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
General Comments May 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
MN: Judge Stays Further Action in Minnesota Sex Offenders Case
A federal judge has stayed further proceedings in a class-action lawsuit over Minnesota's sex offender treatment program while lawyers for the offenders ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court finding that the program is constitutional. Full Article
FL: Lauren’s Kids racks up six-figure donations via auto tag registration renewals
In January, Broward County car owners who received their auto tag renewal notices also got a special message from Lauren’s Kids, the nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child sex abuse and founded by freshman State Sen. Lauren Book. Inside the envelopes, colorful flyers bearing Lauren’s Kids logo wished vehicle registrants a happy birthday while segueing into an ominous stat: “Yet shockingly, 1 in 3...
Sex Offender Registration – Why Fear Isn’t Smart Policy
As momentum around criminal justice reform builds nationwide, sex offenders are one population that is consistently left out of the conversation. Full Editorial
SC: Teens can be kept on sex-offender registry for life
South Carolina can continue to require some teens convicted of serious sex crimes to appear on the state's public sex-offender registry and wear an electronic monitor for the rest of their lives, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. A boy from Spartanburg County who was 15 when he sexually assaulted a 5-year-old boy and ended up on the registry challenged the law. Full Article
TN: Lawmakers pass bill lessening sexting punishment
Minors who send sexually explicit photos to one another could face far less serious consequences than they do now, under a bill that received final support from Tennessee lawmakers Wednesday. Full Article
Shakespeare And Sexting: Reconsidering Penalties For Teen Sexual Activity
Worried that the law sometimes imposes too big a penalty on teens who engage in consensual sexual activity, some legislators are pushing to reduce the consequences. More than 20 years ago, when ____ ____ was 19 and his girlfriend Amber was 15, Montana’s laws tore them apart, sending Russell to prison for four years for having sex with a minor. Source
California Inmates Decry Changes to Voter-Backed Early Release Plan
With the support of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and voters, California is preparing to overhaul decades-old determinate-sentencing laws and make thousands of nonviolent inmates eligible for early parole.... With the department planning to start determining parole eligibility on July 1, a civil rights group claims in state court that prisons officials cunningly tweaked the voter-approved measure and are planning to categorically exempt inmates incarcerated...
Kindergarteners among youngest schoolhouse assault victims
Student-on-student sexual assaults rise significantly during middle-school years, an Associated Press analysis of federal crime data found. But even as early as kindergarten and first grade, children can be at risk: About 5 percent of all sexual attacks reported on school property in a recent two-year period happened to 5 and 6 year olds, according to the AP analysis. Full Article Related Hidden horror...
Hidden horror of school sex assaults revealed by AP
____ ____ was 12 when they came after him. The classmates who tormented him were children, too, entering the age of pimples and cracking voices. Eventually, he swore under oath, the boys raped him and left him bleeding, the culmination of a year of harassment. Though ____ repeatedly told teachers and administrators about insults and physical attacks, he didn't report being sexually assaulted until a...
AZ: Prescott starts new program to monitor sex offenders
Getting aggressive with sex offenders - Sex offenders living in the City of Prescott are now under an additional layer of supervision. Full Article
U.S. Senate declares April ‘Second Chances Month’ in support of former inmates
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday declaring April as "Second Chances Month" for people who were once incarcerated and are trying to break back into mainstream society. Full Article
Newly Filed Lawsuit Challenges CDCR Regs for Prop 57
A lawsuit was filed on April 27 challenging regulations recently issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) which prohibit the beneficial effects of Proposition 57 from applying to anyone convicted of a sex offense. Those benefits include shorter prison terms that result from earning credit for good behavior as well as participation in rehabilitative, educational and career training programs. "Most registrable sex offenses are...
MA: Governor Proposes Bill Protecting Teen Sexters From Felony Charges
The Massachusetts state legislature will consider a bill that protects teen sexters from excessive prosecution while imposing harsher punishments on people who share nude photos with others without the subject’s consent. Filed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday, the bill would prevent prosecutors from charging teen sexters as child pornographers, recommending that they be sent to an educational program instead of prison or juvenile...
NY: Loophole could allow sex offenders to work for Uber, Lyft
Some are concerned about what is being called a dangerous loophole in the agreement that allows ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in New York state. Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law, says she found the loophole while studying the bill's fine print. "It's allowing Level 1 offenders that have been, as we've seen, convicted of very violent offenses against...
Feds tell Supreme Court that mug shots should stay secret
The Justice Department won't budge from its position that federal mug shots of criminals should be kept secret, arguing in a U.S. Supreme Court brief that jailhouse photos are "embarrassing, nonpublic" moments that add to defendants' grief. Full Article
Child Safety at Sea – Freed and Stuart Talk Cruise Policies to Protect Kids
Protecting kids at sea has been a hot topic of late, as some major cruise lines have adjusted their pool policies to add lifeguards. Most revealing on the subject of child protection, though? Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International, told hundreds of agents attending the final General Session of Cruise360 on Saturday that Royal Caribbean initiates...
Senate Committee Passes Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421)
The Senate Public Safety Committee passed the Tiered Registry Bill (Senate Bill 421) in a hearing during which three members of the Committee agreed to co-author the bill. The bill is now co-authored by Committee Chair Sen. Nancy Skinner as well as Committee Members Holly Mitchell and Joel Anderson. During the hearing, a total of 47 people spoke in favor the Tiered Registry Bill...
Senate Committee Approves SB 26 With Amendments
The Senate Public Safety Committee today approved Senate Bill 26 with the promise that it would be further amended. The approval came despite the testimony of more than 40 people, including registrants and family members, who spoke in opposition to the bill. As currently written, Senate Bill 26 would require all registrants who are parents to be supervised by a school official while visiting...
PA: Bill cutting off public assistance for non-compliant Megan’s Law registrants passes the Pa. House
Legislation that would make convicted sex offenders who are out of compliance with Megan's Law ineligible for public assistance passed the state House of Representatives on Monday by a 190-2 vote. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks County, now goes to the Senate for consideration. It would allow sex offenders' benefits to be reinstated immediately once they came back into compliance but would not be...