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
NC: Brothers cleared of murder, rape charges after 30 years in prison
LUMBERTON, NC (WMBF) – Two half-brothers who were convicted for raping and killing an 11-year-old girl in North Carolina 30 years ago have been cleared of all charges and will be released from jail Tuesday night. Henry McCollum and Leon Brown, now middle-aged, were locked up when they were in their teens. The details of the death of Sabrina Buie that led to their...
WA: Sex offender scandal prompts fair to require background checks
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- In the wake of news that several sex offenders had been employed at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, fair officials decided to make some changes this year. They're going to conduct background checks for all employees of the company that handles the carnival rides and games. That's great news to local parents at the fair. "That's outstanding," said fairgoer Lisa...
Nonprofit Floats Unusual Alternative To Private Prison
A group of activists in Washington, D.C., have proposed a novel solution to a problem that has affected the United States for decades: the practice of locking people up in private prisons that critics say are more concerned with making money for their shareholders than with helping lawbreakers turn their lives around. Full Article
The Debt Penalty
Financial debt associated with legal system involvement is a pressing issue that affects the criminal justice system, offenders, and taxpayers. Mere contact with the criminal justice system often results in fees and fines that increase with progression through the system. Criminal justice fines and fees punish offenders and are designed to generate revenue for legal systems that are operating on limited budgets. However, fines and fees often fail to...
Adelanto to amend sex offender code
ADELANTO — The City Council has voted unanimously to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would amend the city’s code to comply with recent court rulings regarding the presence of registered sex offenders at public parks. “Recent decisions have been issued by the Court of Appeals which call into question the validity of city ordinances that prohibit sex offenders from entering city...
CA RSOL Meeting November 8 in Sacramento
The monthly California RSOL meetings for November will take place on November 8 in Sacramento 2993 Fulton Avenue, Suite A Sacramento, CA 95821 Meetings start at 10 am and are open to registrants, family & friends, professionals and supporters. Members of the media or law enforcement are not invited. We invite you to attend and find out how you can make a difference. Past...
Carson vows to ‘go to war’ to keep sex offender restrictions
Carson’s political leaders are prepared to throw the city’s weight — and its bank account — behind a legal and legislative battle to maintain control over where sex offenders are allowed to visit and live in the city. Full Article
General Comments September 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of September 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Shift scrutiny to Pierce County’s worst sex offenders
‘Sex offender” is a scary label. But it shouldn’t scare us into stupidity. Roughly 2,400 convicted sex offenders officially live in Pierce County. By law, they must report their addresses to law enforcement, which maintains a public database of their whereabouts, and officers must theoretically pay a visit to each one of them at least once a year. Full Article
Canada: RCMP considers outsourcing creation of Harper government’s planned public sex offender registry
The Mounties are considering outsourcing the replacement and modernization of the national sex offender registry — and the creation of a proposed new public website — to the private sector. This is in advance of new legislation, expected this fall, which will toughen penalties for sexual predators. A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the force is taking a “proactive approach” by exploring...
ID: How to guard against violent offenders (Opinion)
The tragic, horrific death of Nampa resident Selena Thomas has once again brought the uncomfortable topic of domestic violence to the forefront. It has also inspired the city’s former police chief and city councilman to call for the Idaho Legislature to create a new criminal registry for violent offenders, similar to the state’s sex offender registry. Full Article
Wasco sex offender ordinance adopted in 2007 thrown out
WASCO, Calif. - A sex offender ordinance in Wasco challenged by a law firm has been thrown out. The ordinance adopted by the city in 2007 restricted offenders from getting 300 feet near of public or private places. This involved public libraries, schools, parks, bus stops and child care centers. A Central Coast law office challenged that ordinance on grounds that it was too...
AL: Alabama pastor sues over closure of sex offender camp
BIRMINGHAM – An Alabama pastor who let convicted sex offenders live in a camp behind his rural church filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday claiming a state law that forced him to shut down the operation violated his religious rights. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the complaint on behalf of Ricky Martin, pastor of Triumph Church in rural Chilton County south of Clanton. Full Article
MO: Defense attorney raises concerns about Missouri proposal on evidence in child sex abuse cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri — A Missouri ballot measure that would allow allegations of past actions to be used against people facing child sexual abuse charges could lead to more wrongful convictions of the falsely accused, a prominent defense attorney said Wednesday. The proposed constitutional amendment is backed by prosecutors, sheriffs and police chiefs' groups. It would allow past criminal acts — even alleged crimes...
I was taking pictures of my daughters. A stranger thought I was exploiting them.
After my family arrives on the Cape May ferry for our annual vacation to the Jersey Shore, I take pictures of our two daughters on the ferry’s deck as we leave the harbor. I’ve been doing this since they were 3 and 4 years old. They are now 16 and 17. ... Totally engaged with the scene in front of me, I jumped when...
MD: Weakening the Shield: Reforming Sex Offender Registry Laws for the Worse?
The sex offender registry has long been a system relied upon by the government to keep track of the residence and activities of sex offenders, including ones who have completed their court-ordered sentences. It is also a shield designed to protect the public; however, the shield could soon be weakened when at least 1,200 names disappear from the State of Maryland’s registry. Full Article
LA: Confusion Remains Surrounding Sex Offender Photos Law
Confusion, mis-information or no information continue to be a theme for Louisiana State Representative Barbara Norton's law on posting sex offender photos in schools where *kids* can see them. At the end of last school year KTBS spot checked 4 local schools. 1 in Bossier and 3 in Caddo, most were not in compliance with the law. Photos of sex offenders were posted in...
Liberty and justice for all – and yes, that includes sex offenders
As thousands of students poured through the Spine and milled about the Student Union on the first day of classes, phones and computers all over campus buzzed and beeped, announcing an incoming email that would set one of their classmates apart. When SUNY recommended to UB students be contacted directly about the presence of a Level 2 sex offender on campus, it singlehandedly brought...
Federal Cybersecurity Director Found Guilty on Child Porn Charges
As the acting cybersecurity chief of a federal agency, ____ ____ should have been well versed in the digital footprints users leave behind online when they visit web sites and download images. But ____ —convicted today in Nebraska on three child porn charges including conspiracy to solicit and distribute child porn—must have believed his use of the Tor anonymizing network shielded him from federal investigators. ......
California passes ‘yes-means-yes’ campus sexual assault bill
Californian lawmakers passed a law on Thursday requiring universities to adopt "affirmative consent" language in their definitions of consensual sex, part of a nationwide drive to curb sexual assault on U.S. campuses. Full Article LA Times Article