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
RI: Letter: Leo Carroll: Base sex offender laws on facts rather than myths [opinion]
[providencejournal.com] Two decades of research regarding the effects of sex offender laws have produced no evidence that such laws achieve their stated purposes. A recent review of research on community notification and residency restriction laws in the Oxford Handbook of Sex Offences and Sex Offenders concludes that such legislation is “misinformed and simply incorrect.” These laws are knee-jerk reactions to hysteria fueled by media...
As we move into 2018, are we still in a room without a view? [opinion]
[sajrt.blogspot.com] By Kieran McCartan, PhD, David Prescott, LICSW, & Alissa Ackerman, PhD. The start of a new year is often a time of reflection and hope. We think about our experiences as well as practice over the last year and learn from poor practice as well as build upon good, existing practices. Having a solid, reliable, evidence base is central to all aspects of...
RI: Crossroads will continue to shelter homeless sex offenders as lawsuit plays out
[providencejournal.com] PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Crossroads Rhode Island will continue to take in sex offenders at a homeless shelter in Cranston under an agreement between the parties to a lawsuit challenging a new state law that limits the number of convicted sex offenders who can be housed in homeless shelters. The parties met in chambers Wednesday afternoon with U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E....
Janice’s Journal: To Jail and Then to Hell
A town in Connecticut passed a new law this week that bans registrants from virtually all of its public sites, including parks, recreation centers, event centers, swimming pools, trails, and open space land. The new law also prohibits registrants from attending school events even if their children are participating in them. The town’s decision to ban registrants was made about the same time as...
It Could Be You Registered with Dignity
[sexlawandpolicy.org] Yesterday, SLAP Center was honored to speak on It Could Be You, with host John S., about our recently released reentry guide for registrants – Registering with Dignity (RWD). During the hour-long interview, we stressed that registration and incarceration isn’t a period. It doesn’t have to be a full stop and the end of your life. Use RWD as your semi colon; get...
I was Raped. And I Believe The Brock Turner Sentence Is a Success Story [opinion]
[injusticetoday.com] On the morning of June 12, 2016, a small plane circled over Stanford University’s commencement ceremony trailing a banner reading, “Protect Survivors. Not Rapists. #PerskyMustGo.” The plane’s voyage was commissioned by feminist group UltraViolet to protest former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner’s six-month sentence handed down by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky in 2016 for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on...
IL: Task force recommends changing sex offender rules
CHICAGO — Major changes in Illinois' rules for sex offenders, including how long an offender must remain on a public registry, are part of a final report on its way to the governor's office from the Sex Offenses & Sex Offender Registration Task Force. The report comes after a year of study by the group of legislators, criminal justice policymakers and advocates for victims...
CT: Naugatuck puts its property off-limits to sex offenders
[rep-am.com] NAUGATUCK – Registered sex offenders will no longer be allowed on most borough-owned property. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday that bans any person convicted of a sexual offense from frequenting borough-owned parks, schools, playgrounds,… Read more
Dear Abby Says Never Take Your Eyes Off Your Kids Till They Are Old Enough To “Fight Off a Predator”
[letgrow.org] From last week’s Dear Abby comes this pointless fear-mongering: DEAR ABBY: My husband and I disagree about how to handle taking our children shopping with us. I believe that, especially while our children are small (they are 3 and 5), the adult with them should keep them in sight at all times, or at least the majority of the time. If a child...
AK: Anchorage man who attacked sex offenders hopes his story can be a lesson for others
[adn.com] An Anchorage man who attacked three registered sex offenders last year said he wants his story "to serve as a deterrent" to anyone tempted to turn their pain into violence or take the law into their own hands. That's what he did in the summer of 2016. He now faces up to 25 years in prison. "If you have already lost your...
Does Social Justice Exist for Registrants? [opinion]
[blog.womenagainstregistry.org] There are dozens of definitions of Social Justice. Wikipedia defines it as the concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity and social priviledges. The Business Dictionary puts a different spin on it, the fair and proper administration of laws conforming to...
Employment Opportunity – Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Fellow at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
https://mitchellhamline.edu/sex-offender-litigation-policy/ The Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Resource Center seeks applications for a full-time fellowship position. This is a two-year, full-time position, working directly with the director of the Center. We seek a person with superior research, writing and organizational skills, with a demonstrated interest in impact litigation, particularly involving sex offense policy, who can take charge of developing resources and initiatives supporting this...
CT: Law would bar sex offenders from most public spaces
[mycitizensnews.com] [1/3/18 UPDATE: The ordinance passed http://www.rep-am.com/news/news-local/2018/01/02/naugatuck-puts-its-property-off-limits-to-sex-offenders/] NAUGATUCK — Sex offenders will no longer be allowed in borough-owned parks, schools, playgrounds, recreation and event centers, pools, gyms, sports fields and facilities, trails, or open space if the Board of Mayor and Burgesses approves a new “Child Safety Zone” ordinance. The board will hold a hearing on the proposed ordinance at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday...
General Comments January 2018
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of January 2018. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Poland: Opened the register with the data of pedophiles
In Poland since January 1 officially opened the registry with the data of pedophiles. This was announced by the Ministry of justice of Poland. Full Article - Online Registry
NY: This 11-year-old got wrongly caught up in Pervnado
[nypost.com] __________, a Brooklyn sixth-grader in a schoolyard tussle with two girls, got caught up in the sex-harassment tornado. __________ insists he only tried to grab the water bottle and backpack of classmates who had tossed his stuff during lunchtime horseplay. But the school charged him with “conduct of a sexual nature.” He was accused of trying to touch one girl’s breast and kiss...
RI: Lawsuit seeks to block R.I. law limiting number of sex offenders in homeless shelters
[providencejournal.com] PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An advocacy group for the homeless is asking a federal judge to block a Rhode Island law set to go into effect Monday that limits the number of convicted sex offenders who can stay at Rhode Island homeless shelters. In a lawsuit against the state filed Friday in U.S. District Court, lawyers representing the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project and...
WV: Cuts at Supreme Court might look good at first, but will harm people
[wvgazettemail.com] In a written response to questions about remodeling West Virginia Supreme Court justices’ offices — in a clear effort to change the subject and distract from the issue-at-hand — Justice Margaret Workman noted that, in the last year, the court has “already saved almost $8 million so far this year.” Justice Menis Ketchum wrote it was $7 million. They attempted a kind...
CA: We can’t afford showy but ineffective sex offender policies [commentary]
[with-justiceforall.blogspot.com] This was a recent headline in the Daily Democrat in Yolo, California, recently: " 'OperationVigilance’ targets Yolo County sex offenders.” http://www.dailydemocrat.com/article/NI/20171216/NEWS/171219907 “Yolo County law enforcement conducted surprise compliance checks on over 300 sex offenders earlier this week…” “While many of the sex offenders investigated were in compliance, two sex offenders contacted were arrested for a variety of weapons, pornography and other violations....
NJ: New Jersey child molesters won’t face castration threat any time soon
[trentonian.com] In a year filled with arrests for sexual crimes against child victims, there is a familiar refrain heard each time one of these arrests is announced. “Castrate him,” is shouted from all corners of society and social media. Almost 80 alleged child molesters or kiddie porn collectors were arrested this year by a regional task force. None of those offenders, however, will...