TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAMWORK 2023
Source: reason.com

Are you a civil and human rights advocate? Sync up with us on March 5, 2023 when the conference begins in DC.
Read our DC event newsletters for the latest information about the conference.
The main event during our time in D.C. is the vigil on March 7 on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to call attention to the 20th anniversary of the Smith v. Doe decision, which has significantly harmed and continues to harm registrants and their families, that was signed by one now retired and one current justice.

Do you enjoy working as a team?
We have a task for you on one of these committees!
Program Committee
Finance Committee
Registration — Evaluation Committee
Facilities — Transportation — Recording Committee
Publicity — Printing — Sponsors — Vendors Committee
Please send an email to teamwork@warfamilyfoundation.org in the subject line list the committee you would like to help with and tell us why. Be prepared to tell why you think the DC Events are necessary. Experience is beneficial but not a must have.
Day | Date | Start | End | Function | |
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Sunday | 3/5/2023 | 8:00 AM | 8:10 AM | Welcoming Address | |
3/5/2023 | 8:10 AM | 9:00 AM | Speaker | ||
3/5/2023 | 9:05 PM | 9:55 AM | Breakouts | ||
3/5/2023 | 10:00 AM | 10:50 PM | Speaker | ||
3/5/2023 | 10:55 AM | 11:50 AM | Breakouts | ||
3/5/2023 | 11:55 AM | 12:55 PM | Lunch | ||
3/5/2023 | 1:00 PM | 1:55 PM | Speaker | ||
3/5/2023 | 2:00 PM | 2:55 PM | Breakouts | ||
3/5/2023 | 3:00 PM | 3:55 PM | Surprise Guest | ||
3/5/2023 | 4:00 PM | ? | Sight Seeing Tour for those interested | ||
Monday | 3/6/2023 | 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM | Hill Visit Training | |
3/6/2023 | 12:05 PM | 12:35 PM | Motivational speaker | Brown
Bag Lunch |
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3/6/2023 | 12:35 PM | 1:00 PM | Bus to Hill | ||
3/6/2023 | 1:00 PM | 5:00 PM | Hill Visits | ||
3/6/2023 | 5:00 PM | 5:30 AM | Bus to Hotel | ||
3/6/2023 | 5:30 PM | 6:15 PM | Collaborative Planning Session for those interested | ||
Tuesday | 3/7/2023 | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM | Gathering of vigil participants for last minute instructions | |
3/7/2023 | 9:00 AM | 9:30 AM | Travel to SCOTUS | ||
3/7/2023 | 9:30 AM | 11:30 AM | Vigil begins | ||
3/7/2023 | 12:00 PM | 12:30 PM | Bus to Hotel |
Thank you in advance for signing up for the March 2023 conference in Washington, D.C.
It’s time to Show Up – Stand Up – Speak Up in the nation’s capital.
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Federal Judges Are Increasingly Rebelling Against 'Overly Severe' Penalties for Nonviolent Sex Offenders
Source: reason.com
People convicted of possessing child pornography receive long sentences, but new data suggest they are rarely arrested for contact offenses after their release.
- By Jacob Sullum
Two recent reports from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) shed light on the legal treatment of sex offenders and further undermine the prevailing assumption that all members of that broad class pose similar threats to public safety. That assumption, which underlies both harsh punishments and indiscriminate registration requirements, is demonstrably wrong.
In fiscal year 2019, according to a USSC report released this week, the average federal prison sentence for child pornography production offenses was nearly 23 years, reflecting the gravity of such crimes, which entail direct involvement in sexual abuse. By comparison, the USSC reported in June that the average sentence that year for nonproduction child pornography offenses, which involve possessing, receiving, or sharing images, was about eight and a half years.
The fact that sentences for production offenses were treated more severely makes sense, but that does not mean the sentences for nonproduction offenses were just or reasonable. These crimes do not involve contact with children and may consist of nothing more than looking at pictures, which in the context of online sharing counts as both receiving and possessing child pornography.
MORE:
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ACSOL ANNOUNCES MAJOR EVENT IN NATION’S CAPITOL IN MARCH 2023
Source: ACSOL
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will lead a vigil on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on March 3, 2023. The purpose of the vigil is to educate both the Court and the public regarding the significant harm caused by the Court’s decision, Smith v. Doe, issued in 2003.
“”Organizations and individuals that support registrants and their loved ones are invited to join ACSOL for this event that will take place near to the 20th anniversary of Smith v. Doe,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This event will not only be an opportunity to educate the public but also to unify organizations and individuals who support our worthy cause.”
The focus of the vigil is to bring truth to the U.S. Supreme Court and the public on topics including, but not limited to, the fact that registrants’ rate of re-offense is very low, not frightening and high, and that the registry is ineffective at stopping or even reducing sexual assaults. The vigil will also focus upon challenges faced by registrants and their families such as unemployment, homelessness and vigilante violence.
“Please add this important date to your calendar,” stated ACSOL President Chance Oberstein. “Additional information regarding the vigil and related events will be announced as it become available.”
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MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT DECLARES SEX OFFENDER LAWS ARE PUNITIVE
Source: ACSOL
The Michigan Supreme Court today issued a decision declaring that the state’s sex offender law adopted in 2011 cannot retroactively be applied to a registrant convicted two years earlier. The Court based its decision upon the ex post facto clauses of both the Michigan and the U.S. Constitutions.
“Today’s decision is a significant victory not only for the registrant involved in this case, but also for all Michigan registrants convicted prior to 2011,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This decision can and should be used as a precedent in every state and federal court.”
In its decision, the Michigan Supreme Court found that the “aggregate punitive effects” of the state law “negated the state’s intention to deem it a civil regulation.” In addition, the Court found that the state law “bore resemblance to the traditional punishments of banishment, shaming and parole because of its limitations on residency and employment, publication of information and encouragement of social ostracism…” Further, the Court found that the law “appeared retributive” and “appeared excessive.”
At issue in the case were provisions of the 2011 law that created a tiered classification system as well as duties and requirements of each registrant based upon the registrant’s tier classification. One of those requirements was the publication of personal information on the state’s Megan’s Law website.
“The Michigan Supreme Court is to be commended for speaking the truth today in its decision,” stated Bellucci. “The court did not accept the government’s stated intention that its registration laws were civil regulations and instead examined closely the effect of those laws leading to the conclusion that the laws punished registrants.”
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Thank You!
Dear Friends
Thank you all for participating in our CALL TO ACTION. Raising awareness about the harm caused to families by the registry (SORNA) is critical. Every personal story sends a powerful message. We are so grateful to those who took the time to share their story. Together we can make a difference.
It has been suggested that we repeat this campaign in the fall. So please look forward to hearing from CCNCR again. We will continue to combine our efforts.
From everyone on the CAUTIONclick board, a heartfelt thank you!
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The Dobbs Wire: Flashback to 1996
The Dobbs Wire: Flashback to 1996. A Massachusetts father writes about his young son -- an important matter requiring a trip to the police station. It's a powerful, poignant story that the Chicago Tribune published on Dec. 1, 1996. The father inquires, "What will be done with this information?" He asked that question shortly after the Massachusetts sex offense registry got rolling, on Oct. 1, 1996. Massachusetts was the last of the states to create an official blacklist. This year marks 25 years that every state has had such a registry, a full generation. After 25 years the ugly name we give those required to register is one of the most destructive pair of words in the English language. Sex offense registries in the 50 states and the District of Columbia have an estimated one million listings. Counting family members and significant others, several million people are directly affected. Over 25 years plenty has been learned about the impact of these draconian laws, the research has accumulated. They do not improve public safety or reduce re-offense. Registries cost a lot of taxpayer dollars to run. And they do incalculable damage to the lives and future prospects of those forced, under penalty of criminal prosecution, to register. Registries are disastrous, ineffective laws. Yet, legislators continue pushing to make these laws even harsher and judges rarely get in their way. The cry to dismantle registration laws must be heard and get louder. Those personally impacted will have to raise their voices and then others will join. As many readers of The Dobbs Wire are registrants - what will you do to stop this blacklisting? --Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire Drop us a line if you would like to join The Dobbs Wire email list or have something to say: info@thedobbswire.com Twitter: @thedobbswire
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Join Judith Levine and Emily Horowitz for a conversation via Zoom about Judith’s new book THE FEMINIST AND THE SEX OFFENDER (Verso, 2020)
Date And Time
Fri, February 5, 2021
11:10 AM – 12:10 PM EST
Add
to Calendar
About this Event
The following virtual event is sponsored by the Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice at St. Francis College . This event is open to the public.
For more info, contact Emily Horowitz, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice; Department Chair, Sociology and Criminal Justice, by email: ehorowitz@sfc.edu
At the heart of the conspiracy theory that stirred many in the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 was the lie that a cabal of Democratic and "deep state" pedophiles are trafficking and killing thousands of children. A demented "Save the Children" campaign led to a near coup d'etat and the death of five people. This is what people fighting for fairness for "sex offenders" are up against. How can feminism help us understand the hatred of the "sex offender"? How can social justice movements work together to end personal, political, and state violence?
The Feminist and the Sex Offender, co-authored by Judith Levine & Erica Meiners, makes a powerful feminist case for accountability without punishment and sexual safety and pleasure without injustice.
With analytical clarity and narrative force, The Feminist and the Sex Offender contends with two problems that are typically siloed in the era of #MeToo and mass incarceration: sexual and gender violence, on the one hand, and the state’s unjust, ineffective, and soul-destroying response to it on the other. Is it possible to confront the culture of abuse? Is it possible to hold harm-doers accountable without recourse to a criminal justice system that redoubles injuries, fails survivors, and retrenches the conditions that made such abuse possible?
Drawing on interviews, extensive research, reportage, and history, The Feminist and the Sex Offender develops an intersectional feminist approach to ending sexual violence. It maps with considerable detail the unjust sex offender regime while highlighting the alternatives we urgently need.
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Show Up, Stand Up, Speak Up
Show Up, Stand Up, Speak Up Paperback – December 2, 2020 by Janice M Bellucci J.D. (Author)
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is dedicated to protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registrants and their families through education, legislation and litigation.WE BELIEVE:
1. No sexual abuse is ever acceptable.
2. Sex offense laws and policies should be based on sound research and common sense, not fear, panic or paranoia.
3. Current laws and policies that paint all sex offenders with one broad brush are counter-productive, wasteful, and cause needless harm.
4. The public sex offender registry and residency restriction laws do not protect children but instead ostracize and dehumanize individuals and their families.
5. Money spent on purely punitive measures would be better used for prevention, healing, and rehabilitation.
More information regarding ACSOL is available online at www.all4consolaws.org
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EMOTIONAL SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS
Emotional Support Group phone conference meetings:
These are not the same as monthly ACSOL phone conference meetings. They provide registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and share their experiences, strengths and hopes, with each other. They are held for those convicted of a sex offense and their loved ones. They are based upon the format of 12 Step meetings. There are TWO phone Emotional Support Group phone conference meetings per month.
If you want to attend the conference calls then email your name, phone, and the best times to call you to Alex (the group leader) at emotionalsupportgroup@all4consolaws.org
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NARSOL Live Litigation Summit November 19 & 20th
Fresh on the heels of our record-setting summer NARSOL LIVE web event, the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws will soon be hosting a NARSOL LIVE Litigation Summit on November 19 & 21, 2020. This live virtual event will feature dynamic attorney presenters speaking on the hottest topics in registry litigation, giving us updates and insights to the key court cases recently decided or currently in play that could have electrifying implications for the future of the registry.
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Paul Dubbeling, Civil Rights Attorney & NARSOL General Counsel
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Erica Dubno, Post-Conviction Counsel
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Aaron Marcus, Civil Rights Attorney
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Adele Nicholas, Civil Rights Attorney
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Paul Reingold, Civil Rights Attorney & Law Professor Emeritus
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Mark Yurachek, Post-Conviction & Appeals Attorney
NARSOL opposes dehumanizing registries and works to eliminate discrimination, banishment, and vigilantism against persons accused or convicted of sexual offenses through the use of impact litigation, public education, legislative advocacy, and media outreach in order to reintegrate and reconcile affected individuals and restore their constitutional rights.
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Restorative Action Alliance Kick Off
Direct Link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restorative-action-alliance-launch-tickets-117906989981?aff=erelexpmlt
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Virtual Panel Discussion:
Confronting Sexual Harm, Ending State Violence
Saturday June 20th 2020 at 10amEST
Good
Evening,
I would like to share some information with you in
regard to an upcoming webinar that @EndtheRegistry and
I will be hosting next Saturday, June 20 at 10
am.
This free virtual event will feature a discussion with
Judith Levine and Erica Meiners, authors of the recently
released book, The Feminist and the Sex Offender -
Confronting Sexual Harm and Ending State
Violence. The conversation will feature concepts from
the book, as well as the voices of those impacted by both
sexual harm and the criminal legal system, including the
impact of significant racial disparities.
You are so important to the dialogue around criminal
justice reform, ending sexual violence and public
registration issues and I wanted to personally invite you
to listen in.
The link to sign up to receive the access link is
available here:
http://www.bit.ly/ConfrontingSexualHarm
All the Best,
Amber Vlangas
amberspeaksup@gmail.com
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Safe and Just Michigan -The Evidence Based Case for Ending Sex Offender Registries
Our friends at Safe and Just Michigan hosted The Evidence Based Case for Ending Sex Offender Registries on May 28th 2020.
This learning webinar is 1.5 hours short.
It is a must see, so the ideas presented find a way to be further discussed and implemented throughout the country and at a federal level.
Direct Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQUJR9X-kvM
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Monday Speaker: Amber Vlangas
As a member of a justice-impacted
family, Amber Vlangas is a civil rights activist,
survivor, speaker and advocate of reimagining our
criminal justice system. Ms. Vlangas is a graduate
student pursuing a degree in Public Administration
with a concentration in Law and Public Policy at
Liberty University’s Helms School of Government. Her
research interests and life-experience center around
the impacts of public registration requirements and
offender management practices on the reintegration
of returning citizens, violence prevention and the
safety of our communities. She is a strong
believer in the power of human connections and
effective storytelling to create positive change.
Ms. Vlangas is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and has over 20 years of experience in marketing, fundraising and public relations for a variety of nonprofit and public organizations. She has participated at the grassroots level with the ACLU Smart Justice Campaign, Center for Rational Justice Studies and the Healing Connections Restorative Justice Conference. She is a frequent speaker and panelist for presentations that explore the collateral consequences of criminal convictions and public registries. She is currently a member of the Employment Subcommittee of Connecticut’s Council to Study the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record. Ms. Vlangas lives in small-town Connecticut with her husband and four children.
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PLEASE JOIN US THIS MONDAY 06/08/2020!
Click Here to Join the Conference Call!
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Call for Research Participants ~ Impacts of Sex Offender Legislation
I am writing to request your cooperation with a research project entitled “Contextualizing the Experiences of Sexual Offenders.” I am pursuing, and which is attached to this email. My name is Lisa Anne Zilney and I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice Studies at Montclair State University. I am conducting a study dealing with the experiences of registered sexual offenders who accept a plea deal. Most sexual offenders who accept a plea deal must register with the sexual offender registry. To date, there are no studies that look at the long-term and short-term impacts or the coercive nature of plea deals. Given that innocent individuals sometimes plead guilty, and that people who accept plea deals are not always aware of collateral consequences, understanding the experiences and perceptions of sex offenders can contextualize factors that make them more or less inclined to accept plea deals. This study also examines the impacts of community notification and registration, and residency restrictions on the lives of registered offenders after a plea.
The study will consist of a short quantitative survey, as well as an in-depth, qualitative interview conducted over the phone. Interviews will be kept completely confidential!
Findings of this research will have policy implications for how to reintegrate sexual offenders successfully into the community after incarceration and how to minimize the labeling effects of criminal justice sanctions for the offender. It is my sincerest hope that you will encourage members who meet the criterion of this study to contact me for participation!
This email requests that you post this call for participation on your website and/or distribute the request for participants via email to your members. Please find the call for participation attached as both a word and pdf document.
I would be more than willing to address any concerns you have about this project or answer any questions!
[Download the study's flyer here]
~Sincerely,
Lisa Anne Zilney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Montclair State University
Justice Studies Department, 349 Dickson Hall
Montclair, NJ 07043
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ACLU Michigan - BREAKING NEWS!

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) applauds today’s decision by U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland to provide relief for registrants on the Michigan Sex Offenders Registration Act (SORA). In today’s ruling, Judge Cleland ordered that if the legislature does not bring the law into compliance with constitutional requirements, the state will no longer be able to enforce the law against pre-2011 registrants.
“Unless and until decisive action is taken by the Michigan legislature, no provisions of SORA may be enforced against [pre-2011 registrants] ex post facto subclasses,” Judge Cleland wrote.
Today’s decision follows several prior rulings: two 2015 rulings by Judge Cleland which found many parts of SORA unconstitutional and a 2016 ruling by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that it is unconstitutional to impose new severe restrictions on people who have past convictions. When the state continued to enforce the law despite the court rulings, the ACLU, with the University of Michigan Clinical Law Program and the Oliver Law Group, brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of Michigan’s registrants arguing that the state had to follow the earlier rulings.
“Today’s decision is a win for the public safety of Michigan communities,” said Miriam Aukerman, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan. “The registry is an ineffective and bloated system that makes Michigan communities less safe by making it more difficult for survivors to report abuse, sabotaging people’s efforts to reenter society, and wasting scarce police resources on hyper-technicalities. Today’s decision means that lawmakers must finally do their jobs and pass evidence-based laws that better serve everyone. Michigan families deserve true reform that prioritizes public safety and prevention, not a failed registry.”
In May 2019, Judge Cleland ruled that significant portions of SORA cannot be applied to pre-2011 registrants, but deferred further relief to give the legislature time to bring SORA into compliance with the constitution. The Michigan legislature has not passed a new, constitutional SORA law.
Judge Cleland wrote: “Making these determinations invites pure speculation on the part of the court and could result in a system in which different versions of SORA apply to different classes of registrants, which would create an administrative nightmare for law enforcement and registrants alike.”
Under today’s ruling, registrants whose offenses pre-date April 12, 2011 will be removed from the registry unless the legislature rewrites the law before judgment is entered in the case. The parties must provide a proposed judgment by March 13 and the judgment will include a 60-day period before entry.
“We urge the Michigan Legislature to focus on what actually works to reduce sexual offending,” said Paul Reingold, law professor at the University of Michigan and co-counsel on the case. “The legislature will now need to overhaul the SORA law, and can do so is a way that is rooted in research and prioritizes prevention, support for survivors, and the successful re-entry of those who have already served time. The legislature has a responsibility to act quickly in order to provide relief to the 44,000 registrants who continue to be unfairly punished by these unconstitutional laws.”
In addition to barring retroactive enforcement of the law against pre-2011 registrants, Judge Cleland’s decision finds that SORA’s exclusion zones, which bar registrants from living, working or spending time in areas around schools, are unconstitutionally vague for all registrants because they cannot determine where they can and cannot be. The decision also protects registrants from being prosecuted for accidentally violating SORA’s complicated, technical requirements, and bars enforcement of certain unclear reporting requirements.
Judge Cleland wrote: “Without the 2011 amendments, SORA registrants and law enforcement officials have no guidance for who must register, what events must be reported, where registrants must report, how often registrants must report, or when registrants become eligible for removal from the registry. Michigan law makes clear that SORA cannot be enforced given such glaring omissions.”
A legislative workgroup met in the summer of 2019 to discuss possible SORA revisions, and the American Law Institute, the nation’s leading independent organization that drafts model legislation, also recently released a draft registry law.
Case background and corresponding documents are at:
https://www.aclumich.org/en/SORA
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FLASH ALERT - Class Action | Ex Post Facto | Void for Vagueness | First Amendment
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Sex Offender Laws Are Broken. These Women Are Working To Fix Them. – Reason.com
Dear Friends,
Please take a minute to read the article in REASON Magazine.
https://reason.com/2020/01/18/sex-offender-laws-are-broken-these-women-are-working-to-fix-them/
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PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!
On May 29 and 30, 2020 The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will host the 4th annual conference E.P.I.C.: Empowered People Inspiring Change. The Conference will take place at the beautiful Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, CA.
The 2020 keynote speaker will be Justin Brooks, Director of California Innocence Project. Mr. Brooks worked to overturn the conviction of Brian Banks who was wrongly convicted, imprisoned for 5 years, and listed on the sex offender registry for a sex crime he didn’t commit.
Social justice leader Dr. Alissa Ackerman and civil rights attorney Aaron Marcus will also be presenting, as well as Chance Oberstein, ACSOL President, and Janice Bellucci, ACSOL Executive Director.
There are more details about the 2020 Conference on the ACSOL website https://all4consolaws.org/2020conference/
Check it out and then make plans to attend!
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Potentially exciting development on Halloween sign case.
Butts County Sheriff, Gary Long, is appealing the District Court’s Ruling that placing signs on the properties of persons required to register violates their First Amendment Right!
If you recall, Sheriff Long was enjoined from placing signs saying, “NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!! A COMMUNITY SAFETY MESSAGE FROM BUTTS COUNTY SHERIFF GARY LONG.” at the homes of people on the sex offender registry in Butts County, Georgia during the week of Halloween.
The decision was a great win, so why is it exciting that he is appealing? Because Florida and Alabama share the same federal appellate circuit as Georgia. A potential win in the 11th Circuit would mean that the decision would become binding precedent in a Florida District Court. So, say someone in Duval wanted to bring a lawsuit challenging their Halloween Sign ordinance, they could rely on the 11th Circuit Case as case law.
It’s important to remember that appeals can take a while, so another Halloween might pass before any decision on their appeal is rendered. Also, it’s important to remember that cases can go either way – while we feel the registrant plaintiffs have a very strong argument and should win, any appeal is a risk. All that said, we’re excited by the potential of this appeal and we will certainly be watching the case.
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A Collateral Damage Research Study
== UPDATE ==
For those that have shown interest in the Capella University research study, thank you. I was informed that our researcher has received approximately 20 potential participants and has contacted each of them for evaluation screening. She does not need any further respondents at this time. Again, thank you for your interest.
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We are writing to tell you of an opportunity to participate in a research study conducted by Cheryl Welch, a PhD candidate at Capella University. Study subjects will be the parents of adult sons or daughters who have been incarcerated for CP. Participants anonymity will be protected and subjects will receive a $30 gift card as appreciation for their participation.
Please carefully read the blue text in the PDF for further details about qualifying. The study is only looking for ten participants so, if you are interested, you should act quickly.
If you would like to participate, please send an email to the following address: Click to Email and please write "STUDY" in the subject line.
Want to learne more?
Download the full PDF here.
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Tech Companies Reported Over 45 Million Child Porn Images & Videos on Their Platforms Last Year
Porn, in some form, has existed for as long as humans have. While it has drastically evolved over time to be what it is today—from caveman drawings to free and accessible hardcore HD videos available 24/7 online—the difference that seems to have had the biggest effect on culture-at-large is access.
We have the rapid improvement of technology, namely the internet and all devices that supply us with access to the internet, to thank for that. Although the internet definitely has major upsides, it also has a very dark side.
Follow this link to continue reading:
https://fightthenewdrug.org/tech-companies-reported-over-45-million-child-porn-last-year/
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The Dobbs Wire: Is the sex offense registry growing or shrinking?
Hard to tell because the long-time keeper of the national statistics, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), has stopped updating the figures!
Every six months for many years NCMEC put a new 50 state map online with the latest numbers. The updated statistics are now months overdue. NCMEC didn’t respond to our questions but we managed to get a reporter for a major media outlet to query them.
The word came back – NCMEC confirmed that it no longer updates the map. The reporter, unfortunately, never filed a story, and NCMEC has not announced the change. So you heard it here first – with 900,000 listings and counting, several million people directly impacted -- the figures have gone missing. NCMEC is a private entity that gets the bulk of its funding from the federal government, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. NCMEC is also the group that incited public fears over ‘stranger danger.’ Losing the statistics is lousy but there might be a silver lining – this failure by NCMEC may prompt the federal government to step in and keep tabs on the official blacklist. The US Department of Justice ought to take on this task because these numbers should not be entrusted to a private group that has other agendas.
If you have any ideas drop us a line:
Below is our dispatch from Dec. 2018 with the last figures released by NCMEC.
–Bill
Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire
============================
The
Dobbs Wire: More than 912,000 on
government blacklists – sex
offense registry listings INCREASE
4.8% in the last year
The Dobbs Wire has produced a new chart with the latest sex offense registry statistics for every state and Washington DC, along with figures from 2017. One key indicator continues to *increase* -- the total number on blacklists is now 912,643. That’s a 4.8% climb in the last 12 months! 42,001 listings have been added since 2017.
These government blacklists produce no benefit to public safety but they sure pack a punch. Life shattering consequences include routine harassment, discrimination and even vigilante attacks. Are such lists needed? That’s a public discussion that needs to happen.
Oddly, the federal government doesn’t track the numbers; a federally funded non-profit organization does: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) updates an online map with the statistics every six months, those figures are the best available although their accuracy has been questioned.
Have a look at the attachment, our new chart.
-Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire Dec. 12, 2018
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ACTION ALERT
Members and Supporters
I am working on a project that I hope to finish tonight on early Monday. For this project it is important for me to find one or more people that have suffered the loss of a loved one due to suicide or have a loved one that attempted suicide, in both cases because they were entrapped in some form of sting operation either by authorities or vigilantes.
If you or someone you know matches this description, please contact me by email or phone as soon as possible. I will be up late tonight working on this project so please respond even if it is late tonight or early tomorrow morning.
Contact me at:
636.208.5949
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Trauma and Sexual Abuse
Trauma
and Sexual Abuse
Dr. Melissa Grady at Catholic University and Dr. Jill Levenson at Barry University are conducting a study aimed at understanding the role of trauma and later sexual offending.
Since many of our readers
may have a history of
sexually offending, please
consider participating in
the web-based survey that
should take approximately 15
-20 minutes. Please forward
the link to others who may
be willing to participate in
the study.
The survey is at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QZBTMVS
For questions, please email
grady@cua.edu
or call 202.319.4387.
Experiences When In
Relationship With A
Registered Sex Offender
University of Nevada, Reno
is also conducting research
to better understand the
experiences of those who
have been in a relationship
with someone who is on a sex
offender registry. This is
the first ever
national-level survey to
gather data solely from
spouses and partners of
people on the sex offender
registry.
If
you or someone you know is
in a relationship with a
registrant, please
participate in the study and
forward it to others who can
help with the research. It
is expected that the
research may aid in further
understanding how
registration and related
policies affect spouses and
partners of individuals
listed on a sex offender
registry.
The survey is at:
http://unrcfr.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b1oK7ZdF53PbGbX
For questions, please email sornaproject@gmail.com or call 775.784.4345.
Registry Matters Podcast
You'll
be interested in three cases
recently reviewed on the
Registry Matters podcast.
One addressed blanket GPS
monitoring, another with
Internet prohibitions and a
third with the First
Amendment and an elected
official attempting to
restrain the speech of one
of our advocates.
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University of Nevada Reno: Research Project
The University of Nevada Reno is conducting a research project and this is your opportunity to offer you insight. The intention is to distribute a survey link, which is below, to partners and spouse of registered offenders to assess how they feel registration and notification policies impact their lives. They hope to gather information about the unintended consequences of these policies.
SORNA POLICY PROJECT
Have you ever been in a relationship with a registered sexual offender? If so, we are interested in hearing from you. We know that individuals who have been or are currently in relationships with registered sexual offenders may experience a unique set of challenges and experiences. We want to learn more about your own personal experiences, how this has affected you, and how you feel about current sex offender policies.
This is the first ever national-level survey to gather data solely from spouses and partners of registered sexual offenders. This is your chance to share your voice and address the issues that are affecting you!
If interested, please click the link below to learn more. The first 300 participants will be entered into a raffle for (2) $100 and (6) $50 Amazon gift cards.
http://unrcfr.co1.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_ b1oK7ZdF53PbGbX
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Tribeca Film Festival: UNTOUCHABLE
Dear Friends,
It has been a long road. From the
homeless encampments of South
Miami to the Tribeca Film
Festival,
UNTOUCHABLE has been a labor
of love for nearly five years now.
I’m writing to you to tell you
that finally, it is being released
to the public on Amazon, iTunes,
Google Play, and Kanopy.
I remain enormously proud of this
film. While we knew going in that
creating a balanced, complex
portrait of the most reviled
people in our society might create
barriers to its commercial
viability, I stand by every frame
of what I hope is a film you will
watch, consider, and then wildly
post and tweet about.
The publicity we’ve gotten since
announcing the VOD release has
been universally laudatory: And,
at least as of this writing, we’re
still at 100 percent on rotten
tomatoes. Not bad. Here are squibs
from two reviews just from the
last couple of days:
"UNTOUCHABLE is an incredible
example of what documentaries at
their best can be - not just
informative, but balanced and
thought-provoking despite covering
very difficult to watch and
complicated subject matter.”
—Aaron White, Feelin' Film
"An eye-opening look at a thorny
topic... Feige’s documentary
resounds with sympathy….and
open(s) up a dialogue about a
hot-button subject that, it
contends, is far less
open-and-shut than most assume."
—Nick Schager, Daily Beast
On behalf of our entire team, I
also want to thank the law
professors, social scientists, and
the small army of concerned
academics in many disciplines who
have purchased the film for
research and teaching. Likewise,
the stream of screening requests
from hundreds of community
activists has kept us busy for the
better part of two years.
As I once told my producer,
Rebecca, I see making a
documentary film as creating a
little engine of social change.
You build it and set it free in
the world. We’re about to set it
free. I hope by watching, engaging
and thinking about this difficult
subject you’ll help bring some
nuance and complexity to a
difficult subject that is too
often painted only in black and
white.
So below is the official release
information. Please, click view,
think, talk tweet, post, and
e-mail, and maybe just maybe, word
of mouth and your personal
endorsements can give this film
the life I hope it can have.
From the bottom of my heart, I
thank you all.
Excelsior.
David
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This award-winning documentary
(Tribeca Film Festival - Albert
Maysles New Documentary Director
Award) explodes conventional
thinking on this topic with data
showing that current sex-offender
laws and systems of punishment
aren't making us any safer.
It's the first documentary to
challenge deeply help public
perceptions with new and
compelling social science
research. Untouchable takes you
deep into our criminal justice
system to reveal the complicated
truth behind the explosive growth
of what has become one of
America’s largest punishment
systems.
Community Screenings |
Please note that individual streams do not include the rights for community screenings. For a screening in any public, theatrical, or semi-theatrical venue, with or without admission charge, please contact us at outreach@untouchablefilm.com |
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