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.
Important News / Announcements
Janice's Journal
General News Feed
20
Apr
2017
I have a huge problem with SB 301. The definition of "reside" is being changed by this bill, and not for the better. Most residence definitions deal with where a person sleeps, but this law impacts even where a person spends his time during the day. Full Article
If you read the following editorial as being sympathetic toward sex offenders, you are missing the point. We are not being sympathetic. We simply want to state that it’s not always possible to legislate our way to safety. Full Article
19
Apr
2017
The Tiered Registry Bill is reborn. We now have a second chance to end a 70-year-old law that requires individuals to register for a lifetime, regardless of the nature of their offense, the amount of time that has passed and whether they have re-offended. We almost lost this opportunity when Senator Ricardo Lara, the original author of the Tiered Registry Bill, withdrew his leadership....
Sex offenders in Kenosha County have won a federal lawsuit against the Village of Pleasant Prairie, in a case that could have nationwide implications. The men who sued said the village's sex offender residency restrictions violated their constitutional rights. Full Article
18
Apr
2017
Senator Scott Wiener (Democrat, San Francisco) has agreed to author the Tiered Registry Bill. As part of that decision, the Senator gutted a prior bill he previously introduced, Senate Bill 421, and amended that bill with the language of the original Tiered Registry Bill. "We thank Senator Scott Wiener for his courage in deciding to be the new author of the Tiered Registry Bill,"...
18
Apr
2017
The Assembly's Public Safety Committee today passed Assembly Bill (AB 558). If this bill becomes law, individuals convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses as well as those convicted of similar offenses would be added to the public Megan's Law website. The Committee vote was made after testimony in opposition to the bill from the ACLU, ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci and 17 ACSOL members. The...
18
Apr
2017
Sex offenders would have to pay an annual fine to be listed on the state’s sex offender registry under a bill proposed by N.C. Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover. “There is a cost to continuing to have them on that registry,” Davis said. “The point of this is to get revenue to keep these people on the sex offender registry.” Full Article
Juvenile cellphone "sexting" is the technological equivalent of playing doctor, something that has been part of human behavior for as long as anyone can remember. Sexual curiosity is a natural part of physical and emotional development in children, and only the most zealous of prudes would argue that innocent exploration ought to constitute a crime. Full Article
A dozen years after Booker, the reversal of any federal sentence as substantively unreasonable is still quite rare and notable. Today, a Second Circuit panel has issued such a rare and notable decision in US v. Jenkinss, No. 14-4295 (2d Cir. April 17, 2017) Full Article
The West Virginia State Police have made an arrest for a man failing to update his sex offender registry. Full Article
14
Apr
2017
Ever since it was officially recognised by Royal charter in 1912, the Scout Association has taught British kids the type of campfire practicality and social do-gooding that is arguably lacking in our tech-rich, late capitalist world. All that is in danger, however, as the organisation is having to turn away young applicants due to a lack of adult volunteers willing to teach them life skills such as...
A Cheektowaga law created more than a decade ago to serve as a tougher version of New York's sex offender law. Now, it's being called unconstitutional. Full Article
Public opinion toward crime is complex. Research shows that Americans strongly favor punitive measures to address criminal behavior while also demanding the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders. When it comes to sex offenses, it gets even more complicated. A 2015 study authored by Christina Mancini, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Kristen Budd of MiamiUniversity (Ohio) found that numerous misperceptions about sex...
The Temecula City Council, in a vote of 4 to 1, approved the repeal of the city's residency restrictions during its regularly scheduled meeting on April 11. The repeal is to take effect immediately and no further City Council is required. According to a city staff report, the city's decision to repeal was based upon a March 2015 decision by the California Supreme Court which...
13
Apr
2017
A 36-year-old St. Johns County man is looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars after Circuit Court Judge Howard Maltz sentenced him to 100 years in prison Wednesday morning. The sentencing came nearly two months after a jury found ____ ____ guilty on 20 counts of possession of child pornography at the end of a two-day February trial. Full Article
13
Apr
2017
Rather than go see a movie, or hang out at home, today Kelly Gifford decided to take her son to a museum. "It's a great opportunity for my son to have a good time while he's learning," Gifford says. She says she learned pretty quickly though that unlike a movie theater or her living room, museums and parks come with their fair share of...
ACSOL will host a conference on June 16 and 17 in Los Angeles focused upon solutions to daily challenges faced by U.S. registrants, family members, and those who support them. The conference will address topics of interest to registrants and family members throughout the nation such as housing, employment, domestic and international travel, parole and probation conditions, as well as post-conviction relief. “This conference...
Adopting a tiered registration policy and changing California laws is the "highest priority" of the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB), according to its newly released annual report. In order to achieve that result, CASOMB has engaged in an "evidence-based public education campaign". CASOMB views the current system of registering all sex offenders for a lifetime as "hugely burdensome and ineffective" and recognizes that...
A bill that would require locksmiths to undergo background checks before entering your home or car is now closer to becoming law. The bill was passed unanimously in the South Carolina State House of Representatives and is now making its way through the state Senate. The bill was drafted after a North Myrtle Beach sexual molestation case involving a locksmith. Full Article
10
Apr
2017
Three men who moved to Indiana and were required to put their names on the state’s sex offender registry are likely to win their lawsuit that claims they wouldn’t face that requirement had they lived in Indiana all their lives, a judge ruled, ordering their names removed. Full Article