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
To Lena Dunham: From A Person Placed on the Sex Offender Registry as a Child
Dear Lena Dunham, You have been taking some heat for a passage from your book outlining what most psychological and developmental experts would call childhood sexual curiosity, if not just plain curiosity. I am glad you have defended your actions as a child as just that—childhood exploration. While the behavior might be considered by a puritanical society as taboo, it should not be a criminalized...
Cars kill more kids on Halloween than Registered Sex Offenders, so we should ban Trunk or Treat
Over the past few years, we see the barrage of Halloween stories designed to scare the people in a different way. There was no shortage of news stories warning parents to check the registry before they send their kids out trick-or-treating. Still, there has not been a "stereotypical kidnapping" of a child by a "Registered Sex Offender" on Halloween so long as the registry...
Deadly Halloween Across the Nation
Halloween took a deadly turn for trick-or-treaters, paradegoers and party guests across the country, on a holiday that federal safety regulators say is one of the deadliest on America’s roadways. At least 15 people were killed and nine others were injured in accidents and a fire connected to the festivities in the past few days, in states from California to New York, and Washington...
Living with 290: AB109 – Rehabilitation or Family Destruction?
Husband AB109er! In full compliance for 9 months. Allowed to live at home with wife and kids after 3 months on the streets. They say he's not an SO he's an alcoholic. Clean and Sober 9 months out, never missed an appointment, graduating from treatment. Gainfully employed - even though I lost my job. Asleep upstairs 2 hours. Friends drives by to pick/up halloween...
CA Supreme Court to Hear Two Residency Restrictions Cases
The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument on two residency restriction cases on December 2 starting at 2 p.m.. The oral arguments are open to the public and will be held at the Ronald Reagan State Office Building, 300 South Spring Street, Third Floor, North Tower, Los Angeles. "The issue of where a registered citizen may live is of great importance to more...
TX: For $1.4 million, Dallas sex offender registration doesn’t buy much
If the goal is more stigma and shame, the operation succeeds spectacularly. For starters, the entrance is hidden around back of Dallas police headquarters, behind a rusting door, next to a small sign: “Sex Offender Registration Entrance Only.” Inside, the atmosphere only gets worse. The dreary waiting room is almost always filled to capacity with people sitting glumly, waiting for hours to meet the...
MD: Court ruling upends Maryland’s sex offender registry
___ is among 1,155 sex offenders who have been removed from the registry since February. ... Most have been stripped out because of a decision by Maryland's highest court. That ruling handed a victory to advocates who said the registries were unfairly punitive, but has troubled legislators and upset victims. Full Article
General Comments November 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
TX: 89-Year-Old Grandmother Required To Post Sex Offender Sign
ALVARADO (CBSDFW.COM) – Police in Alvarado aren’t bending the rules for 89-year-old ____ ____, whose son is a registered sex offender. “I haven’t hurt anybody. I haven’t violated or done anything to anyone,” said ____. Her home is her son’s official residence, thus ____ must post a “sex offender warning” sign on her lawn this Halloween. And it doesn’t matter, that she’s home alone....
Living with 290: first visit
It's halloween and my first year as a registered 290. while at work my wife called me in tears. that morning she was visited by a small army of police/probation personnel. They informed her that the house was to be searched. My poor wife of 40 years sat there terrified while they went through everything. Finding nothing,they left informing her they would be back...
Lakeside residents outraged over sex offender’s release
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The community of Lakeside is in an uproar over news that a registered sex offender could soon be living across the street from an elementary school. Full Article
Shaming Employers Willing To Give A Registrant An Opportunity
As registrants, we know how difficult it is to find employment. Irrespective of how educated, professional or qualified you are, the scarlet letter infects you, your family, your friends, your employer. There are kind-hearted people out there who are willing to give someone a second chance and help them support their families and themselves. In exchange they get a hard-working, dedicated, loyal employee, who...
NJ: Megan’s Law 20 years later: Pros and cons of sex offender rules still debated
Two decades after a convicted sex offender lured a 7-year-old named Megan into his house with the promise of seeing a new puppy, then killed her, the law that bears her name remains broadly popular, but gets mixed reviews. Full Article
LA: Open Letter to Louisiana’s Sheriffs Regarding Halloween (ACLU)
NEW ORLEANS – The ACLU of Louisiana delivered an open letter today to all of Louisiana's parish sheriffs, concerning regulation of the Halloween holiday. The letter reads as follows: Full Letter In response to: Plaquemines placing sex offender signs on lawns for Halloween
MD: ‘Vigilante justice’ leads to prison time in fatal beating of sex offender
A 20-year-old Reservoir Hill woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for what prosecutors called an act of vigilante justice when she led a group beating of a sex offender that turned fatal. Her father was also sentenced to jail time for his role. Full Article
Collateral Consequences: Why Bar Sex Offenders From Business Loans?
February 2012 - The principals of a small business seeking government-backed loans expect to be asked about their commercial backgrounds and credit histories. They probably do not expect to be asked whether they are former sex offenders. Full Opinion Piece
CA Supreme Court to Hear Residency Restrictions Case
The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 2 in Los Angeles on a case in which the constitutionality of residency restrictions have been challenged. Following oral argument, the Court has up to 90 days to render its decision. "Current residency restrictions violate both the state and federal constitutions," stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. "As applied, they constitute banishment which has...
Are Sex Offenders Unfairly Persecuted on Halloween?
On Halloween night, Andrew will celebrate the holiday the way most married fathers do: He and his wife will go trick-or-treating with their two kids, who are nine and 12; maybe afterward, they’ll head to their church to finish off the night with games and snacks. But Andrew’s family isn’t like other families, because Andrew is a registered sex offender. ... "Just because...
DE: When Halloween fun is against the law (Opinion)
Halloween is a time for costumes, parties and seeking out some chills and thrills. It is also when sex offenders are placed in the spotlight as law enforcement, neighborhood watch groups and local media tell parents their little ghosts and goblins are in imminent danger of becoming prey. The result is a slew of policies aimed at keeping sex offenders off the streets and...
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
A sex offender ordinance adopted by Los Angeles County is the subject of a lawsuit filed today in federal district court on behalf of a registered sex offender (“registered citizen”). This is the 25th in a series of lawsuits challenging sex offender ordinances adopted by local governments. “The California Court of Appeal ruled in January 2014 that city and county ordinances that restrict the...