In the past month we’ve read articles about shame, Florida Shaming/Could Your Real Estate Agent be a Sex Offender, Nigeria: NAPTIP Launches SO Registry to Name & Shame Rapists, Arkansas: the shaming of registrants by barring them from participating in Halloween activities. Shame: A painful feeling that’s a mix of regret, self-hate and dishonor, according to the dictionary. Shame, it’s a powerful tool used against registrants to make certain that they feel continued guilt and humiliation for their past offenses. Shame, can be an ongoing cruel punishment which often seems…
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VA: In Arlington, a judge must decide if a nonviolent sex offender should stay incarcerated after serving his sentence
[washingtonpost.com – 8/23/19] Philip Fornaci is a civil rights lawyer based in Washington. Roger Lancaster is the author of “Sex Panic and the Punitive State.” On Monday, the Circuit Court in liberal Arlington County will be the scene of a heavy-handed morality play, with prosecutors seeking lifelong incarceration for a young gay man who has already paid an extraordinary price for youthful, nonviolent sexual indiscretions. Virginia, like 19 other states and the federal government, has a Sexually Violent Predators Act (SVPA). Under these laws, people who have completed their criminal…
Read MoreCA Appropriations Committee to Consider Senate Bill 145
[ACSOL] The CA Assembly’s Appropriations Committee is scheduled to give final consideration to Senate Bill 145 and more than 200 additional bills on August 30. The committee hearing will be held in Room 4202 of the State Capitol at a time yet to be determined. The author of SB 145, Senator Scott Wiener, is also author to another dozen bills to be considered by the committee that day. The topics of those bills range from unlawful entry of a vehicle (SB 23) to cannabis donations (SB 34). If SB 145…
Read MoreIL: Explosive 3-hour meeting has many talking about possible health and housing center
[newschannel20.com – 8/21/19] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — An explosive meeting took place Wednesday evening over whether Springfield should allow a vacant building to become a health and housing center. … While the proposed center is more than just a homeless shelter, some asked how will the place know if they have a sex offender coming to use their facilities, especially because of the proximity to the Lincoln Magnet School. “There is no way to know that the mental health individuals that they’re serving are sex offenders. There’s no way to…
Read MoreNY: Revised animal-abuser registry going to lawmakers
[romesentinel.com – 8/20/19] [This is a continuation of the story we reported here] A revised version of a local law on animal abuse in Oneida County would remove the proposed penalty against someone who sells an animal to a convicted abuser, and would specifically exempt farms where an abuser works or shares the business with other people. … Support for the registry approach is not universal among animal advocates. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does not endorse them, instead favoring stronger penalties for abuse and…
Read MoreWA: Why a sex offender would run for office: Willie Russell’s story
[washingtonstatewire.com – 8/20/19] Willie Russell is running for the Snohomish County Council this year. He squeaked through the August primary, and will face Stephanie Wright in November for Council position 3. He is also a Level III sex offender. You can read the narrative from the sheriff’s office database here. I recently spoke with Russell in an extended conversation. I wanted to ask him about his interest in running, and about his campaign. But, I was particularly interested in understanding why, with his background, he would be willing to put…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Watch this movie! And recommend it to others!
The newly released movie, “Brian Banks”, deserves attention. A lot of attention. Attention from every person required to register as a sex offender as well as his/her family and friends. Based upon a true story, the movie is about a 16-year-old high school athlete who is falsely accused of raping a 15-year-old girl who attended the same school. The movie accurately portrays the challenges he faces before conviction as well as both inside and outside of prison. For example, a plea deal goes wrong after Brian enters a plea of…
Read MoreACSOL Emotional Support Group Meetings Available: Sat, August 24 in L.A.; Most Thursdays in Sac; Monthly on the phone
Emotional Support Group meetings will be held for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. This meeting, which is based upon the format of 12 Step meetings, provides registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and share their experiences, strengths and hopes, with each other. Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. There is no cost to attend. No reservations are required. Click here to see…
Read MoreFL: More sex offenders arrive so NSB wants to make rules more strict
There are more sex offenders moving to New Smyrna Beach and that has prompted city leaders to consider shrinking the locations where both sexual offenders and sexual predators can legally live. Full Article
Read MoreAfter Epstein death, glaring loopholes in national sex offender registry raise concerns
Amid the fallout from the death of Jeffrey Epstein – compounded by sharp questions as to why he was able to live such a lavish and unencumbered life despite being a registered sex offender – scrutiny has turned to the National Sex Offender Registry, its discrepancies and its lack of uniformity – all of which the disgraced financier may have exploited. Full Article
Read MoreIRE: How Ireland deals with sex offenders after they’re released from prison
AT ANY ONE time there are between 400 and 450 people convicted of sexual violence in custody in Irish prisons. … During his time in prison, ____ declined to participate in the Building Better Lives programme, a rehabilitation service for sex offenders, despite meeting many of the conditions. These criteria include a prison sentence of longer than 18 months, full admission of the offence, robustness of personality to withstand the challenge of the group and some literacy capacity. Full Article
Read MoreNC: GPS monitoring violates some sex offenders’ rights, NC Supreme Court rules
[thestate.com – 8/16/19] Sex offenders have rights, too, and in some cases the state has been violating those rights, the NC Supreme Court ruled on Friday. The ruling concerns people who have been ordered to submit to satellite-based monitoring for the rest of their lives, which forces them to wear a tracking device so law enforcement can track their location via GPS using an ankle bracelet. Nearly 500 North Carolina sex offenders could now be freed from lifetime surveillance by the GPS monitoring program. However, it’s not yet clear how…
Read More10th Circuit Rules Special Conditions Allowing Probation Complete Discretion over Internet Use is Excessive
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 8/16/19] The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in US v. Blair, ruled that a special condition on the Defendant’s Internet use that was “limited to those the defendant requests to use, and which the probation officer authorizes” involved a greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably necessary for deterring criminal activity because it allows the probation office to completely ban the defendant’s use of the Internet by failing to place any restraints on a probation officer’s ability to restrict a defendant’s Internet access. Blair argued that this special…
Read MoreKat’s Blog: We Will Not Be Silenced Anymore
“Until there is 50-50 representation, we should make no decisions.” “If we are going to make these decisions we should have equal representation at the table”. Both of these comments were made by Senator Lauren Book during a recent “Facing South Florida” interview, the topic was women’s rights and abortion rights. It appears that Ms. Book only agrees with “50-50 and equal representation at the table” when it comes to certain issues, certainly not those including the registry and sex offenses. So it truly was a triumph when the 4th…
Read MoreCA: Sacramento County Office of Education Annual Adult Re-Entry Resource Fair on Oct 4
The Sacramento County Office of Education Annual Adult Re-Entry Resource Fair, hosted by the Sacramento Community Based Coalition (SCBC), will be held: Friday, October 4th 11:00am – 1:00pm Sacramento Community Based Coalition 10170 Missile Way Mather, CA 95655 The event is geared toward the formerly incarcerated population, giving them access to many of our community resources and providers, all in one location. Participating organizations will be exposed to hundreds of attendees, looking for support services, information, employment, and assistance from community organizations. We look forward to seeing you there! Includes…
Read MoreEpstein might not have been killed, but sex offenders’ prison deaths often are ‘choreographed’ | Opinion
[miamiherald.com – 8/12/19] Many people aren’t buying the official “suicide” story from the Manhattan Correctional Complex that housed financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on suicide watch until late July. Theories that Epstein was murdered to protect any number of political cabals are widespread on social media. President Trump has suggested that Bill and Hillary Clinton were involved and the Resistance is convinced that someone offed Epstein to protect the president. That dead men tell no tales is a seductive explanation for Epstein’s expiration, but it ignores correctional reality.…
Read MoreCA: City of Lompoc to Repeal Residency Restrictions
[ACSOL] The City of Lompoc, located in Santa Barbara County, is expected to finalize repeal of its residency restrictions during a City Council meeting on August 20. The City Council took the first step toward repeal on August 6. “Residency restrictions in the City of Lompoc prohibit individuals convicted of a sex offense from staying overnight for even one night,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This prohibition includes staying in the home of a friend or a relative as well as hotels and motels and even camping.” Lompoc’s repeal…
Read MoreFL: Congratulations Derek!!! Appellate Court Voids Lauren Book’s Injunction
[floridaactioncommittee.org – 8/14/19] The order was issued by the 4th District Court of Appeals today so it’s being posted prior to our adding commentary in an effort to share this as quickly as possible. The court voided Senator Lauren Book’s restraining order against Once Fallen’s Derek Logue. We all knew it was bogus, now the court’s agree! Logue v. Book UPDATE: All the credit MUST go to attorney Gary Edinger, of Benjamin, Aaronson, Edinger & Patanzo for writing an incredible appellate brief. Lots of appreciation to Gary, Jamie Benjamin and…
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