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.
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I was pleased to see a recent Sentinel editorial declaring the Internet sex offender roster punitive. My nonprofit group Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform filed an amicus brief in December supporting John Doe, a former sex offender challenging the New Hampshire sex offender shaming list as an unconstitutional ex-post-facto punishment. Opinion Piece
DATES: July 16-19, 2014 - LOCATION: Dallas, Texas. The RSOL National Conference provides an opportunity to interact and network with researchers, mental health professionals, criminal justice practitioners and advocates interested in informing public opinion and reforming current law, policy, and treatment of former sexual offenders. Conference Website
Every year, some 360 individuals in Tom Green County are required to report to local offices and fill out forms listing their addresses, places of employment and vehicles. Some are required to submit DNA samples and contact information for their nearest relatives. Others complete the process every 30 or 90 days. Three hundred thirty-two of them live in five San Angelo zip codes, ranging...
A San Jose lawmaker under pressure from juvenile justice advocates has agreed to ease a measure meant to toughen penalties for youths who sexually assault unconscious victims. Sen. Jim Beall on Tuesday will move to eliminate from the legislation termed Audrie's Law the requirement that some juvenile sex offenders serve at least two years in a juvenile detention facility. Instead, the bill will require...
The Senate has passed HR-803 "Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act" or the "SKILLS Act" with further amendments. The essence of this bill, which amends many different laws, is to retrain displaced workers for newer type jobs of today. While this is a GREAT bill it also excludes folks convicted of several crime types, one of which is sex offenses, folks we...
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri nonprofit has filed a lawsuit contending that the city of Springfield violated federal and city laws when it ordered the closure of a group home for recovering alcoholics, drug addicts and sex offenders. Recovery Chapel and its executive director, Farris Robertson, said in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against the city and its Board of Adjustment that the...
Visitors to Carthage Central School District buildings will go through a new security system for admission that will cross-reference a national sex offender registry and provide visitors with a personalized pass with their photo printed on it. “Essentially most schools have a sign-in sheet to monitor who comes into the school,” said Ramona Dent, district director of computer technology. “Sign-in sheets aren’t nearly as...
Policies that differentially apply to sexual offenders at different risk levels require defensible procedures for classifying offenders into risk categories. The current study examines the reliability and validity of Static-99 and Static-99R sexual offender risk assessment tools as implemented in the State of California. California is a valuable case study because it is a large jurisdiction that has devoted considerable resources to the implementation of risk tools. Download (pdf)
A federal judge in Oregon says the process surrounding the federal government's "no-fly list" is unconstitutional. Specifically, U.S. District Judge Anna Brown said the process doesn't give Americans on the list an effective way to challenge their inclusion. Full Article
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I have written two pieces on the RSO travel issue, just published: The first is about International Megan’s Law (download pdf) The second describes current treatment (and regardless of Megan’s enactment) of RSO’s into the U.S. (download pdf) It was an ambitious undertaking but I hope that you will find them to be worthwhile. I believe that it is the most comprehensive treatment of...
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2014
A city ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from frequenting parks, playgrounds, daycare centers, schools, libraries and other places where children are normally present was repealed at the June 11 Placerville City Council meeting. Full Article
The city council Tuesday reluctantly repealed a section in the Municipal Code referring to sex offenders and regulating their proximity to children’s facilities. The matter was brought before the council by City Attorney Julia Lew because of recent lawsuits in other cities with the same type of ordinance and because the city has been receiving letters and suggestions of legal action. Full Article
Nursing homes, residential care facilities and county homes (“Homes”) in Ohio will soon have additional requirements related to the admission of a registered sex offender. Full Article
The California Supreme Court has granted review of the appellate court decision, People v. Tirey, which increased slightly the number of registered citizens eligible to apply for a certificate of rehabilitation. The appellate court's decision did not, however, change the criteria for who could be granted a certificate. The appellate court decision was issued in November 15, 2013, and was based upon the equal...
John Garbin hears from people who say they'll commit suicide if he doesn't help them. Because of mistakes they made years ago — criminal mistakes — they can't get a job, move on with their lives, or escape their tarnished reputations, even though they've served their time. "The calls we get are from people who are absolutely desperate," he said. "We do not live...
Illinois legislators love to pass laws to punish sex offenders. But those laws always increase restrictions. No legislator wants to decrease restrictions on sex offenders, because that would not look good on a mailer by an opponent in the next election. Full Article
SACRAMENTO -- When San Jose lawmaker Jim Beall set out earlier this year to strengthen penalties for youths who sexually assault unconscious victims, he expected to win broad support easily. Instead, he ignited a familiar Capitol debate among lawyers, victims and juvenile advocates about whether the justice system's goal should be punishing or rehabilitating offenders. That debate will be renewed on Tuesday when an...
The Rhode Island General Assembly passed a bill Friday that would fine certain businesses for knowingly hiring a child sex offender. Target 12 broke the story that prompted action, and now, a new state law is in place to protect children from sexual predators. In the final days of the legislative session, the Alliance for Safe Communities was closely watching its bill about child...
Nearly 15 months after launching what he called the "boldest move in criminal justice in decades," Gov. Jerry Brown declared victory over a prison crisis that had appalled federal judges and stumped governors for two decades. ... Brown's realignment solution when he took office in 2011 required creating a new category of criminal — the non-serious, non-violent, non-sex-offender felon. Full Article
The City of Taft has, for all intents and purposes, settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of a registered sex offender Tuesday night when it repealed a seven-year-old ordinance regulating where convicted sex offenders could live and visit. Full Article