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
Committee Permanently Stops Assembly Bill 884
The Assembly's Public Safety Committee today permanently stopped Assembly Bill (AB) 884. The Committee, in a vote of 3 to 4, defeated AB 884 a second time. The bill was originally denied passage in April 2019, however, the same Committee granted the bill reconsideration in order to allow the bill to be modified. The author of the bill did not to modify the bill,...
NY: Why Keeping People With Sex Offense Convictions Off Social Media Sites Does Little To Make Those Sites Safe
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal purports to take sexual violence seriously, but it aggressively ignores reality in favor of lazy solutions. Full Opinion Piece By Guy Hamilton-Smith, ACSOL Board Member
Kat’s Blog: The Side Effects of Law
Less than 2 weeks into the New Year and already 2020 is turning out to be a year that will be fraught with court battles. And the side effects, if we lose these battles, will be increasingly harsh and even barbaric for registrants and their families. In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers is blocking a bill that would have made positive changes in residency restrictions...
CA: Prison guards opened cells for inmate attacks. Why some kept their jobs
A California prison warden was going to fire six correctional officers after an investigation found they had helped a group of inmates assault convicted sex offenders. The warden managed to get rid of four of the officers, but then California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation attorneys stepped in and prevented firing two of them, according to an Office of the Inspector General report published...
CT: Sex offender registry should be based on risk
What is the point of a sex offender registry? As a woman and mother of two, I view Connecticut’s sex offender registry as a tool to increase public awareness about offenders living among us and to weigh my safety and the safety of those around me. Full Op-Ed piece Democrat Jillian Gilchrest represents the 18th House District in West Hartford.
Employment Help for Registrants in LA County
"Friends Outside" has been awarded a grant from the State of California to help registrants succeed in job searching and conduct registrant research. For more information and contact info, please see the flyer.
NJ: Police Warn Residents Against Fake Sex Offender Notice
[jerseyshoreonline.com - 1/9/20] Howell Police are warning residents of a letter that is making the rounds falsely claiming to be a Megan’s Law notification naming a Howell resident/ business owner. Police shared a community awareness post to their Facebook page emphasizing that the letter is a fake. “The person named is this letter is NOT subject to any type of investigation, prosecution or conviction...
FL: Florida House bill would require background checks for delivery workers
[orlandoweekly.com - 1/9/20] Background checks would be required for delivery employees after the murder of a 75-year-old Boca Raton woman in August, under a bill filed Tuesday by Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach. Caruso’s proposal (HB 1129) would require all home-delivery workers to undergo background checks that include a search of a multistate criminal database and a search of the National Sex Offender Public...
NM: New Mexico rethinks sex-offender registry eluded by Epstein
[sfchronicle.com - 1/9/20] Legislators will consider changes to the state's sex offender registration policies in response to revelations that deceased financier and New Mexico ranch owner Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to avoid registering locally as a sex offender following a guilty plea a decade ago in Florida Epstein was accused of abusing young women at his desert ranch outside the community of Stanley before...
When a sex offender calls, she’s there to listen
Vicki Henry sits at the desk in her two-bedroom duplex on a recent Sunday morning and adjusts her phone headset, which she has nestled on hair with a deep magenta tinge, a rare bit of pizazz for the 72-year-old grandmother of three. Everyone else in Henry’s working-class neighborhood of Arnold, a southern suburb of St. Louis, is probably at church or finishing up a...
UK: More travel restrictions ‘should be imposed on UK sex offenders’
More foreign travel restrictions should be imposed on known British sex offenders and more suspects prosecuted in the UK for crimes committed overseas, the government has been told. In a 73-page report on protecting children in other countries from exploitation, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) has called for legislation formalising use of international child protection certificates for those working and volunteering...
Why Re-Arrest Doesn’t Mean You’re a Failure
[thecrimereport.org - 1/7/20] The justice system traditionally uses a simple metric to determine whether an individual continues to be a threat to public safety after leaving prison: has the person been arrested for another crime? Recidivism rates are also used as criteria for judging the success of intervention programs and policy reforms. But a University of Wisconsin Law School professor argues that in both...
Participate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime
[Note from Janice: I recommend this. Emily is a part of ACSOL] Dear Veterans, There is still time to participate in our study on veterans who have been convicted of a sex crime. Thank you to those who have already participated in this research project. As of January 8, 2020, we have received 164 completed surveys; however, we still need more veterans on the...
CA DOJ Releases New Information About Tiered Registry Law
The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) has released new information regarding the Tiered Registry Law in the form of Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. A similar document was issued by the agency about two years ago. A link to a copy of the new document is below and can also be found on the website of the Office of the California Attorney General....
CT: Divided Appeals Panel Slaps Federal Judge for Allowing Jury Nullification Defense
It's not news that most judges balk at the prospect of jury nullification—the right and power of juries to bring "not guilty" verdicts when defendants violate laws that jurors consider unjust or wrongly applied. It is news when judges take a high-profile slap at a colleague who endorsed jury nullification in his own courtroom. And it's an even bigger deal when they barely assemble...
NY: Cuomo plans to ban sex offenders from MTA transit system
[pix11.com - 1/7/20] Repeat and high-risk sex offenders would be banned from the MTA tranist system under a new law proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The NYPD announced support for the ban when Cuomo suggested it in March of 2019. The ban would apply to offenders for three years and blocks them from the subway, bus and rail systems. "MTA riders deserve to feel...
Sacramento Lobby Day (Feb 11) Details Revealed
ACSOL will conduct Lobby Day on Tuesday, February 11, in Sacramento. The day will begin with training at 9 a.m. at a "new" address, 500 Capitol Mall, and will end about 5 p.m. All participants are invited to attend a group dinner, funded by ACSOL, following at 5:30 p.m. "The primary focus of this year's Lobby Day will be proposed changes to the Tiered...
TX: Family says they’re being targeted due to criminal past
[kens5.com - 1/6/20] Obscene symbols and hateful words fill the walls outside a San Antonio home. The messages are directed at the registered sex offender who lives in the house. Watch the video
PA: Five Cases Could Significantly Reform Pennsylvania’s Sex Offense Registry. The State’s Attorney General Is Pushing Back
[theappeal.org - 1/7/20] Josh Shapiro has warned that changing the state’s sex offense registry requirements threatens public safety. But experts say his fears are unfounded and the registry provides little to no public safety benefit. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is expected to rule on five cases this year that could change how the state treats people convicted of sex offenses, and could ease the...
ACSOL Meeting in San Diego on Saturday, Jan 11
ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in San Diego is as follows Saturday, January 11 10 am 350 Cedar Street Lecture Hall #2 San Diego, CA 92101 Registrants, friends and family and interested service providers are invited to attend these free meetings. There will be no law enforcement or media present in order to protect everyone’s privacy. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3...