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.
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Janice's Journal
General News Feed
01
Mar
2017
You are not going to like this article. In fact, unless you are on the sex offender list or someone you care about is being forced to live with this stigma, chances are that you have almost no sympathy for those who have been found guilty of sex crimes. I would like to ask you to think about these people with an open mind....
An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware is arguing to the state Supreme Court that it is unconstitutional for some sex offenders to automatically be required to wear and pay for GPS monitoring while on probation. Full Article
Accidental Oscars star “Gary from Chicago” has a dark role in his past — as a registered sex offender and ex-con who served 20 years in prison. Gary Alan Coe was aboard a double-decker bus filled with other unsuspecting tourists when they were detoured to the Dolby Theater on Sunday night in the midst of Tinseltown’s biggest night, the Academy Awards, as part of a skit. Full Article
Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, announced today that it has agreed to co-sponsor the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 695). The organization joins the California Sex Offender Management Board, Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault as co-sponsors of that bill. "Equality California is a powerful and welcome ally in the creation of the...
Sex offenders in Wyoming may face increased registration fees this July in preparation for the 2019 expiration of the grant supporting Wyoming’s sex offender registration program. At the request of the Wyoming Attorney General’s office, legislators appointed to the Judiciary Committee from both the House and Senate worked together over the interim to propose a bill to create the sex offender registration account, which...
***UPDATE 2: The hearing for this bill (see below) has been postponed indefinitely. We will post any new date as soon as we become aware of it. *3/1/2017)*** ***UPDATE: letters regarding this bill addressed to Senate Education Committee Chairman Ben Allen can be sent by E-mail, which saves postage and time. The E-mail address is for staffer Irma Kam is [email protected]. *** The Senate Education Committee...
27
Feb
2017
At today’s oral argument in Packingham v. North Carolina, a challenge to a state law that imposes criminal penalties on registered sex offenders who visit social networking sites, Justice Elena Kagan suggested that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter were “incredibly important parts” of the country’s political and religious culture. People do not merely rely those sites to obtain virtually all of their...
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared likely Monday to strike down a North Carolina law that prohibits sex offenders from using Facebook and other social networking sites. At least five justices suggested during argument that they would rule for North Carolina resident Lester Packingham Jr. He was convicted of violating a 2008 law aimed at keeping sex offenders off internet sites children might use....
In June, 2015, the US District Court for Minnesota determined that the 700+ clients at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program were being unconstitutionally confined. In January, 2017, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said they’re not. What explains the conflicting opinions? A three-judge Appeals Panel said District Court Judge Donovan Frank did not apply the proper standard: to be unconstitutional, civil...
Sex offenders virtually “disappear” in civil confinement, undergoing long rituals of behavioral and psychological therapy, from pinpointing and managing sexual arousal factors to polygraph tests uncovering dark sexual histories. If successful, they can be released into the community under intensive supervision. If unsuccessful and still deemed a public risk, they can remain in confinement — indefinitely. And while some in the public see this as a...
26
Feb
2017
Below is a statement of opposition to a Nebraska bill that eliminates all statutes of limitations on civil lawsuits against people accused of sex crimes. You may find it useful against similar statutes in other states. Full Statement
Putnam County announced on Friday that they had reorganized resources and created a position known as a “Sex Offender Compliance Specialist.” The Florida Sex Offender Registry said that there are currently 305 sex offenders in Putnam County. The county says the specialist “will work in conjunction with the current offender compliance program as a means of providing critical intelligence for investigators by assessing risk-related...
24
Feb
2017
In April 2010, Lester Packingham’s traffic ticket was dismissed, prompting him to take to Facebook to celebrate. He posted that “God is Good! How about I got so much favor they dismissed the ticket before court even started? No fine, no court costs, no nothing spent . . . Praise be to GOD, WOW! Thanks JESUS!” ... Based on his Facebook post, Packingham was charged...
24
Feb
2017
According to the FBI, human trafficking is believed to be the third-largest criminal activity in the world. In recent years cases have been piling up and leads are hard to follow in many instances. President Trump has vowed to bring "full force and weight" to battle this epidemic aggressively . In a Reuters video the president pointed out the seriousness of this issues in America...
23
Feb
2017
In late 2016, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s concluded in Does #1–5 v. Snyder that Michigan’s sex offender registry and residency restriction law constituted an ex post facto punishment in violation of the constitution. In its decision, the Sixth Circuit engaged with scientific evidence that refutes moralized judgments about sex offenders, specifically that they pose a unique and substantial risk of...
21
Feb
2017
The board of directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has selected Janice Bellucci to serve as its first Executive Director. The ACSOL board of directors subsequently elected Chance Oberstein to replace Bellucci as President. "I am honored to serve as the first Executive Director of ACSOL," stated Bellucci. "In that capacity, I will be responsible for conducting the day-to-day business...
The Murrieta City Council unanimously voted in favor of revising its residency restrictions on February 21. When it becomes effective, the revised ordinance will apply only to registrants on parole who live within 1,000 feet of schools and parks. The revised ordinance also limits the number of registrants who can live in individual housing units and creates exceptions for some disabled registrants. "The revised...
The facts of the case sound like an episode of “Law and Order SVU.” In 2000, Juan Esquivel-Quintana’s parents lawfully brought him to the United States and settled in Sacramento, California. When he was 20 years old, Esquivel-Quintana had consensual sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend. He later pleaded no contest to violating California Penal Code § 261.5(c), which criminalizes sex with a person “under...
The April 2017 issue of Reason magazine is focused upon federal government actions that result in harm to registrants and their families. The magazine is currently available by subscription only and can be obtained at a price of $15 for an annual digital subscription at www.reason.com. The magazine includes a discussion of our challenge to the International Megan's Law (IML) and includes accurate statements...
21
Feb
2017
Lester Packingham’s Facebook post is headed for the Supreme Court... Lester Gerard Packingham was having a really good day back on April 27, 2010. The North Carolina man had just learned that a traffic ticket against him had been dismissed, so he logged onto his Facebook account and gleefully told the world: “Man God is Good! How about I got so much favor they...