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. The ACSOL website and recordings are provided as a service to registrants, registrants’ families, and others for general information only. The information on the website and in the recordings are not designed to provide legal or other advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. You should not take, or refrain from taking, action based on their content. Prior results and case studies do not guarantee a similar outcome in future representations. ACSOL accepts no responsibility for any loss or damages that may result from accessing or reliance on content on the ACSOL website and recordings and disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all liability with respect to acts or omissions made by registrants, registrants’ families and others on the basis of content on the ACSOL website.
Important News / Announcements
Janice's Journal
General News Feed
AL: Win in AL: 11th Circuit deems Alabama sex offender restrictions too harsh
Source: courthousenews.com 4/23/25 The appellate panel said prohibiting parents who have been convicted of sex offenses from cohabitating with their minor children violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Alabama cannot completely prohibit convicted sex offenders from cohabitating with minors, according to an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Wednesday. After being convicted of one count of possession of child pornography in 2013 and serving...
TX: Texas city passes residency restriction to banish registrants
Source: abc7amarillo.com 4/23/25 HEREFORD, Texas (KVII) — The Hereford City Commission has enacted a new ordinance that restricts where registered sex offenders can reside, prohibiting them from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks, pools, arcades, movie theatres, and other areas where children gather. The ordinance, passed on Monday, imposes a fine of up to $500 per day for violations. Chief Landon Swan of the Hereford...
MO: Missouri bill to void NDAs in child sex abuse cases approved by House
Source: missouriindependent.com 4/22/25 Legislation that would void non-disclosure agreements in child sexual abuse cases received unanimous approval from Missouri’s House on Tuesday afternoon. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz from Branson, now heads to the Missouri Senate. Non-disclosure agreements are “legal mechanisms that were created to protect trade secrets, not trauma secrets,” Seitz said last week during House debate. “We must clarify the law...
IL: Nowhere to go People with sex offense convictions struggle to find housing in Illinois.
Source: chicagoreader.com 4/23/25 ll Ed Cetwinski could think was, “God, I’m out of prison. I can live my life a little bit.” He had just been released from Taylorville Correctional Center after five years behind bars. But even though he’s free from his prison cell, he’s still not free. Most criminal convictions in Illinois include a period of mandatory supervised release (MSR). It’s like...
FL: ‘Not welcome here’: Clewiston passes law to keep sex offenders farther away from schools
Source: fox4now.com 4/22/25 CLEWISTON, Fla. — Clewiston passed a new ordinance to push sex offenders farther away from schools. On Monday, city council passed an ordinance requiring sex offenders to live at least 2,500 feet from schools, parks, and playgrounds. Until now, offenders only had to live 1,000 feet away - the minimum state requirement. Clewiston Police Chief Tom Lewis said the city needed...
Please consider being a member of their newly formed Sentence Impact Advisory Group (SIAG)
Source: United States Sentencing Commission [Janice asks you to seriously consider being a member to have an impact on sentencing] The Commission has a number of existing advisory groups that provide important stakeholder perspective on issues relating to federal sentencing. Most recently, the Commission added an advisory group named the Sentence Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) to bring the perspectives of individuals affected by federal...
CA: Elderly Parole Program Exclusions AB 47 Approved by Assembly Committee
Source: ACSOL The Assembly Public Safety Committee today approved Assembly Bill 47, which if passed, would exclude many people convicted of a sex offense from the Elderly Parole Program. That program currently allows individuals who have spent at least 20 consecutive years in prison and are at least 50 years old an opportunity to be considered for release from prison. No one is automatically...
How to Connect to SORNA Hearing on April 28
Source: ACSOL A hearing is scheduled on Monday, April 28 at 9 a.m., in federal district court regarding the ongoing challenge to the federal SORNA regulations. Below is Zoom information that can be used to view and/or hear the hearing virtually: Click here for the zoom link Telephone: (669) 254-5252 Webinar ID: 160 816 0971 Passcode: 311094 Important Notice: Recording Is Strictly Prohibited. The hearing is scheduled...
CA SB 286: The bill excluding violent sex offenders from elderly parole
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — (KBAK/FOX58) California State Senator Brian Jones, the Senate Minority Leader, has voiced strong support for Senate Bill 286, which seeks to exclude some violent sex offenders from being eligible from elderly parole. Jones suggested that the bill should not even require debate, stating, "We should not have to have a Senate bill for this because it should have never been passed in...
IN: New Indiana law tightens restrictions on sex offender relocation
Source: wfft.com 4/21/25 An Indiana bill aimed at strengthening safeguards on where sex offenders can live has been signed into law by the governor. The legislation was authored by state Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn. House Enrolled Act 1687 reinforces probation requirements for sex offenders who want to move to another county. It also adds new factors for judges to consider before approving a relocation....
They Served Their Time. But They May Still Die in State Custody.
Source: theappeal.org 4/21/25 In half the country, sex offense civil commitment incarcerates people after they complete their prison sentences. Eliseo Padrón is a 50-year-old Mexican American man from St. Paul, Minnesota. Padrón told The Appeal he grew up surrounded by gang culture. He spent his early adulthood in and out of prison. “Living that lifestyle led to me doing a lot of things that...
MN: More sex offenders reside in Brooklyn Park than other suburbs. The city may limit where they live.
Source: startribune.com 4/20/25 Officials question whether residency restrictions in other cities are pushing more registered offenders to Brooklyn Park. Matt Rabe, an inspector with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, answered a call that sparked a lot of questions. Rabe said the caller was trying to place a registered predatory offender in Brooklyn Park after a neighboring suburb had turned them down due to their...
ACSOL Online Meeting May 17, 2025
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 May 17 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...
Action Alert: Registrants and supporters please take this survey on the effects of the registry and your unmet support needs
Source: restorativeactionalliance.org [Please consider taking this survey - Janice] We at the Restorative Action Alliance (RAA) request that registrants and eligible loved ones take our Reentry Needs Survey. We are an advocacy and support organization working to end cycles of sexual harm without relying on over-criminalization, inhumane incarceration practices, or the counterproductive registry regime. This Reentry Needs Survey is open to individuals who are:...
Guilty by Association: How Our Convictions Affect Our Families
Source: prisonjournalismproject.org 4/15/25 When a person is convicted, it is easy to forget they are more than a felon. They are someone’s son or daughter. They might even be someone’s father or mother. They are also someone’s friend. A person might be sitting alone at the defendant’s table, but there are more people involved in the aftermath of a verdict. The conviction process affects...
Europe: ETIAS 2026? Start of European Travel Authorization System Delayed Again
Source: natlawreview.com 4/10/25 Implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) has been delayed again. Initially expected to be operational in 2022, ETIAS is now scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026. This delay allows more time for the Entry/Exit System (EES) to be fully implemented, which is expected to become operational in October 2025. ETIAS will be a requirement...
Two American Registrants Denied Entry to the Philippines
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 4/15/25 Two American persons forced to register as sex offenders, one for an offense that took place more than two decades ago and one for an offense that took place 36 years ago, were denied entry into the Philippines earlier this month. It’s an unfortunate reminder of how persons forced to register continue to deal with lifelong consequences from decades-old convictions and...
Action Alert for CA: Call to oppose Assembly Bill 47
The CA Assembly Public Safety Committee is scheduled to conduct a hearing on April 22 that includes Assembly Bill 47. If passed into law, it would exclude many people convicted of a sex offense from the benefits of the Elderly Parole program. We must oppose this bill! The Elderly Parole program currently provides for the release of individuals who have been in custody for...
FL: USF Reports Residency Restrictions Ineffective
Source: floridaactioncommittee.org 4/13/25 FAC came across the following presentation on a study from the University of South Florida, showing the effects of residency restrictions in Tampa, Florida. The conclusions were that residency restrictions have been ineffective. In fact, recidivism and the number of sexual crimes increased following their implementation. The topic is introduced at 1:09:20 and goes to 2:02:30 Read the report on the...
Criminal – Downward variance – Child pornography – Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
Source: masslawyersweekly.com 4/11/25 Where a defendant who pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography was sentenced to time served (21 days) and seven years of supervised release, the defendant must be resentenced because the district court did not adequately explain its basis for granting such an extraordinary downward variance. “Defendant Carlos Vázquez-Narvaez (‘Vázquez’) pleaded guilty to one count of possession of...