Read MoreShould the United States Use Chemical Castration For Sex Offenders?
[thelibertarianrepublic.com – 3/7/20] The term “castration” brings a chill to every man. The idea of having your ‘junk’ cut off is horrifying. It’s barbaric. Castration is like the archaic practice of locking someone in stocks or something that would be seen in a third world country, but not the United States But it’s not. It is used in our modern world, including America. Not only do many other countries have castration laws, but several of our states do as well. Even as recent as last year, states have been approving…
Read MoreScotland: Policing humour is no joke
[spiked-online.com – 2/27/20] Police Scotland are up to their old tricks again. It was revealed last week that they are logging jokes made on the internet because someone, somewhere, might have had their feelings hurt. A freedom-of-information request by The Times showed that more than 3,300 ‘non-crime hate incidents’ – that is, offensive remarks, including jokes on social media – have been stored on a police database somewhere north of Hadrian’s Wall over the past five years. Hundreds of Scots were placed on the insidious database last year alone. When…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: If Not You, Then Who?
If asked, would you join a lawsuit as a “John Doe”? Recently I was asked that question by a registrant who was in the process of having to consider just that. It seems sort of fickle that we’re at a point where registrants are encouraged to come out of the shadows, to stand up and speak up to get laws changed, but at that same time they’re often anonymous “John Doe’s” in lawsuits fighting against registry rules. From the gist of what I’ve read, modern lawsuits revealing the identity of…
Read MoreMI: Ypsilanti adds ex-offenders as protected class in nondiscrimination ordinance
[mlive.com – 3/4/20] YPSILANTI, MI – People with felony convictions cannot be discriminated against in Ypsilanti in a new addition to the city’s non-discrimination ordinance that passed Tuesday. Ypsilanti City Council voted unanimously to make ex-offenders a city-protected class at its meeting on March 3. Elected officials said the move will help returning citizens reintegrate into society and address racial disparities. Speakers during public comment said felony convictions are particularly challenging to finding employment and housing after returning from prison or parole. Several said a felony conviction can often act…
Read MoreMany CA Registrants Eligible to Vote
The State of California allows many, although not all, registrants to vote in every election (local, state, federal). There are three basic criteria to determine a person’s eligibility to vote: (1) U.S. citizenship, (2) at least 18 years old on election day, and 3) not currently found mentally incompetent. There are additional eligibility criteria for individuals who have been convicted of an offense, including a sex offense. “It is important that registrants know their voting rights,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “In the past, some government employees have wrongly…
Read MoreCA: Ballot Initiative Would Expand Definition of Violent Felony
The November 2020 ballot in California will include an initiative that would significantly weaken three recent criminal justice reform measures — AB 109, Prop. 47 and Prop. 57. Included in the ballot initiative is a major change to the definition of the term “violent felony,” which is used for sentencing and other purposes. Specifically, the California Criminal Sentencing, Parole and DNA Collection Initiative would expand the total number of violent felonies from 27 to 51. In addition, the ballot initiative would expand the definition of violent felony to include any…
Read MoreFL: Ban on sex offender appeal jail release passes Florida House
[news-journalonline.com – 3/3/20] A bill that would bar judges from granting bail to someone appealing a conviction of a sex offense against a child is moving smoothly through the Florida Legislature. Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, introduced the bill after outrage last year led by Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and others when Mark Fugler was released while he appealed his conviction and 15-year prison sentence for sex crimes involving a child. Leek’s bill adds sex crimes against children to the list of offenses for which judges cannot grant supersedeas…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Have You Noticed?
Have you noticed there is a change in the relationship between the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) and the National Association for Rational Sex Offense Laws (NARSOL)? We hope so. Because the change in that relationship is the result of both hard work and a change in focus. In order to fully understand the significance of what is happening now, it is important to know a little about the past….including the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is that NARSOL began almost 15 years ago and…
Read MoreGeneral Comments March 2020
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of March 2020. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
Read MoreCA: CDCR to Request CA Supreme Court Review of Prop. 57 Case
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will request review by the California Supreme Court of their most recent loss in a Proposition 57 case, ACSOL v. CDCR. That loss took place on Feb. 13 when the Third Appellate District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision that determined CDCR’s regulations implementing Prop. 57 were unlawful. CDCR’s deadline for requesting the Court’s review is March 24 and it is likely that the Court will grant review of that case. Thus far, the CA Supreme Court has granted review…
Read MoreThe Truth Could Set Them Free
Why did California destroy research into a group of people it says are dangerous enough to be locked up indefinitely? In late 2006, a public defender went before a Napa County judge to argue for his client’s freedom. ____ _____, a 49-year-old man, had been detained for seven years at Atascadero State Hospital under a 1995 California law authorizing “civil commitment” of people who have been convicted of sex offenses, a practice that keeps them confined long after they have completed their sentences. Full Article
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