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
AZ: Sex offenders are legally living just feet away from Arizona schools
[12news.com - original: 5/16/18, updated 5/24/18] PHOENIX - A loophole in Arizona law allows sex offenders to live near schools, in some cases just feet away from campus. Per state law, it’s only illegal for a sex offender to live within 1,000 feet of a school if that person has been convicted of a dangerous crime against children. According to the state sex offender...
ID: Judge Rejects Idaho Sex Offender Registration Lawsuit
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging Idaho's sex offender registration laws, but the 134 anonymous sex offenders who brought the lawsuit have the option to refile the case if they can show the current laws caused them actual harm. Full Article
SC: Charleston sheriff unplugs mugshot websites
postandcourier.com - 5/26/18] Once upon a time, we named and shamed by putting the accused in stocks on the town square. Now we put them on the internet. I am omitting the names because it is impossible to sort the innocent from the guilty. “South Carolina Hottie Bookings,” on a website called Arrests.org, isn’t troubled by such details. On this one website, there are...
FL: Safety versus second chance: A home for sexual offenders has neighbors up in arms
[tallahassee.com - 5/26/18] Nestled in a pocket of land surrounded by the I-10 overpass and Mission Road sits the Moon Lane neighborhood. A dirt road that runs along the interstate wall leads to several mobile homes hidden behind a barricade of drooping trees and unkempt foliage. Cornered off and relatively quiet, homes are scattered around the unpaved road with no real boundaries. But, residents...
GA: Sex offender registry problems cost the state federal funds
Shortcomings in Georgia’s sex offender registration program are going to cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grant money, according to a letter the U.S. Department of Justice sent to the governor. Full Article
In a move once reserved for Nazis, sex offender from Grand Prairie loses citizenship and gets deported
A Grand Prairie immigrant was stripped of his U.S. citizenship and deported to Nigeria after a felony conviction for indecency with a minor this week. Full Article
PA: Montgomery County lawmaker wants only sex offenders on state sex offender registry
Sen. Stewart Greenleaf plans to introduce a bill that would keep individuals convicted of crimes where there is no sexual motivation from ended up on the states sex offender registry. The lawmaker cited data that shows individuals with no sex crime accusations are being labeled as sex offenders.Full Article
NJ: Science and Law Evolve Together, Sex Offender Registry Case Reminds Us
This is how law and social science are meant to intersect. The case reminds us that, as our knowledge of human behavior evolves, our approach to legal issues will evolve as well. Full Article Decision
WV: West Virginia’s Fake News Regarding Sex Offenders
[blog.womenagainstregistry.org - 5/24/18] I thought it started out as a good news article from The Exponent Telegram in West Virginia. A judge was reading sex offender rules to a defendant at a sentencing hearing. The author of the article correctly noted that defendants at a sentencing hearing are focused on “sentencing” and probably not absorbing much of the information the judge is providing them...
Convicted of Violating a Law that Does Not Exist
[cato.org - 5/24/18] Herman Gundy stands convicted of violating a law that, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t exist. You may recall from high school civics that the Constitution separates the powers of the federal government among three coordinate branches. You may also recall from “Schoolhouse Rock” that a bill becomes a law after it’s passed by the two houses of the legislative branch...
FL: Police Now Shuffling Tent City Sex Offenders Around Miami-Dade
[miaminewtimes.com - 5/24/18] In 2009, California artist Scott Gairdner made the "Sex Offender Shuffle," a viral video parodying Miami-Dade's treatment of sex offenders. With a catchy beat and '80s-style cinematography, the four-minute spoof of the 1985 Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle" mocked the way sex offenders are shuffled from one location to another under the guise of public safety. Nine years later, the sex...
Post-Prison Purgatory
[theinvestigativefund.org - 5/23/18] At Coalinga State Hospital, located in a desolate, dusty part of California’s Central Valley, 200 miles north of Los Angeles, 37-year-old Cory Hoch stands out. He's well liked by other patients, and his dry sense of humor and lively intelligence come across almost immediately. His feathered earring and neon-green sneakers infuse some color into the surroundings, while his khaki scrubs identify...
Registry Matters Episode 25 – Why GPS monitoring should be 1 of the 7 deadly sins
[narsol.org - 5/22/18] Why GPS monitoring should be 1 of the 7 deadly sins A malfunction in the charging could land you in jail. No access to power? Could land you in jail. Poor cell signal? Could result in being detained while proof is obtained. You could spend a week or more in jail for an unspecified violation. Spending time in jail could lose...
What People Get Wrong About ‘Political Will’
[governing.com - May 2018] At a recent Governing roundtable, I heard once again that the failure to act on a serious public problem was due to a lack of “political will.” Hearing this from people who are wise and good public officials always leaves me a little annoyed. I agree with David Roberts of Vox, who wrote, “To me, it has always sounded like...
A Flurry of Bills Followed Larry Nassar’s Conviction. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.
[injusticetoday.com - 5/24/18] The history of child sex abuse legislation in the United States follows a well-worn pattern: a chilling incident rouses public anger and fear, to which lawmakers respond with expansive, emotionally charged legislative action. The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act, the first law to establish federal guidelines requiring states to implement sex offender registries, was named after an 11-year-old Minnesotan who was kidnapped...
NV: Giunchigliani amendment exempted teachers from bill expanding sex offender reporting laws
[rgj.com - 5/23/18] Democratic governor hopeful Chris Giunchigliani, a former teacher and state lawmaker, helped hollow out a proposed law that would’ve required teachers who have sex with an underage student to register as sex offenders. Then-Assemblywoman Giunchigliani — an ex-teachers union boss who in January won an endorsement from the Nevada State Education Association — waited until the second-to-last day of the 2005...
MO: Missouri Supreme Court disciplines prosecutor who criticized letter writers in the press
[missourinet.com - 5/23/18] The Missouri Supreme Court has sided with a disciplinary counsel in deciding that Platt County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd violated rules of professional responsibility. Missouri Supreme Court – Image courtesy of Missouri Courts Zahnd publicly criticized letter writers who expressed support for a man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of his daughters. In doing so, the high judges determined that...
MI: Michigan lawmakers advance legislation on mandated reporters
[mytwintiers.com 5/23/18] LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Sports coaches, the types of paid employees who allegedly learned Larry Nassar was molesting gymnasts and other athletes before the sexual abuse scandal broke, would still not be required to report such suspected abuse to the authorities under a watered-down proposal to expand Michigan's mandatory reporting law. A state House committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would...
OH: Evading Justice: How some accused rapists in Cuyahoga County avoid the sex offender registry
The sex offender registry is an important tool that tracks those convicted of sexual assault to keep the public safe. A 5 On Your Side six-month-long investigation uncovered a loophole that allows many accused rapists to evade the registry. https://www.news5cleveland.com/longform/evading-justice-how-some-accused-rapists-in-cuyahoga-county-avoid-the-sex-offender-registry
Is The “First Step Act” Real Reform?
[themarshallproject.org 5/22/18] The First Step Act, which passed the House of Representatives Tuesday, has been a hot-button topic for Congress. It addresses the dire need for rehabilitative services in the federal prison system, proves there is strong bipartisan support for at least modest criminal justice reform and underscores a strategic debate that has split the Democratic Party. What is the First Step Act? The...