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
LA Times Op-Ed: Polly Klaas was our sister. We don’t want unjust laws to be her legacy
[latimes.com - 10/18/20] To many people, the face of Polly Klaas is a reminder of a horrific moment in our nation’s history. For us — her sisters — Polly’s face represents a constellation of childhood memories that remain precious to us today. Those memories ended abruptly on Oct. 1, 1993, when a man followed Polly home from the park and took her from our...
NARSOL LIVE Virtual Litigation Summit is November 19 & 21
[Recommended by ACSOL] The online NARSOL LIVE Litigation Summit is November 19 & 21, 2020. It will feature dynamic attorney presenters like Paul Dubbeling, Erica Dubno, Aaron Marcus, Adele Nicholas, Paul Reingold, and Mark Yurachek speaking on the hottest topics in registry and sexual offense litigation. Reserve your spot today! NARSOL members who sign-up prior to midnight October 31st will qualify for a Members-only...
IA: New tool to monitor registrants: License Plate Reader Contract Approved in Davenport, Iowa
[ govtech.com 10/15/20] While the devices are touted as investigative tools — helping to locate stolen cars, missing persons and the like — privacy and civil rights advocates say the technology also raises concerns around misuse and surveillance. (TNS) — Davenport City Council members on Wednesday unanimously approved a contract that will give Davenport police an enhanced tool for tracking stolen vehicles, wanted criminals...
My Son is No Sex Offender
My 33-year-old son, Adam, is a registered sex offender in the state of Illinois. Because of this, our entire family exists in the netherworld of the registry. The federal laws mandating a publicly available sex-offender registry were passed in the mid-1990s with the purpose of notifying communities about “sexually violent predators” living in their neighborhoods. But my son is not violent nor is he...
ACSOL Urges “NO” on Prop. 20, “YES” on Prop. 17
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) urges registrants, their families and supporters to vote "NO" on Proposition 20 and to vote "YES" on Proposition 17. Both propositions are included on the November 2020 ballots. If passed, Proposition 20 would significantly increase the number of violent felonies from 27 to 51, resulting in harsher sentences and longer prison terms. Of that total, the...
ACSOL and Allies Submit Formal Response to Proposed SORNA Regulations
[ACSOL] Today 10 legal professionals from six different states submitted a formal response to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding proposed SORNA regulations that could adversely affect the daily lives of almost one million people required to register as a sex offender. The response is 36 pages long and includes a request that the federal agency issue revised regulations and allow for additional comments...
NY: Appeals Court hearing oral arguments online Oct 13 on continued detention of former sex offenders after release
[nycourts.gov] These appeals were filed by level three sex offenders to challenge their indefinite detention in prison or prison-based residential treatment facilities (RTFs) after their prison terms expired or they were granted parole. All three offenders were subject to post-release supervision (PRS) and were held past their release dates by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) when they were unable to find...
FL: Reentry Task Forces Recommends a Stop to Residency Restrictions for Sex Offenders
[from the last page] We affirm the findings of the OPPAGA that “many studies have established that sex offenders who maintain stable employment, housing and family relationships have significantly lower recidivism rates” as well as the numerous studies which conclude that SORRs undermine successful reentry of returning citizens, while doing nothing to promote public safety. For that reason, we make the following recommendations: 1)...
ACSOL Declares Virtual Conference a Success
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) conducted a successful two-day virtual conference on October 10 and 11. The conference featured plenary speakers such as criminal justice professor Dr. Alissa Ackerman, civil rights attorney Marcus Allen and Justin Brooks of the Innocence Project. The conference also featured panel discussions regarding the federal government's proposed SORNA regulations, challenges faced by family members, the LGBT...
Publishing Registered Sex Offenders’ Home Addresses Before Halloween Is Gratuitous, Unethical, and Reckless
[reason.com - 10/10/20] Every year in the run-up to Halloween, Patch publishes maps showing the homes of "registered sex offenders" in various cities. Ostensibly, this information is aimed at helping parents who worry that their children might be molested while trick-or-treating. But research shows that such fears have no basis in reality, and these stories—like the warning signs and restrictions imposed by local police...
CA Supreme Court Considers Prop. 57 Case
[ACSOL] The California Supreme Court today listened to oral arguments in the first in a series of cases regarding the implementation of Proposition 57 by the California Department of Corrections (CDC). At issue in all of those cases is whether CDC's regulations could lawfully exclude anyone convicted of a sex offense from its major benefit, that is, early parole consideration. The registrant in today's...
Oregon Voices Submits Formal Response to Proposed SORNA Regulations
[oregonvoices.org] Oregon Voices, an organization devoted to support and advocacy for individuals and families affected by the sex offender registry, submitted yesterday its formal response to the proposed SORNA regulations issued by the federal government last month. Below is an excerpt from that response and a link is provided after the article to the organization's full response. "We commend Oregon Voices for formally responding to...
Deadline is this Wednesday for ACSOL Oct. 10-11 Online Conference Signup!
For years you may have wanted to attend ACSOL's conference to get all that great information and infusion of hope, but couldn't afford the travel or hotel costs. This is your chance! The entire conference is being transmitted live through the Internet! But your chance to attend live ends this Wednesday night! For technical reasons, anyone who signs up after Wednesday will not be...
TX: Beeville optometrist (!) appointed by Gov. Abbott to Texas sex offender treatment council
[caller.com - 10/1/20] AUSTIN – Beeville optometrist Elizabeth Perez Aliseda has been appointed to the Texas Council on Sex Offender Treatment by Gov. Greg Abbott. Aliseda owns Mira Vision Boutique in Beeville. She is also a member of the Texas Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association and a former president of the Coastal Bend College Foundation and the Beeville Rotary Club. Read more about this appointment...
“Your Life on the List”: A Survival Guide for those Forced to Register Upon Release
Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com Since 2015, OnceFallen.com has provided the Informational Corrlinks Newsletter (ICoN) and other prisoner outreach services. In an effort to provide numerous resources for prisoners, those new to life on the registry, and those potentially facing life on the registry (many of whom may not have access to the Internet), OnceFallen has compiled the best information from our website and...
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) Report concludes SORNA does not achieve its goals
[atsa.com - 10/1/20] PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER [from the web page]: Registration and community notification with international adoption of these policies expanding to other countries in subsequent years. Federal and local laws in the U.S. and other Western countries require persons who have been convicted of a sexual crime to register their living location and other personal information with a local law enforcement agency...
General Comments October 2020
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of October 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.
FAC: Have sex offense laws ‘jumped the shark’?
[floridaactioncommittee.org - 9/30/20] The phrase “jump the shark”, according to the Urban Dictionary, is the point at which something loses its touch and begins to grasp at straws. It was coined by Jon Hein, who wrote a book citing examples of television shows that reached a peak and then began to go downhill. It refers to an episode of “Happy Days” in which Fonzie...
SCOTUS: Petition Maryland v. Rogers
Maryland v. Rogers addresses whether sex offender registration is “punishment” within the meaning of the Sixth and 14th Amendments. Jimmie Rogers pleaded guilty to a Maryland criminal law that provides that a person may not knowingly “take or cause another to be taken to any place for prostitution.” Because the victim’s age was not an element of the offense, the prosecution did not present...
ID: Idaho man sues over state’s anti-sodomy law
[ap.org - 9/24/20] BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho man represented by a coalition of civil rights attorneys is suing the state's attorney general over Idaho's so-called “infamous crime against nature” law, which makes it illegal to have oral or anal sex. The man, who uses the pseudonym “John Doe,” filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, saying his constitutional rights were...