[theappeal.org – 10/1/18] Lawyer [Janice M. Bellucci] seeks end to Halloween restrictions that target people convicted of sex offenses. Before the police apprehended Steve, he tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists, he told The Appeal. Then 20 years old, he had attempted to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl in California. “I couldn’t believe I had done that,” said Steve, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. “I felt I couldn’t live with myself.” He spent three years in prison, and after he was released, stayed in…
Read MoreTag: Halloween
Two California Cities Repeal Halloween Restrictions
The Cities of Lancaster and Temecula this week repealed restrictions which prohibited all registrants living in those cities from fully participating in Halloween celebrations. The repeals took place after letters were sent to a total of five cities warning that the restrictions were preempted by state law. The letters also warned cities that fail to repeal the Halloween restrictions could be sued in court.. “We congratulate Lancaster and Temecula for taking the necessary steps to repeal their unlawful ordinances,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “And we are preparing to…
Read MoreSimi Valley Formally Notifies Registrants of Repealed Halloween Ordinance
The City of Simi Valley has formally notified registrants in that city that they are no longer required to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween and are allowed to decorate their homes as well as answer their door to children. According to the letter dated October 18, these changes are the result of a decision made on October 16 by the Simi Valley City Council to repeal its Halloween ordinance which was adopted in 2012. The Simi Valley letter did not make reference to…
Read MoreCT: Panel mulls changes to sex offender registry
Parents who check the state sex offender registry prior to allowing their children to knock on strangers’ doors and ask for candy this Halloween may be under the misconception that every person listed on the registry poses a grave danger to public safety. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Simi Valley links to Megan’s Law site to safeguard kids from sex offenders on Halloween
Simi Valley on Thursday unveiled a new strategy to safeguard trick-or-treating children from the city’s registered sex offenders. It used its Nixle.com account to link to the state’s Megan’s Law website, which lists the names, photos and addresses of 97 of the city’s 165 registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreMO: Sex offender laws in effect for Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner, and parents may be wondering what laws are in effect in order to keep your kids safe when it comes to sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreCA: Sex Offender Law Repealed In Simi Valley
[CBS Los Angeles] SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA) — Don’t take candy from strangers. But what about sexual offenders? The Simi Valley City Council decided on Monday night to overturn a law aimed at protecting children from sexual predators. City leaders say the law wouldn’t stand up in a legal appeal so they killed it. There will now be nothing to stop registered sex offenders in Simi Valley from interacting with trick-or-treaters. So when Halloween rolls around in a couple of weeks, parents say they’ll be a lot more vigilant. The ordinance…
Read MoreSimi Valley Repeals Halloween Ordinance
The Simi Valley City Council unanimously agreed tonight to repeal its Halloween Ordinance which required the city’s registrants to post a sign on the front door of their homes as well as prohibited them from decorating their homes, answering the door to trick-or-treaters and illuminating any exterior lights. The City Council vote was taken without discussion or debate, however, the City Attorney recommended repeal of the ordinance prior to the meeting due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a registrant and his family who reside in Simi Valley. “The…
Read MoreCA: Simi Valley City Council may repeal Halloween sex offender ordinance
With two weeks until Halloween, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night may repeal a controversial law that says registered sex offenders listed on the Megan’s Law website can’t open their doors to trick-or-treating children. Full Article
Read MoreSex Offender Advocates Object To Local Mapping Of Registered Sex Criminals (Updated)
The Board of Directors for the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws objects to local public safety maps which pinpoint the addresses of individuals listed on official state sex-offender registries. NARSOL submitted this letter to Patch explaining why such maps should not be published at Halloween. https://patch.com/us/across-america/sex-offender-advocates-object-mapping-registered-sex-criminals Update – Follow up from Patch ‘Then I See The Delight In Your Eyes Turn To Fear’ Heyl: Some Sex Offender Names Soon Could Vanish From Online State Registry
Read MoreRegistrant and Family Request Injunction to Stop Simi Valley Halloween Law
A registrant and his family filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction (PI) in federal court late yesterday in order to stop a Halloween Ordinance in Simi Valley from being enforced. The ordinance requires registrants to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween as well as prohibits registrants from participating in Halloween activities including decorating their homes. “After the lawsuit was filed, city officials have admitted that they have enforced the Halloween Ordinance for the past five years despite a judge’s ruling and a written promise…
Read MoreCA: Simi Valley’s Halloween law – not needed, not enforced, not fair (Editorial)
Simi Valley is again facing a lawsuit over its ordinance regulating sex offenders on Halloween, and we can cite a multitude of reasons why the city should not waste a single dime of taxpayer money defending it in court. It’s time for Simi Valley to walk away from this questionable ordinance and instead devote those dollars and energy to real problems in the city. Full Editorial Related https://www.simivalleyacorn.com/articles/legal-wrangle/ CA: Federal lawsuit challenges Simi Valley Halloween sex offender law for second time
Read MoreCA: Registrant and Family Challenge Halloween Ordinance
Today a lawsuit was filed in federal district court challenging a city law that requires sex offenders (“registrants”) on Halloween to post a sign on the front door of their homes, to refrain from decorating their homes, to extinguish all lights outside their homes and to refrain from answering the door to trick-or-treaters. The lawsuit asserts that the law, adopted by Simi Valley law, violates the federal and state constitutions and requests that the court block enforcement of that ordinance. There are a total of four plaintiffs in the case,…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: A Halloween Hero is Born in Ohio
Halloween is here again. I have just finished another media interview about the dangers of Halloween. This interview was initiated by a newspaper reporter in Tennessee and follows a long string of interviews by newspaper, radio and TV reporters. During each of those interviews, I did my best to turn the focus of the interview from the Halloween myth that registered citizens sexually assault children who are trick-or-treating to the real danger of Halloween – pedestrians being killed in car accidents. Despite those attempts, the articles and reports that were…
Read MoreOH: Official – Halloween child sex attacks unlikely
With Halloween only a few days away, Law Director Gregory Hicks made it clear there is not an increased likelihood of registered sex offenders accosting children during this holiday than any other time of the year. A nine-year study released in 2009 in the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers found there is no significant increase in the risk for non-familial child sexual abuse during this holiday period, Hicks said. The vast majority of child sexual abuse cases — more than 80 percent — are done by persons related…
Read MoreParents Concerned Over Possible Registered Sex Offenders for Halloween
State officials are cracking down on registered sex offenders, just as Halloween is around the corner. It’s called “Operation Boo,” which requires that all registered sex offenders to adhere to certain curfews and restrictions between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting on Halloween night. They also cannot put up Halloween decorations or give out candy to trick-or-treating children. Full Article Related https://all4consolaws.org/2016/09/cdcr-agrees-to-drop-halloween-sign-requirement/
Read MoreThe Myth and the Propaganda of Halloween and Registered Sex Offenders
3 weeks from today is Halloween 2016 and in about 2 weeks I’ll post my annual Do’s and Don’ts list for RSO’s in Virginia on Halloween. Over the years of advocating for data-driven laws and reform here I’ve learned the worst time of year for Myth-Based and Hysteria-Driven articles, policies and laws is Halloween. Halloween can be more emotionally draining than the annual Virginia General Assembly in Richmond. Full Article on It’s Time to Reduce, Reconstruct, Reclassify, Rethink and Reform the Virginia Sex Offender Registry
Read MoreSex offender parolees not required to post ‘do not disturb’ signs on Halloween
Last year, a Chula Vista sex offender parolee was instructed to post a “do not disturb” sign in front of his residence on Halloween night to ward off trick-or-treaters. What followed was a lawsuit filed by the California Reform Sex Offender Laws organization, as well as the parolee in San Diego County and another in Los Angeles. The policy, they argued, violated their civil rights and put their safety at risk. Posting signage was never part of existing policy, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which recently issued a memorandum to its…
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