USA FAIR, Inc. Families Advocating Intelligent Registry

This is a great resource and community advocating for the families and loved ones of people required to register as a RSO.
Please check out this website, become a member, and spread the word.  

http://www.usafair.org

About USA FAIR, Inc.

USA FAIR, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to educating the public on issues related to the sex offender registry.

Family members of people required to register founded USA FAIR and our membership includes registrants who are leading law-abiding lives, as well as our allies in the legal, social justice and treatment communities.

Our mission is to educate the public about the myth of high sex offender recidivism and to advocate for registry reform that is based on facts and evidence.

Sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates of all offender groups in the criminal justice system.  Yet, the whole premise of the sex offender registry is based on the mistaken belief that former sex offenders have a high rate of recidivism and therefore need additional life-long monitoring and sanctions not imposed on any other offender group.

Studies conducted by law enforcement agencies and treatment professionals have all confirmed low recidivism.  Further, additional studies have shown that many of the sanctions imposed on registrants do nothing to protect the community and can in fact be counter-productive and a waste of taxpayer dollars.  You can access these studies through links in the Studies section of our website.

Many organizations have formed in states across the country to reform the registry.  We are not looking to duplicate their good efforts.  At USA FAIR our focus will be on the national news media by being a reliable contact for journalists to reach people who can speak to this issue from the perspective of living with the impacts of the registry every day - and to hold them accountable for inaccurate coverage.

The facts are on our side.  What has been missing from this debate has been our place at the table... and our stories.

We are here to communicate the thousands of success stories of former offenders who are busy rebuilding their lives by being good citizens and providers for their families.

And we are here to tell the darker stories of how the sex offender registry, in its current form, is destroying families.  The loved-ones of registrants have become the unintended victims of the registry, whether it is the loss of employment of a breadwinner, harassment of children at school, homelessness brough about by residency restrictions, or the targeting of registrants by vigilantes - which in a growing number of cases has tragically resulted in the murder of sons, husbands and fathers.

We are not against the sex offender registry.  We just want a “smart-on-crime” registry that is evidence-based and targets the truly dangerous.  You can read what that means to us by visiting the Mission page of this site.

Legislators Propose Overhaul To Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry

via @wbur http://www.wbur.org/2013/01/23/mass-sex-offender-registry-overhaul

BOSTON — A month after the arrest of a Wakefield man on more than 100 charges of molesting young children, some state lawmakers from that area are calling for an overhaul of the system of that lets the public know about the presence of convicted sex offenders in their neighborhoods.

John Burbine was previously convicted of indecent assault and battery on a child, but a state board characterized his as a Level 1 sex offender, which prevented release of information about his criminal history.

The lawmakers who’ve filed a bill to reform the state’s sex offender registry all represent Wakefield, including state Sen. Katherine Clark, who joined WBUR’s Morning Edition to discuss the proposal.

A New Year For RSOL (Full Release)

January 22, 2013
Contact: Sandy Rozek, Communications Committee
713.303.4037
correspondence@reformsexoffenderlaws.org

RSOL—Reform Sex Offender Laws, Inc.—is pleased to welcome the New Year with some timely and aggressive legal action. Directed by our Legal Committee, we are supporting our Pennsylvania state affiliate, Pennsylvania RSOL, in challenging sections of Senate Bill 1183 (Pennsylvania’s new sex offender registration requirements) on multiple constitutional grounds. Two press releases have been issued relevant to this issue.

 

Additionally, a letter has been mailed to ten-year registrants throughout the state of Pennsylvania advising them of our action and encouraging them to contribute their moral and financial support to our efforts.  We also encourage them to join National RSOL as well as their local chapter if they have not already done so. 

 

National RSOL has issued press releases in New Mexico and in Texas.  In those states, we oppose bills which propose new requirements and restrictions on registrants using social networking sites.   Elements of both states’ bills are clearly unconstitutional, and similar bills and laws in other states have been overturned.

 

Our second major effort in the new year will be a membership drive!   RSOL’s Planning Committee has examined several membership models and is in the process of designing one that will facilitate the furtherance of our vision, mission, and goals.

 

The formulation of vision, mission, goals, and belief statements, also spearheaded by the Planning Committee, is nearing completion. They are each posted on the website, www.reformsexoffenderlaws.org, as soon as they are approved by the full Admin Team of nine members, in accordance with our bylaws. Vision, mission, and goals are posted and can be viewed by going to the website. Work on the belief statements is nearing completion.

 

The new year will see new undertakings for RSOL, but our established and valuable current practices will continue as well.  For example, our Prison Project sends theDigest, in both electronic and paper format, to incarcerated offenders.  The Digestreaches people (more each month!) in both federal and state institutions, so the Prison Project continues to grow.

 

The Conference Committee has been at work on our next national conference since the close of last year’s fourth and largest-attended one in Albuquerque, NM. The 2013 conference will take place over Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles, California, and we anticipate an even larger attendance for this fifth national conference.

 

This year will also see increased efforts at collaboration with other organizations whose goals complement those of RSOL. Using all available resources, we will continue to seek legislation that is based on facts and evidence-based research and laws that adhere to our Constitution while providing protection for every man, woman, and child in our nation.

 

 

RSOL promotes the elimination of sexual abuse and the preservation of civil rights for all individuals through the use of effective legislation based on empirical research. We envision sexual offense laws based on equal justice and respect for the dignity of all people, protection from retroactively applied punishment, and the establishment of fact-based laws and policies that protect our communities.

New Blog From Wife of RSO

Hi guys,

Prisoners of Love is a blog by the wife of a RSO who finds herself dealing with allegations her husband has recently reoffended.  This has jeopardized the life they have built with each other after she stayed with him after his initial offense and subsequent longterm incarceration. In her words:

There are a lot of families in the world who have been touched by the family disease of addictions ranging from alcoholism to sex addiction. I don't know the answers for these problems, but I do believe that if we don't talk about and search for healing, our children's children will pay the price. I hope that by sharing what I am going through, what my children are going through, that I can find help for them and hopefully in turn it will help someone else.

A lot going on there and she is looking to connect with others for support and advice.

A Lawyers Excellent Blog Post Explaining Pennsylvania's New Megan's Law

Premier Defense Group has a great blog post breaking down the new Adam Walsh Act, its implications, and possible routes for appealing the law. Definitely a good read for ex-offenders and their families.

http://www.premierdefensegroup.com/blog/appealing-pennsylvanias-new-megans/

The Defender Association of Philadelphia and A Pennsylvania RSO on Probation and His Experience Registering Under The New Adam Walsh Act

This written by a probationer about his experience complying with the newly enacted Adam Walsh Act in Pennsylvania.

I wanted to pass along my experience on Dec. 21st when I was ordered to report by Probation to register under the new Act 111. I just had to fill out a lot of paperwork, even though I've registered with the State Police before. I had to bring with me my car registration and my mom's, since I drive her car once in a while. I had to give them e-mail addresses and any school or work info. So the usual bs. 

But along with the probation officers were at least 5 representatives from the Defender Association of Philadelphia (where I live). I was shocked to see them, but grateful they were there. They were talking to us one on one and explaining why they want to fight this unjust law. They had a short form for each person to fill out so they could start to get plaintiffs together for a massive lawsuit. And the best part is that they are public defenders, so money is not an issue, although I'm sure they take donations, but I don't know that.  

I've been in contact with the Defender Association of Philadelphia through Karl Baker who is Chief of the Appeals Division for a few months now. He has kept me informed of any court cases that have anything to do with my specific situation. 

I would suggest all of you in PA call or write the Defender Assoc. soon to be a part of this lawsuit or at least to get some more info on the fight. Here is the contact info: Defender Association of Philadelphia1441 Sansom StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19102(215) 568-3190

Out of State Registered Sex Offenders Visiting PA

I just called the Pennsylvania State Police for clarification: if you are an out of state registered sex offender visiting PA for more than 7 aggregate days in a calendar year then you must register as a PA sex offender and all that entails.

Pennsylvania Adam Walsh Act Requirements To Be Challenged via RSOL

Sex Offender Registration Requirements to be Challenged 
 

December 20, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Larry Neely
RSOL Legal Committee

 

Reform Sex Offender Laws Inc. (RSOL) plans to soon challenge sections of Senate Bill 1183 (Pennsylvania’s new sex offender registration requirements) on multiple constitutional grounds.

Today marks the beginning of enforcement of a controversial new state law that purports to protect citizens from registered sex offenders. RSOL’s executive director Brenda Jones stated, “It is disappointing that Pennsylvania’s lawmakers chose to ignore the lessons learned when Ohio proceeded down this same disastrous path more than five years ago.” Ohio was the first state to be deemed AWA complaint, but the courts subsequently have found several aspects of Ohio’s new law unconstitutional. After expending millions of taxpayer dollars defending an unconstitutional law, Ohio was forced  to revert back to the old registration system for those sentenced prior to the new law’s enactment.

Jones stated that provisions of Pennsylvania’s new law “transform what is supposed to be a non-punitive, civil regulatory measure into a form of lifetime probationary supervision for most persons on the registry,” which RSOL believes to be blatantly unconstitutional. “And further,” she continues, “all individuals on Pennsylvania’s registry will see their registration periods dramatically increase, with the majority becoming life-timers. This,” she emphasized, “is a violation of the ex post facto clause.”

Jones stated that although the new law was touted by its supporters as necessary to bring Pennsylvania into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act (AWA), “It does little if anything to improve public safety, and any marginal benefit achieved is at the expense of trampling over our most cherished constitutional protections.”

Jones concluded her remarks by saying, “It is most unfortunate that RSOL must undertake such a challenge, but make no mistake about it; we cannot and will not stand by while public policymakers shred the constitution and disregard their oaths of office.”


RSOL promotes the elimination of sexual abuse and the preservation of civil rights for all individuals through the use of effective legislation based on empirical research. We envision sexual offense laws based on equal justice and respect for the dignity of all people, protection from retroactively applied punishment, and the establishment of fact-based laws and policies which protect our communities.
 

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Happy 2013 Everyone!

The changing of the calendar year is always a *big* deal for those incarcerated or under supervised release and their families and friends as well.   Maybe this is the year he is released or perhaps 2013 means the end of your probation/parole. Or maybe you have enough time under your belt to petition to reduce your level or to even get off the registry.  At the very least, 2013 means one step closer.

Happy New Year!