Reforming Florida’s Sex Offender Registry Laws
A car was set on fire just outside the home of a man on the UK sex offender registry. A neighbor said the fire spread rapidly and that the car “literally exploded”. The neighbor added: “We were fortunate that the wind was blowing westerly, otherwise the fire could have spread to nearby homes. I don’t know exactly how it started,
Read moreBelow is Louis Clements’ brief, filed today in the Middle District of Florida. Clements’ attorneys did a fantastic job of highlighting how Florida’s residency restrictions tip the scales, making registration tantamount to confinement. Special thanks to all who submitted declarations in this case and Professor Socia for his expert report on the residency restrictions in Florida. Clements Remand Brief
Read moreThe maintenance of a public sex offense registry has been codified as a non-punitive civil policy since the 2003 Supreme Court case of Smith v. Doe. But since then, sex offense registries have transformed from a centralized state repository of information to a sprawling digital archive of personal data about people required to register. We identify and report the current
Read moreCongratulations to registrants in the State of Missouri and their attorney, Janice Bellucci (ACSOL), who prevailed in the State and Police Chief’s appeal of a lower court ruling finding a Halloween Sign law, requiring registrants to post a sign at their residence on Halloween, to be compelled speech and a violation of the First Amendment. The 8th Circuit Court of
Read moreAn man died while being transported to the Lyon County Jail after authorities arrested him for a failure to register, a technical violation, not a new sex offense. Police say the Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Task Force responded to a home near Dayton following an anonymous tip about someone who had “failed to register as required by law.” Task force
Read moreWeekly update for December 30, 2025. This is recording number 346 Dear Members and Advocates, This week, as we close out 2025, we want to draw attention to a situation that highlights a fundamental flaw in Florida’s registration scheme: what happens when the law requires compliance, but the government makes compliance impossible. Here’s the hypothetical scenario… During the winter holidays,
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