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
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MI: ACLU pushes for removal of sex offender registry
[abc57.com - 4/25/19] Could the sex offender registry soon be a thing of the past? The American Civil Liberties Union wants to possibly get rid of it, saying the registry doesn't work. Right now, there are two cases out of Michigan, including a class action lawsuit, claiming several parts of the registry are unconstitutional. “In August 2016, the federal court of appeals held that...
The Feds Are Dropping Child Porn Cases Instead of Revealing Info on Their Surveillance Systems
[reason.com - 4/24/19] The Department of Justice has been dismissing child pornography cases in order to not reveal information about the software programs used as the basis for the charges. An array of cases suggest serious problems with the tech tools used by federal authorities. But the private entities who developed these tools won't submit them for independent inspection or hand over hardly any...
Bahamas: Dames: No Stats To Support Us Crime Claims; Timeline for the sex offender registry
[tribune242.com - 4/24/19] NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said yesterday he didn’t have any statistics to back claims from a recently released United States report that crimes against its citizens in this country had increased. ... Officials are also making progress toward the implementation of police body cameras and the creation of a sexual offenders registry, he said. ... As for a timeline...
Fiji: Support for lifetime registration on sex offenders registry
[fbcnews.com.fj - 4/25/19] The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights is currently receiving submissions on the Sex Offenders Registry Bill. The Committee started their Northern tour with public consultations in Lagalaga and Vunivutu village. Committee Chair, Alvick Maharaj says the turnout has been overwhelming with more than a 100 Fijians showing up at the Vunivutu Village hall to make submissions on...
NH: Vital April 26 Hearing by DOC for prison therapeutic treatment program and secure psychiatric unit
[New Hampshire Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform - ccjrnh.org - 4/23/19] CCJR Members and Friends: Let’s pack a vital hearing this Friday morning on proposed rules by the Department of Corrections for the prison therapeutic treatment program and the secure psychiatric unit. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. on Apr. 26 in room 306 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord. The Golden Dome is...
CA: Sex offender challenges Commerce residency restrictions
LOS ANGELES (CNS) – An admitted sex offender who is not on parole is suing the city of Commerce, alleging its local regulations regarding where registrants can temporarily or permanently live in the city are so restrictive that he cannot find any affordable housing in the community. Full Article
IN: Jackson County to begin charging sex offenders for registry
[wdrb.com - 4/22/19] For years, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office has been behind the times when it comes to its sex offender registry. But it will now move ahead and collect some extra money in the process. Indiana law allows for sheriff's offices to collect a fee from convicted sex offenders in order to maintain the sex offender registry. But, for years, Jackson County...
AZ: Fann removes key roadblock to sex offender registration bill
[azmirror.com - 4/22/19] House Speaker Rusty Bowers’ bill to allow some people to petition to stop registering as a sex offender is back on track after his counterpart in the Senate gave it a chance to pass a key legislative roadblock. For several weeks, Senate President Karen Fann had kept House Bill 2613 from getting a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, which she...
Kat’s Blog: A Time to Reflect
Easter, a holiday with candy, decorations, family visits and children participating in Easter egg hunts. A holiday that so far, is fine for registrants to celebrate. Halloween, candy, decorations and children, yet it’s outlawed for registrants. I don’t get it, it doesn’t make any sense. We could say that there’s the religious element to Easter therefore they can’t take that away from us. But,...
ME: Sanford sex offender residency ordinance would cite landlords, property owners
The Sanford City Council is considering a sex offender residency restriction ordinance that would cite landlords and property owners for violations. ... Sanford Police Chief Thomas Connolly said is was his understanding that the ordinance would fall under licensing and permitting as a zoning issue, and so would be enforced against the property, rather than the sex offender. He said the police department would...
NC: Researchers Say Consensual Sexting Between Teens Should Be Decriminalized
[wfmynews2.com - 4/18/19] In North Carolina, if a teen is caught sexting they face jail time and could have to register as a sex offender. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sexting in many states is an act that could get your teenager into a lot of trouble. The problem is it most likely won't go away. The American Academy of Pediatrics says 1 in 4...
FL: Oppose HB 987: Public Lodging Establishments
[floridaactioncommittee.org - 4/17/19] On April 10th, The Florida House of Representatives amended House Bill 987: Public Lodging Establishments, to require Persons required to register as sex offenders report to the Sheriff’s office where they will be staying, 48 hours before an intended stay at a Public Lodging Establishment, regardless of how long they will stay at the location! In addition, operators of a...
NY: Despite Executive Order, Jamestown Public Schools Will Turn Away Registered Sex Offenders During Election
Governor Andrew Cuomo may have signed an executive order that gives voting rights to registered sex offenders, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be showing up and voting at Jamestown Public Schools anytime soon. Full Article
1 in 4 chance your teen has gotten a sext
[news4jax.com - 4/15/19] As if parents don't have enough to deal with once their teens' hormones start kicking in. Apparently, “sexting” is the new flirting, according to some experts. Research compiled in a new article in Pediatrics found that texting sexual images has become increasingly common among teenagers in the United States. That's not completely surprising, considering teens are using cellphones more than ever....
IN: County considers sex offender fee
The Jackson County Commissioners plan to discuss creating an annual fee for work associated with maintaining the county’s sex offender registry. ... Commissioners were receptive to the idea. Commissioner Drew Markel said he would like to see offenders pay their fees like those who serve sentences on probation. Full Article
CT: Low-risk sex offenders could come off CT registry
HARTFORD — The Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that would allow some low-risk offenders to come off the state’s public sex offender registry — a move that proponents said would make it easier for law enforcement to focus on high-risk offenders. Full Article
Kat’s Blog: TN HB407 Smells of Genocide
As I watched the TN General Assembly video/April 10th/Finance, Ways & Means Committee/ Vote on part two of HB407, I couldn’t help flashing back to a definition I had learned in a World History class. Genocide: In 1948 the UN approved its Convention on the Prevention & Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), which defined genocide as any of a number of acts...
The sex offender registry should assess risk, otherwise it is purely punishment
A not-so-uncommon story: The sexual assault victim — a girl of 16. She’s now 37 years old, happily married to the love of her life, and the mother of three children. That’s right — the victim and her attacker got married soon after the girl’s mother, learning of the couple’s romance, reported the “assault” to prosecutors. Although he has a master’s degree, the attacker couldn’t...
ACSOL Phone Meeting on April 20
Please join Janice Bellucci and ACSOL President Chance Oberstein, a criminal defense attorney, for our next phone meeting. The conference call will be on Saturday, April 20 at 10 am Pacific Time (1:00 Eastern) and will last from 2 to 3 hours. Topics of conversation will include information about the domestic and overseas travel, the Tiered Registry, residency restrictions and other current topics as...
AZ: Stringer fallout halts sex offender registry reform
[eacourier.com - 4/11/19] Legislation that would make more people eligible to have their names removed from Arizona’s sex offender registry may end up being an inadvertent casualty of the recent revelations of decades-old sex crime allegations that led David Stringer to resign from the Arizona House of Representatives. House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, sponsored House Bill 2613, which he crafted with assistance from...