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
deserving a chance for a pardon
A 25-year-old registered sex offender has been granted a hearing before the Nebraska Board of Pardons. This is excellent news for this young man because if he is pardoned, he will regain his civil rights and he will no longer be on the sex offender registry. According to the Omaha World-Herald article, it is unusual for a sex offender to be granted a hearing because [t]he Pardons Board...
The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery?
Human rights organizations, as well as political and social ones, are condemning what they are calling a new form of inhumane exploitation in the United States, where they say a prison population of up to 2 million – mostly Black and Hispanic – are working for various industries for a pittance. For the tycoons who have invested in the prison industry, it has been like...
FL: Gov. Rick Scott signs sexual predator laws
Gov. Rick Scott signed four landmark bills Tuesday designed to better protect children in Florida from sexual predator."Today I am proud to sign this legislation for all the children who have been terribly affected," he said. "I hope these measures and the awareness that we are bringing today will make a difference for generations to come." Full Article
General Comments April 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
KY: Viewing child porn not victimless crime; Ky. punishment fair (Op-Ed)
I am a clinical psychologist, lately retired after 12 years of service to the state as an approved provider of sex-offender evaluations to the courts. I wish to address misconceptions in the Guy Hamilton-Smith commentary, in which he complained that he was being unduly punished by being required to register as a sex offender and the subsequent letter of support from Marjorie Valentine of...
VA: Navy increases base security after NSN shooting
The new measure requires drivers presenting a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to be subject to a criminal history check by the National Crime Information Center database. The database will check for previous convictions or outstanding warrants that are grounds for denying the driver access to the base, according to Navy Region Mid-Atlantic access standards — not the TWIC eligibility criteria. That means if...
How to Survive Police Interrogation at Your Door ( Video)
What do you say and do when a police officer knocks on your door at home? You always have the right to remain silent. In this video is a good example of how not to answer questions. This man only uses four little words to great effect: “I don’t answer questions.” Oh, yeah, RECORD EVERYTHING. Video
CO: Sex offender stabbed outside Lafayette home
BOULDER – A man convicted of Internet sexual exploitation of children was stabbed outside a Lafayette home Monday afternoon. Boulder County deputies say 26-year-old ____ ____ got out of his car, and was jumped from behind by a male wearing all black clothing in the 600 block of Snow Peak Lane in Lafayette. Deputies and K-9 units were unable to locate the suspect after...
LA Deputies Demanded Sex From Female Trainees: Lawsuit
A group of tattooed male deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who called themselves the "Banditos" allegedly sexually harassed female trainees and demanded sexual favors as part of initiation, according to a report by NBC News. Guadalupe Lopez, who was assigned to the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s station in Boyle Heights beginning in 2011, is seeking unspecified damages. Full Article
NH: Sex offender housing restrictions do more harm than good (Editorial)
Of all the constituents that politicians want to help out, sex offenders probably rank at the very bottom of the list. But the New Hampshire Senate should summon the courage to do just that. By helping sex offenders, as strange as it sounds, the Senate will end up making life safer for everyone else. Full Opinion Piece
W.A.R. Press Release sent to Texas Media
Pedophile—what does it mean and when should it be used? How does one convey the proper use of a tired and overworked word to those who have the eyes and ears in the state of Texas? Women Against Registry, a national organization of wives, mothers, girlfriends, grand-mothers and other family members of registrants would like to make the media and ultimately the public aware...
Suits challenge sex offender laws
Lawyer and her reform group were prompted by recent appellate court ruling A civil rights lawyer aiming to reform sex offender laws has started suing municipalities across California to force the removal of ordinances that bar sex offenders from many public facilities, including parks, swimming pools and bus stops.Janice Bellucci, who practices in Santa Maria and is president of the group California Reform Sex...
TX: Sex-offenders not allowed in San Antonio city parks anymore
SAN ANTONIO -- The new San Antonio law that bans people who have been convicted of sex offenses from enjoying city-owned facilities went into effect Saturday. The law prohibits sex-offenders from entering any land operated, or managed, by the city, including: parks, trails and natural areas. Cemeteries and golf courses are not included in the ordinance.Woodlawn Lake is a favorite west-side destination and the site of the...
VA: Norfolk case highlights aging sex offenders debate
____ ____ ____ arrived at Norfolk Circuit Court on a cold December morning, guilty and worried. On his mind was a pink slip buried in his mailbox for days - maybe weeks. The small piece of paper was a receipt for a registered letter from the state. His freedom depended on it. ____, 68, is a convicted violent sex offender. The letter represented his remaining...
Casual cruelty to children
Children suffer when a parent goes to prison but who would expect that the suffering can be worse when that parent is released from prison? After the parent has been away from home for years, the anticipated reunion is often prohibited, even when the child was not a victim of the parent's crime.A man who was convicted of possession of child pornography, released to...
FEDERAL LAWSUIT CHALLENGES SOUTH LAKE TAHOE ORDINANCE
A sex offender ordinance adopted by the City of South Lake Tahoe is the subject of a lawsuit filed today in federal district court on behalf of a registered sex offender (“registered citizen”). This is the second in a series of lawsuits filed in federal court challenging city ordinances that include presence restrictions. The first lawsuit was filed on March 24 challenging a similar...
Georgia private probation companies expand sex offender industry
In 1994 the Jacob Wetterling Act established the first national sex offender registry law, and Indiana’s “Zachary’s Law” placed their state registry online. In 1996 “Megan’s Law” was passed at the federal level, forcing states to maintain publicly accessible registries and allowing all levels of community notification. In 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld civil commitment in Kansas v. Hendricks, and a year later,...
NE: Norfolk man gets chance to be free of the label ‘offender’
LINCOLN — ___ ___ stands before two rare opportunities that could change the course of his life. One could restore his reputation. The other could revive a dream. The 25-year-old Norfolk man recently participated in a free-agent tryout for a chance to punt in the National Football League. His odds of making it, though slim, would improve if not for three words that turn up on...
Ask Amy: Young girl is at risk during visitation with dad
DEAR AMY: I have a 6-year-old granddaughter whose parents are not together. In a couple of months, when she goes to visit her dad (my son), she may be in proximity to a man who was incarcerated for molestation. This man is the brother of my son’s girlfriend, and the two siblings live together in their parents’ home. I am very anxious about this....
MI: Sex offender fee change is an idea whose time has come (Op-Ed)
Beginning April 1, registered sex offenders in Michigan will be required to pay an annual fee. Last year, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation requiring the state's more than 40,000 registered sex offenders to come with a $50 per year registration fee. The fee, which is applicable to registered sex offenders who are out of prison is not meant as an additional punishment to those...