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
Should a 9-year-old Be Branded a Sex Offender for Life? [Opinion]
Southwestern Law School professor Catherine Carpenter put it bluntly in her new research paper, "Throwaway Children: The Tragic Consequences of a False Narrative." "Truth be told," she wrote, "we are afraid for our children and we are afraid of our children." Full Article
WI: Court upholds GPS tracking of sex offender convicted before law passed
Making a Wisconsin sex offender wear a GPS anklet for life, when he was convicted before that was the law, does not violate the constitutional prohibition against retroactive punishment, a federal appeals court has ruled. Full Article
TX: Court orders 83-year-old sex offender freed
AUSTIN -- In a decision that could presage other releases, a state appeals court in Beaumont on Thursday ordered an 83-year-old man be immediately freed from a controversial supervision program for sex offenders because he no longer qualifies to be in it. The order by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was the first complete release of an offender from the program in its...
Judge Gives Man 5 Days for Child Porn, Rails Against Harsh Sentences
A Brooklyn man who faced 10 years for downloading child pornography was sentenced to five days by a federal judge who sharply criticized punishment guidelines for failing to distinguish between dangerous offenders and those who pose little threat. Full Article
Congress Reschedules HR 515 Vote for February 1 [updated with media]
The U.S. House of Representatives has rescheduled its vote on HR 515, International Megan's Law, for Monday, February 1. As originally scheduled, the vote will be under a "suspension of the rules" and therefore debate will be limited to no more than 40 minutes and require a 2/3 vote of those present regardless of how many members are in attendance. "There is still time...
CA RSOL to Meet in Berkeley – February 20
California RSOL will meet in Berkeley on February 20 at the Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut Street. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and last about two hours. The meeting will feature guest speaker Nicole Pittman, an advocate for juvenile sex offenders, and is open to registrants of all ages, family members and supporters. During the meeting, discussion topics will include residency restrictions, international...
LA: HIV exposure law unjustly applies sex offender status, advocates say
As the deadline loomed for ____ to send out notices of her sex-offender status, she had two choices. She could stay at Covenant House with a roof over her head and a structured environment geared toward helping her turn her life around. But if she couldn't find the $1,200 to pay for the notices, she could be sent to prison. Full Article
Are We All Sex Offenders? Galen Baughman – TEDxCUNY
Galen works alongside many others in reforming the criminal justice system, but his angle might surprise you. Join him as he shares his crusade for equal justice, which has led him to the courtroom, advocacy, and beyond. https://youtu.be/pYt-3fai-PI View on youtube
TX: Families stunned that towns repealed sex offender laws
JUSTIN, Texas — Parents in this community southwest of Denton expressed outrage and disappointment Wednesday after learning that Justin is one of a growing number of small towns that have decided to repeal their sex offender ordinances to avoid a legal battle. Full Article
Why Some Young Sex Offenders Are Held Indefinitely
On the afternoon of ___ ___’s 18th birthday, three parole officers showed up at his home in West New York, N.J. Sanchez was in his slippers and shorts, and when his mother asked if she could grab her son something else to wear, an officer assured her that ___ would be gone only for a little while. That was five years ago. ____ is...
MI: Sixth Circuit Considers Internet Restrictions on Former Sex Offenders This Week
The Center for Democracy & Technology has filed an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit case Doe v. Snyder, a case challenging unconstitutional registration requirements imposed on former sex offenders and brought by the ACLU of Michigan. CDT is joined on the brief by the First Amendment Lawyers Association and Professor David G. Post, an expert in Internet law. The court is holding oral...
TX: Small town sex offender laws in jeopardy
DENTON COUNTY — The fight over sex offender laws has come to Denton County in a big way. And it isn't the only place. Five small towns near Denton now face legal challenges over their local sex offender ordinances. A sixth, the town of Justin, repealed its ordinance in December. "I'm not surprised," said Denton attorney Richard Gladden. "I think the law is clearly on our side." Gladden recently...
VA: Senate Approves Eliminating Employer Names from Sex Offender Registry
The Virginia Senate passed a bill 22 to 17 that would remove a requirement that businesses who employ sex offenders have their name included in the sex offender registry. Democratic Senator Janet Howell of Northern Fairfax, the bill’s patron, says the current requirement serves as a barrier to hiring those who have served their time, and making it harder for them to get on...
Sex Offender Rehab Center Moving To Former ‘Out Of The Closet’ Space
It's been over a year since Out Of The Closet and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation moved out of the yellow building on the corner of Church and Duboce, and finally, a new tenant has emerged. Sharper Future, an outpatient clinic which helps rehabilitate individuals who have been convicted of sex crimes, will be moving into the 7,400 square foot space at the end of this...
Janice’s Journal: A Blizzard in the Nation’s Capitol Provides a Window of Opportunity
It took a miracle, a miracle in the form of a blizzard in Washington, D.C., to slow down Congress' consideration of HR 515, the International Megan's Law bill. Prior to the blizzard, the bill was on a fast track to a speedy vote under a "suspension of the rules" which would have ruled out any discussion or debate of this historic and misguided legislation....
The Myth of Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Obscures Real Issues
East Bay rapper Joshua “Five Hunnet” Durham had a busy August. He forced an underage runaway girl into paid sex with him and others, according to law enforcement, keeping her addled with a drug cocktail of weed, cocaine and meth. He advertised her services on social media next to boasts about opening for hip-hop mega-couple Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj, a show that would...
Oppose HR 515 Online Today at Change.Org
Please sign an online petition at Change.Org regarding your opposition to HR 515, International Megan's Law. It takes less than 5 minutes and it is a way to express your opinion regarding this terrible bill. The link to the petition is below and once you sign the petition, be sure to ask others to do it, too. There are more than 800,000 registrants and...
NV: Ruling approves stricter sex offender registration
A ruling by the Nevada Supreme Court on Friday gave the go-ahead for the state to implement stricter registration requirements for sex offenders. Justices, in a unanimous ruling, denied a petition sought by 24 unnamed, previously convicted sex offenders to block the nearly decade-old law from being implemented while a lower court considers constitutional challenges. Justices said the judicial record of facts was insufficient...
UK: York man is banned from having sex unless he gives police 24 hours’ notice
A YORK man has been banned from having any form of sexual activity with a woman - unless he tells police 24 hours in advance. He is also subject to controls on his use of the internet and must tell the police about every phone and device that he has that he could use for accessing the internet or calling or texting people. The...
IML Set for Concurrence Vote Tuesday, 26th We Must Act Now! [updated with postponement of vote]
The U.S. House of Representatives will not vote on legislation on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the severe winter storm that hit the country's capital city over the weekend, according to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office. The next vote by the congressional chamber is expected on Feb. 1. THIS MEANS ONE EXTRA WEEK TO CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO RECORD YOUR OPPOSITION TO HR 515....