On the first day of the 2017-2018 legislative session, Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) today introduced important legislation to protect school children from dangerous sex offenders. Specifically, SB 26 would prohibit registered sex offenders from entering school campuses in California. Full Article Related Bill Info Sen. Leyva Announcement
Read MoreTag: Presence Restrictions
Two Federal Courts Call BS on Banning Sex Offenders From ‘Child Safety Zones’
A couple of years ago, ____ ____, a registered sex offender who lives in Hartford City, Indiana, received a citation for sitting in his brother’s car. The car was parked outside his brother’s house, which happens to be across the street from a school. By sitting in it, ____ violated a local ordinance prohibiting anyone convicted of a sex offense involving a minor from entering a long list of “child safety zones”—including schools, parks, libraries, swimming pools, athletic complexes, movie theaters, and bowling alleys— or “loitering” within 300 feet of…
Read MoreLawsuit is filed against FUSD because of sex offender policy
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring civil rights for those accused and/or convicted of a sex crime, filed a lawsuit against the Fontana Unified School District on Oct. 11 in response to the sex offender policy that was adopted last month. Full Article
Read MoreFontana School District’s “No Registrants” Policy Challenged in Court
Today a lawsuit was filed in state court challenging a decision by the Fontana Unified School District to prohibit all registrants, including parents, from entering all 45schools in that district. The five members of the school district board voted unanimously in favor of the “zero tolerance” policy on September 14 after several angry parents threatened to oust any board member who opposed it. According to the lawsuit, the school board policy is preempted by state law and is inconsistent with other state laws which require schools to allow parents and…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: The Failure of Fontana
Shame on the Fontana Unified School District! Members of their Board of Education unanimously agreed last week to bar registered citizens from every school in their district. The decision applies to all registered citizens, including parents of students in that district, regardless of the offense for which they were convicted and regardless of whether they pose a current danger. What makes this terrible decision worse is that the school board’s decision was in reaction to a few angry parents who ignorantly proclaimed during a school board meeting that the presence…
Read MoreNC: New law bans sex offenders from fairs
Friday, the Cabarrus County fair celebrates it’s opening night. The fair runs through September 17 featuring rides, fair foods, a petting zoo and exhibit hall. But one thing you shouldn’t see this year: registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Gap in N.C. law allows sex offenders near schools, day cares
On Sept. 1, a registered sex offender will be breaking the law if he continues to work at a car repair shop that sits within 300 feet of the Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland County and a day-care center. A state law takes effect that day prohibiting sex offenders from being near places where children “frequently congregate” – including schools, parks, arcades and day care centers – when minors are present. Full Article
Read MoreNC: Sex Offender Premises Restrictions Revised in Response to Doe v. Cooper
The General Assembly amended G.S. 14-208.18, the law that makes it a Class H felony for certain registered sex offenders to go certain places. The changes are a response to Doe v. Cooper, a federal case in which the trial judge enjoined every district attorney in the state from enforcing the parts of the law he found to be unconstitutional. Today’s post takes a look at the revised law. Full Article Related NC: Federal Judge Enjoins Enforcement of Sex Offender Premises Restriction NC: Bans sex offenders from spots children gather
Read MoreIL: A chance to get sex offender laws right [Editorial]
When the 19-year-old son of ____ ____ of Downstate Fairview Heights had sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend, he was forced to register as a sex offender. He was a legal adult and she was a minor. Police told his employer to fire him, and when he found a job in a new town, the police there ran him off, too. Full Article Related IL: Sex offenders sue, saying registry laws keep them from church, living with family IL: Are Sex Offender Restrictions So Vague They’re Unconstitutional? — 2 efforts in Illinois…
Read MoreIL: Are Sex Offender Restrictions So Vague They’re Unconstitutional?
A group of convicted child sex offenders is challenging the Illinois law that bans them from parks and schools. They say key sex offender restrictions are so broad it’s impossible to know what is or isn’t allowed and that means the laws violate the constitution. They’re asking a federal judge to immediately suspend certain restrictions on every registered child sex offender in the state of Illinois. Full Article Also so Court case challenges some restrictions on sex offenders
Read MoreIL: Suit – sex offender statutes too vague, unconstitutional
Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit Monday asking a judge to halt the enforcement of several of Illinois’ sex offender registration statutes. Full Article
Read MoreFinal Presence Restrictions Lawsuit Ends in Settlement
The City of Carson has agreed to settle the final presence restrictions lawsuit pending in the state of California. A total of 31 lawsuits were filed starting with the City of Lancaster in December 2012. As a result of these lawsuits, the only presence restriction that remains is a state law that prohibits registrants on parole from visiting public parks without first obtaining permission from a parole officer. “This is a significant victory,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The City of Carson has agreed to honor the terms of…
Read MoreBill allowing cities and counties to adopt stricter sex offender ordinances voted down
A bill which would have allowed cities and counties to adopt sex offender ordinances more restrictive than state laws was voted down by an Assembly committee Tuesday. Assembly Bill 201, authored by Assemblymen William Brough, Mike Gipson, and Marc Steinorth, would have given localities the ability to enact not only more stringent restrictions on where persons required to register as sex offenders can live, but also “presence restrictions,” which would limit their ability to visit places such as parks, libraries, swimming pools, or arcades. “In addition to the myriad of…
Read MoreWe Stopped AB 201!
Due to the efforts of registrants, family members and supporters Assembly Bill 201 was stopped today during a Public Safety Committee hearing. During a vote of its members, only 2 of 7 members voted in support of the bill while the remaining 5 members either voted “no” or abstained from voting. “We succeeded today because of letters sent and phone calls made to members of the Public Safety Committee,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “We sincerely thank you all for showing, standing up and speaking up on this important…
Read MoreNC: Federal Judge Enjoins Enforcement of Sex Offender Premises Restriction
Federal Judge Enjoins Enforcement of Sex Offender Premises Restriction Posted on Dec. 17, 2015, 12:51 pm by Jamie Markham • 3 comments A federal judge has permanently enjoined all North Carolina district attorneys from enforcing G.S. 14-208.18(a)(3), the law intended to prohibit certain sex offenders from being at places where minors gather for regularly scheduled educational, recreational, or social programs. Full Article
Read MoreCA State Legislature to Consider Presence Restrictions Bill on Jan. 12
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee has scheduled a hearing on January 12 during which it will consider Assembly Bill (AB) 201. The bill, if passed, would allow local governments to adopt laws that restrict where a registered citizen may be present such as parks, libraries, swimming pools and fast food restaurants. If the bill is passed, the lawsuits filed during the past two years that eliminated presence restrictions in the state of California would be overturned. “We stopped AB 201 in 2015 when we showed up, stood up and spoke up in opposition to this…
Read MoreCarson Revises Presence Restrictions [updated with media]
Media links at the bottom – The Carson City Council agreed on December 1 to revise the city’s ordinance which restricts where registered citizens may be present. As a result of the revisions, registered citizens may soon visit public sites such as parks, libraries, and swimming pools as well as private sites such as fast food restaurants. “At long last the City of Carson has decided to comply with existing state law by revising its ordinance,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. The City ordinance was initially challenged in a…
Read MoreFL: Group sues Seminole County, sheriff over sex-offender rules
An organization that works to reform sex-offender laws in Florida is suing Seminole County and Sheriff Don Eslinger, alleging that a decade-old county ordinance is so restrictive that it prevents registered sex offenders from traveling to a grocery store, eating out at a restaurant or, in some cases, even leaving their homes. According to Seminole’s ordinance, sexual offenders or predators in most cases are not allowed to “travel through or remain within” 1,000 feet of schools, parks, day care centers or playgrounds. Full Article
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