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
Chris Hansen using crowd funding to get back to catching predators
Chris Hansen is going back into the predator-catching business, but this time he's asking his fans to help him. The veteran network news correspondent, known for the "Dateline NBC" investigative series "To Catch a Predator," is turning to crowd funding to support a new hidden-camera operation to capture men who use the Internet to find underage sex partners. The results will become the basis...
Punitive Effect of Retroactive Application of Sex Offender Registration Requirements
Typically, the courts find that the retroactive application of sex offender registration statutes does not violate the Ex Post Facto Clause, because such statutes are found to be nonpunitive. See, e.g., Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84 (2003). Recently, however, the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine held that particular amended provisions of the Maine Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act ("SORNA"), as applied to...
Another (incredibly trivialized) attack on Social Security
The National Journal, an elite newsmagazine that claims to be "regarded as the most influential publication in Washington," is trumpeting a big scoop about Social Security on its homepage. "Social Security Doles Out More Than $500,000 to Sexual Predators," the Journal reports. Since the National Journal also claims to be "fiercely honest and scrupulously non-partisan," this sounds like something worth looking into. Full Article Related http://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/files/audit/full/pdf/A-06-14-14087.pdf...
FL: Beach to consider sexual offender ordinance
With the more people coming to St. Augustine Beach, the police department thinks it’s time to consider a sexual offender ordinance. ... “We’ve seen the crowds double in the past couple years, and the ordinance will protect both the residents and tourists,” Parker said. He also said the city needs to adopt a sexual offender ordinance because there have been two related incidents within...
DE: Should towns ban sex offenders?
UPDATED with Opinion: Make sex-offender rules uniform There are more than 4,500 people on Delaware's sex offender registry – about 1 for every 200 citizens in the state. In most of Delaware, sex offenders are not permitted to live within 500 feet of a school. But eight towns have written rules expanding that zone five or sixfold, effectively banning sex offenders from their borders....
Genetics can make people more likely to commit sex offenses, study says (UK)
London (CNN) A new study has concluded that genetics as well as environment can influence the likelihood that a person will become a sexual offender. Full Article | Study [html] [pdf]
Janice’s Journal: Registered Citizens Trapped in U.S.
Registered citizens are being trapped in the U.S. by the federal government. They are not allowed to travel overseas for business reasons, to visit family members, or just to relax on vacation. The reason given for this entrapment is to prevent the international sex trafficking of children. We do not support international sex trafficking of children which is a heinous crime. However, the U.S....
Board Repeals Sex Offender Residency Restrictions
RIVERSIDE (CNS) - The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to nullify an ordinance prohibiting convicted sex offenders from living in close proximity to schools and parks. On a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor John Tavaglione absent, the board followed a recommendation from Riverside County Counsel Greg Priamos that Ordinance 902 be invalidated effective May 7. Priamos proposed the repeal based on a California Supreme Court...
MI: Time to rethink sex offender rules (Opinion)
In the 20 years since Michigan decided it would be a good idea to keep tabs on sex offenders with a record of targeting children, the state's sex offender registry has swelled exponentially. Full Opinion Piece
Sharon Runner Demands Transparency from Corrections Department
SACRAMENTO – Senator Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) has called upon the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to provide insight into its decision to terminate enforcement of the uniform sex offender residency restrictions under Jessica’s Law. “I was alarmed by CDCR’s sweeping decision to stop enforcing the people’s will as expressed in Jessica’s Law,” said Runner. “The residency restrictions in Jessica’s Law provide important...
Is Alabama’s sex offender registry necessary or ‘pointless’?
Two weeks ago, California became among the first states to relax rules about where registered sex offenders can live in relation to schools and parks, according to a recent article on Slate.com. In the Slate piece, criminologist Emily Horowitz of St. Francis College in Brooklyn and author of "Protecting Our Kids?: How Sex Offender Laws Are Failing Us," says that sex offender registries, once...
Let local governments set safety zones for children: Guest commentary
California’s sex offender laws are blanket policies that may not properly capture all of the nuances needed in various communities. While the state has laws that restrict where sex offenders can live, it is clear that communities know best where local children are most vulnerable and it is critical that local authorities have the necessary tools to protect them. Jessica’s Law already prohibits registered...
FL: Marco Island may increase sex offender buffer zone
MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – Keep sex offenders out! That’s the message from Marco Island. The city might ban sex offenders from living 2,500 feet from where kids live, play and go to school. But, on an area as small as Marco Island, does that mean sex offenders will be banished completely? Full Article
MI: Parts of state’s sex offender law unconstitutional
Michigan's Sex Offender Registry law is so vague that parts of it are unconstitutional, including the requirement that offenders stay at least 1,000 feet from schools, a federal judge has ruled. Full Article Related Michigan's unfair sex offender list (Commentary) Sex offenders can be within 1,000 feet of schools after federal judge strikes down parts of law
BEAUMONT: Council to weigh sex offender residency restrictions [UPDATED]
The Beaumont City Council may repeal local sex offender residency restrictions when it meets on Tuesday, April 7. The state Supreme Court has ruled such regulations are unconstitutional. Full Article April 9: BEAUMONT: City set to repeal sex offender residency restrictions (First Reading) City Council Hearing / at 71:20 (with reference to Presence lawsuits)
Government Officials Damaging a Person’s Reputation Overseas
This is happening more and more; U.S. government officials are attacking registered citizens who live overseas or who are going on vacations overseas. They are doing this by notifying the other countries to the fact that registrants are in or traveling to their country and that our government is implying, that because a person is a registered citizen, that they are coming into or...
General Comments April 2015
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2015. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
MT: Sex offenders face new set of restrictions
BILLINGS - Montana sex offenders' online and geographic freedoms could soon become more restricted. Two bills in the state House sponsored by Billings Representatives, House Bill 88 and House Bill 219, take aim at the growing list of 2,271 sex offenders in the state. The existing law requires sexual offenders to register his or her name, address, and phone number with the county at...
MI: Appeals judges call for change to sex offenders registration law
The state appeals court recently called for state lawmakers to amend the state Sex Offenders Registration Act to show it includes offenders convicted of nonsexual crimes against children. A three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals made the statements in a March 26 opinion in which it denied the appeal of ____ _ ____, 48, of Sterling Heights, who along with two co-defendants...
California’s Sane New Approach to Sex Offenders
And why no other state is following its example. - Last week, California officials announced that the state would allow some sex offenders to live within 2,000 feet of schools and parks for the first time since 2006, making it easier for them to find housing. High-risk sex offenders and those whose crimes involved children under the age of 14 will still be subject...