This two-hour NARSOL conference call  took place on September 30. We discussed NARSOL’s new relationship with Paul Dubbeling, an attorney based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who is now on retainer with NARSOL. He will be leading our reinvigorated Scarlet Legal Action Project (SLAP).

Hour 1:  We had an introduction and overview of the Scarlet Legal Action Project and our priorities. Mr. Dubbeling and NARSOL’s executive director Brenda Jones discussed the issues and answered questions.

Hour 2:  Brenda gave an overview of the upcoming NARSOL national conference. Then Mr. Dubbeling, Brenda, and host Larry took questions related to SLAP and other legal issues and cases from the audience. They were joined by attorney Adele Nichols, who was on the call.

https://narsol.org/podcast/nia-9-30-2021-scarlet-legal-action-project-slap/

The post NARSOL in Action 9/30/2021 – Litigation Update: Audios available first appeared on NARSOL.

Hour 1: Paul Reingold, an attorney with the University of Michigan School of Law, discusses the recent decision in Michigan. This case has the potential to bar that state from enforcing their registration requirements on those whose conduct occurred before 2011. In addition, the court’s final order will severely limit enforcement of various provisions of SORA on the remaining registrants.
https://narsol.org/podcast/nia-3-2-2020-litigation-update-hour-1

Hour 2: Attorneys Mark Yurachek and Mark Begnaud discuss the Butts County Sheriff’s appeal of the favorable ruling we won last October regarding the placement of signs at Halloween. As Sheriff Long had vowed, he did appeal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. NARSOL and the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) have joined forces in support of Judge Treadwell’s decision. See press release.
https://narsol.org/podcast/nia-3-2-2020-litigation-update-hour-2

Hour 3: Attorney Ashley Cloud, staff attorney from New Mexico’s Liberty & Justice Coalition, discusses LJC’s pending lawsuit for those with out of state convictions and other challenges which will be initiated in 2020.
https://narsol.org/podcast/nia-3-2-2020-litigation-update-hour-3

You can also find the program on YouTube here

The post NARSOL in Action 3/2/2020 – Litigation Update: Audios available first appeared on NARSOL.

This edition of NARSOL in Action focused on Murphy v. Raoul, a recent decision by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois which found that the state is trampling the constitution by failing to release those who have served their full sentences. You can read the full 61-page opinion here.

Our special guest for this segment was Adele Nicholas, a Chicago-based civil rights attorney who has extensively litigated issues concerning registration and related collateral consequences in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Among her recent notable cases are Hoffman v. Village of Pleasant Prairie, in which the court enjoined enforcement of a municipal residency restriction that sought to force registrants to move out of the Village, and Winter v. Schmitz, in which the court prohibited the state of Illinois from labeling a registrant as a “sexual predator” based on a misdemeanor conviction.

The discussion about Murphy v. Raoul was followed by an hour of Can They Do That? followed by Ask the NARSOL Board. King Alexander, a supervising felony without parole attorney in the Calcasieu Parish Public Defender’s Office, was featured on Can They Do That? and took many listener questions. The final hour had several members of the board of directors on the call who also answered questions.

Hour 1:       Review of the decision by Ms. Nicholas followed by audience questions with preference to callers in Illinois;
https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-4-25-2019-hour-1

Hour 2:       Can They Do That? with King Alexander;
https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-4-25-2019-hour-2

Hour 3:       Ask the NARSOL Board.
https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-4-25-2019-hour-3

The post NARSOL in Action 4/25/2019 – Murphy v. Raoul first appeared on NARSOL.

The combination NARSOL in Action and Can They Do That? conference call was well received.

The first hour was devoted to discussing the deregistration process in Colorado. Our special guest was attorney Colleen Kelley from Denver, Colorado. Ms. Kelley is an associate at Wolf Law, LLC, and has dedicated her practice entirely to criminal defense. You can find out more about Ms. Kelley here. She has successfully handled deregistration petitions throughout Colorado, and what she had to say on the subject was very enlightening.

In addition, we talked about the case of Millard v. Rankin, which is pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the 10^th Circuit. NARSOL has filed an Amicus brief in that case, and we are hopeful that the Court of Appeals will uphold Judge Matsch’s findings that the registration scheme is punitive. We took phone calls from those in the listening audience who had questions regarding petitions for deregistration or Millard v. Rankin, and both Ms. Kelley and Larry were very helpful with the answers.

The second hour of the program, a segment of Can They Do That?, was equally interesting. Question covered a wide gamut of interests from quite a few different states. Both Larry and Ms. Kelley were kept busy responding to the questions.

Both hours of the session can be heard by going here: https://narsol.org/narsol-in-action/ 

The post Deregistration Process in CO and “Can They Do That?” first appeared on NARSOL.

• Open forum and general Q & A.

https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-2-7-2018-hour-3/

The post NARSOL in Action 2/7/2018 Hour 3 first appeared on NARSOL.

• Questions by panel for Ms. Bickerton and Mr. Cicchinelli;
• Audience questions with preference to callers in PA.

https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-2-7-2018-hour-2/

The post NARSOL in Action 2/7/2018 Hour 2 first appeared on NARSOL.

We will focus on the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court rejecting the Cumberland County District Attorney’s effort to undo the PA Supreme Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Muniz. Our special guests will be Lea Bickerton and Robert Cicchinelli. Ms. Bickerton is an attorney in Pittsburgh with extensive experience dealing with registry issues. Mr. Cicchinnelli serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Prison Society and chairs their policy subcommittee for sex offender issues. Theresa Robertson, who is NARSOL’s advocate in PA, will also be assisting us with the call.

• Review of the Muniz Decision by Ms. Bickerton and Mr. Cicchinelli;
• Questions by panel for Ms. Bickerton and Mr. Cicchinelli;

https://narsol.org/podcast/narsol-in-action-2-7-2018-hour-1/

The post NARSOL in Action 2/7/2018 Hour 1 first appeared on NARSOL.

By Andy….

I recently listened to a podcast called “Ex-Con.” It is part of a new series titled Sincerely, X. This episode hits very close to home for a great many of us. The subject of the episode was convicted of securities fraud and sent to federal prison for 7 years.

In the episode, the ex-con discusses how he feels the prison system is terribly detrimental to one’s future. He discusses how prisons should be focused on release from the very first day. He brings up that so many people in prison are wasting their time, spinning their wheels. Maybe there could be some type of public/private partnership with companies to help people inside gain skills that would help them when they’re out.

I personally find it very short sighted that our society is perfectly happy to lock you up and spend the $xx,000 dollars per year to keep you housed, but the day you are released, you’re given not much more than a kick in the rear and sent on your way. It’s ‘expected’ that you won’t use the revolving door to return. I would ask politicians what they expect people to do when they get out if they aren’t prepared. Without coming out better than when they went in, their return to prison is almost guaranteed. Granted, some people do use the time in prison to reboot themselves psychologically, and some, the more fortunate, either had or manage to acquire some marketable skills that will serve them well when they get out. For the rest, it is incredibly challenging when they are released to get a job, pay monthly bills, meet supervision requirements, etc.

We would need a dramatic shift in how we think of people who are ex-cons. It does seem like a better idea to identify desires and aptitudes of people on the inside to set them up for a better chance of success when they are released. I think about 95% of people will be released from prison. It would be a front loaded investment to fund these types of programs. There is a huge infrastructure of crowd-sourced curriculum that could be used at a greatly reduced cost.

I found the episode to be very enlightening. I strongly recommend it to everyone who has an interest in improving our criminal justice system.

https://www.ted.com/read/ted-podcasts/sincerely-x

https://soundcloud.com/audible/sincerely-x-ex-con-excerpt

The post Sincerely, X – Podcast Recommendation first appeared on NARSOL.