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
Why Should Feminists Be Against the Sex Offender Registry?
In October, the Supreme Court heard a case that was painfully ironic, considering the Kavanaugh hearings the nation had just been subjected to: a challenge to the United States’ extremely restrictive sex offender registry laws. While opinions on the case Gundy v. United States, which challenges the Attorney General’s ability to retroactively impose registry requirements, have yet to come out, debate around sex offender...
PayPal Account for ACSOL Restored
The PayPal account for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) was put on hold for about a week, but has been restored. According to PayPal representatives, the IRS is responsible for the hold which affected ACSOL as well as thousands of others. "ACSOL's PayPal account was unable to accept donations, either on a one-time or a monthly basis, from December 15 through...
Interpol Response re. Green Notices
Submitted by Steve: Some off you are aware that I sent in a inquiry to Interpol that questioned their standards for issuing green notices...well I got a response back from Interpol, Lyon Paris (Yes the mothership AJ) In my letter I stated that I have not yet had a green notice issued against me (haven't travel abroad yet) but asked the question are they appealable....
MS: Mississippi Town Chose Sex Offender as Its Christmas Parade Grand Marshal
[newsweek.com - 12/17/18] Residents of small town in Mississippi said they do not care that its Christmas parade grand marshal has been listed on the sex offender registry in two different states. Michael Clay Saripkin, a convicted sex offender, served as grand marshal of the Sardis Christmas parade on December 11. Some residents of the Mississippi town told local media that they saw no...
Ronald L. Book: I thought sexual abuse only happened to other people’s children. Then I woke up.
[usatoday.com - 12/10/18] Nearly 17 years ago, I woke up from a nightmare I didn’t realize I was in. If you’re a parent whose child has suffered sexual abuse at the hands of someone you know and trust, you will understand what I mean. Sitting in a family counselor’s office, the world as I knew it came crashing down as I learned that my...
MN: Judge strikes down city ordinance restricting sex offender housing
[startribune.com - 12/18/18] A Hennepin County judge has struck down an ordinance in Dayton, Minn. that restricts where sex offenders can live in the community, saying the measure is trumped by state law. The far-reaching ordinance barred convicted sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of any school, day care provider, park, playground or public bus stop — even a pumpkin patch or apple...
Janice’s Journal: Registry Continues to Grow by Leaps and Bounds
The registry continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In fact, the registry grew by almost 5 percent during the past 12 months. That means there are currently more than 912,000 people on the registry in the U.S., an increase of 42,001, according to The Dobbs Wire. The recent increases in the number of people on the registry are not uniform throughout the nation....
UT: Social work expert disagrees with federal law enforcers about sex offender treatment
[deseretnews.com - 12/15/18] A University of Utah social work professor and therapist disagrees with the state’s top federal law enforcement officials' assessment that treatment for child sex offenders doesn’t work. Rob Butters, who has also worked as a probation officer, said it's unfortunate they made the statement in a public forum because "it's simply not true." "We know that treatment works a lot better...
MI: This Proposed Michigan Law Would Treat Parents Who Use Drugs Like Sex Offenders
[filtermag.org - 12/12/18] Sex offender registries and notification laws have proliferated in the name of protecting women and children, despite the fact that the evidence does not show that they prevent sex crimes. In fact, some evidence suggests that notification laws—which require that registry information be made available to the broader public—may increase recidivism and overall rates of sex crime. Even so, the State...
Action Alert: ACSOL Organizing State Capitol Meetings (February 5)
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is organizing meetings in the State Capitol with newly elected members of the Assembly and Senate in Sacramento on Tuesday, February 5. Training for the meetings will be held at the ACSOL offices located at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, starting at 9 a.m. "Registrants, family members and supporters are encouraged to join ACSOL in these...
WA: Sex offender records request raises safety, First Amendment questions
Attorneys fighting a request to release the names of all level 1 sex offenders in Cowlitz County are making a novel — and perhaps long-shot — legal argument to the state Court of Appeals. Judges should take into account the motives of Kelso resident Curtis Hart, a sex offender vigilante who filed a state public records request for the list of offenders’ names months...
OR: Dad who attacked sex offender in court won’t face charges
Charges have been dropped against the father who attacked a former pastor during a federal court proceeding. Full Article
Kat’s Blog: The Registry “Jingles” Away With Your Money
The holidays, a time of giving. But for registrants, that “giving”, goes on all year. Registrants fork over payment for all sorts of fees all year long. Registry fees, polygraphs fees, assessments, “sex offender” treatment fees, etc. These fees are not inexpensive and if you are unfortunate enough to have to register in December and take a polygraph in December and pay for treatment...
AK: Cyrano’s Theatre Co. will drop an actor who is a registered sex offender after social media backlash
[ktuu.com 12/11/18] A registered sex offender who performs with Cyrano's Theatre Co. will no longer be acting with the company. Jenson Seifert lists Cyrano's as his employer on the state's sex offender registry. He is a former teacher at Birchwood Christian School who was charged, and later served time, for sexually abusing a minor. At the time, police accused him of molesting a 14-year-old...
Proposed 2019 Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines [open to public comments!]
[ussc.gov - 12/13/19] During a public meeting this morning, the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted to publish for comment proposed amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines, including a proposal concerning how sentencing courts determine if a prior conviction is a "crime of violence" under the guidelines. (Read proposals and press release.) Today’s proposed amendment would enable the sentencing courts to consider the conduct that formed the...
ACSOL Emotional Support Group in L.A. on Sat, December 22
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, December 22, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide registrants and their loved ones with an...
TX: Ex-Baylor frat president indicted on 4 counts of sex assault won’t go to prison
[cnn.com - 12/11/18] Even though Jacob Walter Anderson was indicted on four counts of sexual assault, the ex-fraternity president won't spend a single day in prison. Instead, a plea agreement allowed the former Baylor University student to plead no contest to a lesser charge of unlawful restraint. That means if the 24-year-old successfully completes three years of deferred probation and pays a $400 fine,...
AZ: Human Trafficking Grant Goes to Arrest Suspected Victims in Tucson
[reason.com - 12/10/18] A Tucson Weekly investigation finds that federal funds to "fight sex trafficking" are actually perpetuating it. The program raked in $1.5 million from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in its first year. Its mission: to disrupt human trafficking and help the crime's victims in southeastern Arizona. Instead, Southern Arizona's Anti-Trafficking Unified Response Network (SAATURN) largely engaged in arresting and prosecuting sex...
SCOTUS: Who Gets to Define the Crime?
Agencies have to interpret statutes to carry out the work of the administrative state. But in the hands of federal prosecutors, does interpretation amount to defining the crime itself? Herman Gundy believes that is what happened to him. In a case before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, Gundy v. United States, Gundy is challenging his conviction for failing to register as a sex...
Kat’s Blog: There’s No Making Sense of Residency and Presence Restrictions
Registrants receive mixed messages when trying to make sense of the registry’s Residency & Presence Regulations. If you haven’t already, try reading the updated (Sept. 2018) State & Territorial Registration Laws Concerning Visiting & Temporary Residence by Adults. Then read your individual state’s registry rules. It’s like trying to read the newspaper without reading glasses. While state boundary lines may be bold and clear,...