In a presentation this week, ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci proposed seven changes to the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB), which would involve certain tier placements and petitions for registry removal, and allow registrants to view their profiles posted on the Megan’s Law website.
During the presentation, Bellucci invited CASOMB to join ACSOL and other organizations as an ally to ensure the proposed changes become law.
CASOMB stated it would create a committee to review the proposed changes.
Our Federal Government has asked all states to form a SOMB, but Florida has not seen the need to do so. To be an effective SOMB, all sides need to be represented. It should also be an independent agency that uses research to inform the creation of policy and to evaluate how policies are implemented and their impact. (State off Illinois, “Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Task Force Final Report”, 2017)
Janice was on the Members’ call tonight, and she did a wonderful job of re-explaining the work done and still being done. History is on ACSOL’s side here. They accomplished great things and their achievements speak for themselves.
Case closed as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks to our Membership Chair for timely inviting Janice to speak to our Membership about these issues. The discussion helped clear the air and reminded us what hard work this is.
The registry ANDA main stream news failed the victims.
Ex-ABC News producer James Gordon Meek arrested for transportation of child pornography
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ex-abc-news-producer-james-gordon-meek-arrested-transportation-child-pornography
What’s missing from the ‘just abolish it’ position is that no one seems to have ever laid out any strategy for doing so.
How does one abolish a registry in one blow?
Both FAC and ACSOL seem to agree that, you don’t. Instead, you keep fighting in the courts, in the legislature, in the media. Over and over again. That way you will gradually erode the registry scheme (ACSOL) or at least prevent it from worsening (FAC). Even though both orgs take the position that it should be abolished.
If someone has laid out a credible way to abolish it all at once then I’m all for that.
How to abolish all at once? Easy. SCOTUS rules that Registries are unconstitutional (for numerous reasons, including, violating ex post facto). All Registry websites are immediately taken down and registrants are no longer required to register. Period.
Why is that difficult? 🤷🏻♂️
FYI,
Eagles’ Josh Sills indicted on rape, kidnapping charges in Ohio
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/eagles-josh-sills-indicted-rape-kidnapping-charges-ohio
Meanwhile Nevada seeks to close loophole on sex trafficking: perpetrators who lure kids face automatic life sentence
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nevada-close-loophole-sex-trafficking-perpetrators-lure-kids-automatic-life-sentence
This legislation will create a lucrative opportunity for officers who enjoy pretending to be teenagers seeking sex with adults.
Although not directly related, please read this. It’s important to see that they are still excluding us.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/01/31/restoring-voting-rights-hear-solutions-from-this-former-state-senator-and-advocate-for-former-felons/
It pains me to say this, but I don’t trust ACSOL or Janice. For anyone familiar with what’s going on, California’s new and “improved” Tiered Bill has published previously unpublished Registered Sex Offenders on the state’s Megan’s Law website. Similarly, the Tiered Bill has also put about half of the registrants in either Tier 2 or Tier 3. So in effect, the bill pretty much traded one side of Hell for another. Meanwhile, Janice, ACSOL, and other criminal defense attorneys, not incidentally, get to cash-in on the “petitioning” process. So yeah, while some registrants are able to successfully petition from having to register, many are also in a much worse position than before the tiered bill. Also, with the prior bill, a Certificate of Rehabilitation did the same thing in relieving registration obligation—so it was a bit misleading to say California had a blanket lifetime registration requirement previously. Many people who were previously allowed to petition through a Certificate of Rehabilitation are no longer eligible because they have been placed into Tier 3–or must wait the 20 year period because they are Tier 2 (when the Certificate of Rehabilitation only required a 10-year wait period).
I remember that Janice said in one of the meetings that she would make sure unpublished sex offenders would remain unpublished with the new tiered law, which is definitely not the case, as has been recently proven. There was always something in my gut that said not to trust the ACSOL organization. Unfortunately, that feeling turned out to be true.
Anyway, I mention this because in the end, as Registered Citizens, you are truly on your own. Everyone is out for themselves, especially nowadays.
Good luck to you all.
I was a minority voice opposing the Tiered Registry because I had said something like this would happen. It made as much sense as us playing backyard football against NFL pros and spotting THEM 50 points. We should ALWAYS go in with the idea we want the registry abolished, not just reformed, and accept anything less only with the utmost reluctance. It seems many (not all, but most) in charge of the major groups in this small movement have a different concept of what constitutes a “win.”
I think some of these new ACSOL suggestions are as inane as anything devised by SMART and NCMEC. Even the federal Adam Walsh Act recommends providing a pathway for Tier 3s after 25 years, not 30.
I don’t believe ACSOL’s powers that be are ANTI-registry. We should be fighting to abolish the registry, not strengthening it.
I know Janice’s inane argument about “chipping away” at the registry, but a sculpter chips away at a stone too, not to tear it down, but to turn it into art people don’t want to destroy.
Derek, I like your use of the word inane but we have to remember these registries are also abusive in many way and unconstitutional. For Any group of people there has to be law. One could go back to the Commandments or even tresspassing laws. Are goverrnments today abusing that law with much of this registry. Using a judgement bicariously is a death sentence to even American Democracy. Sure much of this sex registry is inane even with the methods they use to belittle another with this computer usage. Of course one still has to have some respect.
If Janice is making some headway or winnings out in California than let her do her thing. Even W.A.R. is planning a trip to D.C. to address much of this issue and we all should pray that some positive outcome will come out of all these efforts. From what she has planned speakers from NARSOL, ACSOL and several others are to attend . I hope you and FAC attend as well. Coming together in all this is a plus as many hope we all still have true justice in America today. Change in registry is good and reasoning is also good.
Janice is on the member call right tonight, it just started.
Yeah, CP possession is being made out to be on the same level as murder. You can actually stab or shoot someone and resume your life post-prison. For anyone that has CP conviction? HAHAHAHA… you’re never going to have a moments peace, much left get your life back.
First I’ve heard of anyone being ADDED to the registry by Janice’s efforts.
Can anyone confirm?
No people have been added to the registry (i.e. having a renewed registration obligation) from what I can tell, BUT people have been published on the Megan’s Law website because of California’s new tiered registry laws, even when they haven’t been before. That’s either because the law put something like 30,000 people into Tier 1, or because of the Static 99 test that has the automatic power to put someone into Tier 3, even if they otherwise fit into Tier 1 or 2.
Do what you want, and believe what you want, but this literally proves we can’t trust ACSOL. Personally, I don’t even know what “civil-rights” organization we can trust anymore. The mere fact ACSOL has put a huge disclaimer on the front page of its website, and the organization now makes reference to itself as a “corporation,” now has me second-guessing what’s going on.
I’m sure the petitioning process is pulling tons of attorney fees. 100 petition (a conservative amount) at maybe $2,000 each… you do the math.
Anyway, what are other good, trustworthy, RSO civil rights organizations?
Correction: That’s either because the law put something like 30,000 people into Tier 3.*
So someone not listed on the web as a sex offender, got listed as such after ACSOL told the state it was ok to do so? Is that what we’re saying?
Did Janice turn anyone down from registry removal for lack of funds?
Janice is on the member call right tonight, it just started.
Disappointed – I can’t support ACSOL anymore. I loved how they used us to make phone calls, write letters, and lobby. But at the end of the day, some of us got hit by a more screwed up law.
Derek W. Logue – I took a look at your blog and looked at your past posts. You were absolutely correct. Some of us were completely fooled by ACSOL, Janice, etc. Great for many of the people about to “petition” off the registry. But being able to petition off was at the cost of people now stuck in “Tier 2” or “Tier 3.”
And now ACSOL expects more bodies to “lobby” for another flawed “increment” to the law.
I wonder who REALLY benefits in the end?
Janice is on the member call right tonight, it just started.
At the risk of laying it in too thick, Janice has scored more victories over the registry than any individual I can think of. In the biggest state in the union, she was instrumental in destroying residence restrictions, destroying presence restrictions, and achieving more registry removals in one year than Florida has seen in all its history.
Please consider this before you second-guess her.
Janice has the same goals and positions that you and I do. She just recognizes that you don’t destroy an entire registry scheme with a single whack of the sledgehammer.
Jacob victories is a bit of an understatement as remember she is a lawyer. Conquest’s should be a better term to use but remember patience is a virtue
Even many leaders in government are understanding that it is unconstitutional. Florida and many states will follow suit in many ways or should Governments go back and understand the law at both ends.
Janice is on the member call right tonight, it just started.
Janice is on the member call right tonight, it just started.
How can Florida deny a SOMB? What in the world had to be done. How can they get away with no accountability? They even used to have town hall style community meetings in the beginning of the registry, even in Hillsborough, but I think they are scared to organize one of those now.
Janice has done an amazing job getting authorities to listen to her and trust her, earning a seat at the table for our movement.
There are times we must beat down the door declaring ‘half measures avail us nothing!,’ but this is not one of those times.
If we win our ex-post facto case would we might see a Florida Management Board be created? Seems that would be really beneficial to us. A huge downside I see to this system is it only works if “neutrally” elected members would be appointed, Florida registrants would see progress in a SOMB system otherwise our pleas would fall on deaf ears year after year.
With all due respect to Janice Bellucci, I believe that ACSOL is making a serious mistake! – One cannot play ball with those who are subverting the very constitution of the United States in order to perpetuate a hated and feared scapegoat class!
These people continue to foment government-sponsored hatred at the cost of their own citizens, with no clinical or rational basis other than fear!
We do not need a sex offender management board. We need to abolish all registries in their entirety! The registry is a repugnent stain on this nation that reeks of fascism! It is exactly what the most infamous fascists (like the nazis, soviets and the communist Chinese) used, and continue to use, against their own citizens!
I am not a “sex offender”! And I don’t need to be “managed”!