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
General News Feed
“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...
Maxwell Monty: The List
When I was growing up and misbehaving, my grandmother used to say, “Watch it! You’re extremely close to being put on my ‘S&*T List.’” That warning was always enough to curtail my objectionable activity and to keep me from finding my name on my grandmother’s unenviable ledger. I was not exactly sure what would have happened had my name been inked in my grandmother’s...
The Deskovic Foundation Virtual Summit Oct 9: Pathways to a New Culture of Accountability in Criminal Justice
[deskovicfoundation.org] On Friday, October 9 at 9:am Pacific Time join us virtually for a day of workshops featuring special guest exonerees and panelists who will participate in discussions on: - Prosecutorial Misconduct in the State of California - Term Limits for California District Attorneys - Raising the Age of Adult Incarceration - Journalism and Media in the Advocating for Justice Reform - Eliminating Executions...
FL: Wakulla County to pay $160,000 to settle lawsuit with City Walk Urban Mission
[wtxl.com - 9/22/20] WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — A federal court in Tallahassee has ruled that City Walk Urban Mission can again operate in Wakulla County and can open up three other transition homes within the county. Tuesday, the court approved a settlement between the organization and the county. The county agreed to settle the case for $160,000. In addition to the $160,000 Wakulla...
TX: Proposal to Bar Ex-criminals from Affordable Housing in Texas Called Unfair
[reformaustin.org - 9/22/20] Under draft rules being considered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, anyone on the sex offender registry or those with drug manufacturing convictions would be permanently barred from state-supported housing. Others with violent felony convictions would be banned for three years, nonviolent felony offenders would be excluded for two years, and Class A misdemeanor offenses would result in...
New Jersey Dem Under Fire for Lobbying Against Sex Offender Registry
[freebeacon.com - 9/22/20] New Jersey congressman Tom Malinowski (D.), who is locked in a close reelection battle, is under fire for his role lobbying against the creation of a sex offender registry. The fresh scrutiny comes in the wake of a Washington Free Beacon report last month detailing Malinowski's role as the top lobbyist for Human Rights Watch when the organization opposed the 2006 Omnibus Crime...
ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and Law Firm Lauded for Excellence
ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and the Law Office of Chance Oberstein have been recognized for their excellence by multiple legal organizations. Recognition for Oberstein includes "Top Ranking Attorney" for the year 2020 by the American Association of Attorney Advocates, "10 Best Attorneys" for the years 2018 through 2020 by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, "Top 10 Criminal Defense Attorney" for the year...
Proposed SORNA Regulations Would Add Uncertainty to Registrants’ Lives
[ACSOL] The federal government issued proposed regulations to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) last month that, if adopted, would create uncertainty in the lives of registrants throughout the country. That is due, in part, to requirements upon individuals that require state action which states may or may not be willing to take. For example, individuals in many states are currently required...
Restorative Action Alliance Officially Launches – Join us on Sept 23 for our first meeting
[restorativeactionalliance.org - 9/22/20] My name is Amber Vlangas, Executive Director for the Restorative Action Alliance (RAA). As both a survivor of sexual harm, and part of a family who has been severely impacted by both the criminal legal system and public registries, I am uniquely immersed in the challenges we all face. I am excited to announce that New York Action Alliance and other...
Women Against Registry: We Saved the Best for Last – Registry impact demonstration – YouTube livestream on Sept 24
[womenagainstregistry.org - 9/21/20] We will live stream the peaceful demonstration beginning Thursday at 8 AM Mountain time. We invite you to get your cup of coffee and by all means get dressed then join us remotely. This will be on the innocentvictims1 YouTube channel. Here is the direct link to the live stream. Be sure to check the description on the live stream page to...
Maxwell Monty: When Objectivity is not the Objective
When objectivity is not the objective, the ultimate judgment is anyone’s guess. For those who have traveled down a lengthy rabbit hole doubling as a discussion on social media, it is known that more times than not the net result is a lot of subjective thinking; a lot of hyperbolic venting; and a lot of deconstructive fulminating. For each assertion of rational thought there...
Janice’s Journal: Mourning the Loss of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
After a long battle with cancer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died yesterday. She and her wisdom will be missed profoundly. As a civil rights attorney, an appellate court judge and a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Ginsburg could be counted on to understand the plight of the underdog. She also understood that being an underdog does not mean you have no rights....
Seventh Circuit Examines Lifetime GPS Tracking of Sex Offenders
[courthousenews.com - 9/18/20] CHICAGO (CN) — The Seventh Circuit on Friday weighed the intrusiveness of a Wisconsin statute that institutes lifetime GPS monitoring of certain convicted sex offenders against the necessity of preventing further offenses from that particular class of criminals. The underlying suit was first filed as a federal class action by eight registered sex offenders in March 2019. They argued that a...
UT: Officials consider streamlining Sex Offender Registry, using better data
State officials are considering changes to the sex offender registry, starting with deeper data gathering to determine whether it is safe for more offenders to be removed from the system after long-term treatment and no repeat crimes. Full Article
Sacramento In-Person Emotional Support Meeting Resumes Sept 24
The in-person support group meeting in Sacramento resumes 9/24. The group is from 6:30 to 8 pm every Thursday. Please email [email protected] for more information.