A farm bill amendment is supposedly aimed at curbing rampant welfare fraud and abuse, but advocacy groups see it as another setback for the recovering incarcerated population. An amendment to the pending farm bill that would deny food stamps to convicted murderers, rapists and pedophiles is receiving stiff opposition. Full Article
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SCOTUS upholds DNA testing for serious arrests
The U.S. Constitution does not prohibit states from building large DNA databases by collecting samples from everyone arrested for serious crimes, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision Monday. The case produced an unusual divide on the court, with liberal Justice Stephen Breyer joining the court’s Republican appointed justices who upheld the practice and conservative Justice Antonin Scalia writing a bitter dissent joined by most of the court’s liberals. Full Article
Read MoreGeneral Comments June 2013
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of June 2013. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreUnauthorized Arizona-Based Sex Offender Sites Extorting Sex Offenders
A network of Arizona-based websites is using data from sex-offender registries maintained by law-enforcement agencies to basically extort money from purported sex-offenders, some of whom are either no longer required to register themselves or have never actually been convicted of a sex-related crime. Full Article Also see: https://all4consolaws.org/2013/05/sex-offender-data-is-used-to-collect-money-and-intimidate/
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Meeting June 22nd in Santa Maria
California RSOL’s next meeting will take place on June 22nd at 10 am in Santa Maria. The meeting is open and free of charge to all registrants, friends and family, and supporters. Media and government officials are not invited. The meeting will cover topics of interest to registrants, such as pending legislation, current lawsuits and other issues that impact the lives of 290 registrants. Saturday, June 22nd, 10 a.m.1165 Stubblefield Road, Santa Maria, CA 93455
Read MoreSex offender websites draw lawsuit [video]
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Read MoreSenate Farm Bill to deny food assistance to anyone convicted of certain federal or state crimes
The United States Senate has agreed to Sen. David Vitter’s Amendment 1056 to the 2013 Farm Bill. The amendment would deny food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) for life to anyone convicted of certain federal or state crimes.If the amendment makes it out of the Senate, it may be too late to keep it from becoming law. And like previous successful efforts to impose these kinds of devastating barriers on people with criminal records and their families, we may be fighting to roll this back for decades to come. Your help is needed to…
Read MoreOR: Bill advances that would give a break to some young sex offenders
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Some young offenders convicted of having sex with underage partners would be able to request the crime be removed from their records under a bill narrowly passed by the Oregon House on Wednesday. Full Article
Read MoreMN: Allegation ends coach’s career
THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR walked onto the field unannounced, wearing jeans and sandals, and _____ ______ knew in that moment that something was terribly wrong. Nobody interrupted his football practices at Minnesota State Mankato without advance notice and permission. His success as head coach was based on maintaining total control; each practice was scripted to the minute. He believed small disruptions in preparation became big problems during games, so he sometimes asked his players to recite a motto: No mistakes. No distractions. No surprises. Now, on Aug. 17, 2012, his life…
Read MoreSex-offender data is used to collect money and intimidate
A network of Arizona-based Internet companies is mining data from sex-offender sites maintained by law-enforcement agencies and using it to demand money and harass those who complain or refuse to pay. State and national registries are set up to provide information on where the most serious sex offenders are living and warn that the information cannot be used to threaten, harass or intimidate offenders. But sex offenders and others profiled by the Arizona companies accuse their operators, in a civil lawsuit and elsewhere, of running an extortion racket by demanding…
Read MoreTiered Registry Bill Stopped by Appropriations Committee
The Appropriations Committee of the California Assembly today stopped further consideration of the tiered registry bill, AB 702, this calendar year. There was no discussion of the bill nor was a vote taken. Instead, Chairman Mike Gatto (Democrat, Los Angeles) decided to “hold the bill” in the committee’s suspense file. “This is a sad day for registrants in California,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “Because of this decision, California will remain 1 of only 4 states in the nation that has a lifetime registry for all registrants.” …
Read MoreFL: Florida teen charged in relationship with minor mulls plea deal [UPDATE]
***UPDATE 3: Fla. teen charged over same-sex underage relationship accepts plea deal; won’t have to register as sex offender, report says (CBS) VERO BEACH, Fla., October 3 – ____ ____, the Florida 19-year-old charged over a same-sex relationship with an underage classmate, has accepted a plea deal that will allow her to be released from jail December 20 and not have to register as a felon or sex offender, reports CBS affiliate WPEC. Full Article *** ***UPDATE 2: ____ ____ offered new plea deal VERO BEACH, Fla., October 1 — ____ ____,…
Read MoreMiracle Village: A haven for America’s social pariahs (with Video)
Almost 750,000 Americans are now on sex offender registries, and the numbers just keep growing. Because the truly dangerous are mixed in with the far more numerous low-risk offenders, registries are useless from a public safety perspective. But they do have a pernicious effect on ex-offenders, who oftentimes find themselves with nowhere to go and no hope of ever reintegrating into society. Enter “Miracle Village” in Florida. Built in 1964 for sugar cane workers (some of whom still live there), it was transformed into a haven by an evangelical pastor…
Read MoreWhat to do when the feds come to town
What to do when the police come around for a compliance check. Know your rights! Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Lobbies for Tiered Registry Bill
Ten individuals representing California RSOL are lobbying in Sacramento in support of a tiered registry bill, AB 702. The bill, as currently written, would remove some individuals from the registry after 10 or 20 years after their release from prison, probation and/or parole. “It is great to have two teams of individuals, including registrants and family members, lobbying in support of the tiered registry bill,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of CA RSOL. “We are educating elected officials and members of their staff regarding the need for a tiered registry.” AB…
Read MoreWhy Current Child Porn Laws Imprison the Wrong People
Growing up, I was taught that prison was a place where people went when they did bad things. It was simple then: There were good people and there were bad people. As I got older, the picture grew more complicated. I saw good people do bad things, and I saw bad people do good things. But recently, when one of the best people in my world did something that landed him in prison, my beliefs about the justice system and how it punishes American citizens were completely upended. Full Article
Read MoreIN: Supreme Court removes Hammond man from sex offender list
INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a Hammond man removed from the state’s sex offender registry after determining the law requiring him to register for life imposes an unconstitutional retroactive punishment. Full Article
Read MoreAUS: Find a better way to keep our children safe
Sex offenders are seen by the community as the scum of the Earth. They are considered to be monsters, people who should be abandoned by the community, locked up for a very long time, placed on a sex offenders register and, if they are ever released, monitored for life. Recently, we read in the Herald Sun that new technology will mean that these heinous offenders will have tracking devices attached to them, so if they’re not in jail, “we” know where they are. But is there a better way? Does…
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