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
ME: Maine Towns Allowed To Ban Sex Offenders From Parks, Fields
[mainepublic.org 4/23/18] AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine towns will be able to ban sex offenders from any state or municipal park, athletic field or recreational facility serving children. A new law allows municipalities to prohibit sex offenders from coming within 750 feet of such property. Officials in Madawaska had argued that state law only allowed municipalities to ban such individuals who come near property leased...
MO: Missouri’s awful choice
[handbasketnotes.blogspot.com 4/23/18] This is a terrible story about terrible legislation in Missouri, terrible legislation that offers hope to some. Almost all sex offenders in Missouri are on a state registry for a lifetime, whether they made a one-time mistake, or made repeated or extreme offenses. Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-St. Charles, wants to make it possible for certain people to petition to remove their name...
Second Women Against Registry National Conference is August 17-19, 2018
[womenagainstregistry.org] Read the full description [note: Janice is speaking!] Theme: Empowerment & Momentum ~ A March to Victory Announcing The 2nd Women Against Registry National Conference St. Louis Missouri (Maryland Heights area) August 17, 18, & 19 Early Registration Open Now April 1 – May 31…………….…..………$125 After June 1………………..……….……$150 A Great Opportunity to Network, Learn, & be Inspired DON’T MISS IT! Fri. August 17,...
CA: Senate Public Safety Committee Stops Two Bills
During a hearing today, the Senate Public Safety Committee stopped two bills, SB 976 and SB 1143, that would have harmed registrants as well as their families. The first of those bills (SB 976) would have expanded the definition of "violent felony" to include all felony sex offenses. That change could have resulted in longer prison sentences as well as no consideration for early...
With A.I. and Criminal Justice, the Devil Is in the Data
[aclu.org 4/9/18] If we have learned anything in the last decade about our criminal justice system, it is how astonishingly dysfunctional it is. Extensive investigations have revealed persistent racial disparities at every stage, a different kind of justice for the haves and the have nots, and a system that neither rehabilitates individuals nor ensures public safety. In short, the system is in crisis. Rather...
Facts, statistics and links regarding sexual offending
[narsol.org] The palm card is a collection of the most salient facts regarding sexual offending, quickly available for reference or for distribution. Since space is at a premium, citation references are omitted with one citation being given that will point here. Read the statistics
MN: Minnesota Senate passes bill to tighten sex offender, mental health commitment rules
[startribune.com 4/23/18] A proposal that would make it more difficult to release convicted sex offenders and people with mental illness is gaining new momentum at the Minnesota Capitol, as the state faces growing legal pressure to free some patients from its embattled sex offender program. The proposal comes in direct response to a court decision earlier this year that permitted the full discharge of...
Sex Offender Laws are Grounded in Cruelty, NOT Reality (A Response to the Oklahoman OpEd)
[once-fallen.blogspot.com 4/23/18] Back on April 10th, The Oklahoman published a biased pro-registry Op-Ed entitled "Sex Offender Laws Grounded in Reality, not Cruelty." I wrote and submitted a rebuttal piece but they're too cowardly to publish the truth. Thus, I thought I'd share the OpEd here: Sex Offender Laws are Grounded in Cruelty, NOT Reality By Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com, Anti-Registry Activist In response...
India Just Approved Death Penalty For Child Rapists
[factswt.com 4/22/18] According to an announcement from the government of India, the death penalty will soon be imposed upon those convicted of raping a child who is under 12 years of age. An ordinance was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the cabinet. That ordinance will allow the death penalty in order to combat a rise in crime—including sexual violence crimes....
Collateral Banishment of Spouses and Children
[sosen.org 4/23/18] I don’t read the comments on articles about “sex offenders” anymore. Most of the time anyway. But occasionally, I can’t help it and I find myself scrolling to the bottom to see if there are comments. I almost always regret reading them. Recently I read through the comments on a Facebook post of a local news channel. The comments ranged from suggesting...
CA: The Catalyst: Thelton Henderson
[themarshallproject.org 4/23/18] s the judge climbed the watchtower stairs in Pelican Bay prison, he heard muffled gunshots below. When he reached the top, he looked into the prison yard and saw bodies lying in the dirt. One was his law clerk, spreadeagled on the ground in his suit, alongside dozens of inmates. Guards stood over them, guns aimed. “My clerk was thinking he’s gonna...
MA: From the Capitol: Democrats reject common sense fixes
[journalstandard.com 4/20/18] This last week in Springfield has me thinking about common sense more and more. Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have run roughshod over what I believe are common sense solutions. It certainly seems that common sense isn’t so common, and I began to wonder how the term originated. ... The Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Subcommittee voted down House Bill 4318....
Federal Courts Examining Constitutionality of Sex Offender Registries
[o4anews.com 4/20/18] Back before the judicial system became a sprawling monster of inefficiency and inequity, justice was served in America. The punishment fit the crime, and once you got out of prison, ALL of your rights were returned, including gun ownership and voting rights. Not so much in America today. In the “kinder, gentler” America as GHW Bush would have called it, sentences do...
CA: Dangerous flaws in Proposition 57 could result in early release of sex offenders
Thanks to Proposition 57, hundreds of sex offenders could be released into our communities through an early parole program. As strong advocates for public safety and most importantly as mothers to our respective families, the prospect of having sexual predators leaving prison early is, to say the least, stomach churning. Full Article
This Case Could Help Prevent Congress From Outsourcing Its Power
[heritage.org 3/8/18] Gundy v. United States could result in a ruling that would challenge Congress' tendency to delegate lawmaking authority to executive offices. Key takeaways: SORNA established a comprehensive system of registering sex offenders and requires offenders to register in the jurisdiction where they live, work, or go to school. In practice, however, Congress delegates quite a bit of authority to executive branch officials...
NY: Prosecutors Aren’t Just Enforcing the Law — They’re Making It
[injusticetoday.com 4/20/18] Just a few months ago, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo seemed sure that criminal justice reform was imminent. During his annual State of the State address in January, he called for a legislative package that would limit civil asset forfeiture, reform discovery, reduce trial delays, and most notably, significantly reduce the use of cash bail. “For far too long, our antiquated criminal...
CA: Statewide crime initiative gains local support
[benitolink.com 3/28/18] A statewide initiative to change portions of three crime-related laws is picking up steam in the local region. The Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018 would change parts of Proposition 47, Proposition 57, and Assembly Bill 109 to reclassify certain “nonviolent” crimes as “violent” to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of crimes such as assault on a...
India: India to join 8 countries having sex offenders database
India will join a club of eight countries with a sexual offender database to monitor and track those convicted of such crimes, amidst growing criticism against it in the US, where it is pursued aggressively. Full Article
LA: Two Louisiana elementary school students arrested for child porn over nude Snapchats
[fox59.com 4/20/18] SLIDELL, La. – Police arrested two Louisiana elementary school students after they allegedly distributed nude photos to classmates using a social media app. The Bonne Ecole Elementary students, a girl and a boy, were booked on charges of distribution of child pornography, according to the Slidell Police Department. The female student allegedly used Snapchat to send nude pictures of herself to the...
Book: The Sex Offender Housing Dilemma: Community Activism, Safety, and Social Justice
by Monica Williams (Author) The controversy surrounding community responses to housing for sexually violent predators When a South Carolina couple killed a registered sex offender and his wife after they moved into their neighborhood in 2013, the story exposed an extreme and relatively rare instance of violence against sex offenders. While media accounts would have us believe that vigilantes across the country lie in...