We should know that organizations like NARSOL (formerly RSOL) and ACSOL (formerly California RSOL) have made a real difference by challenging the extremes of the sex offender Registry and the collateral consequences of being on the Registry. They've done it with remarkably few people (but are growing) and it is likely that we will see major legal reforms in the years to come. No, they don't support intergen nor are they even inclined to mention it in anything like positive terms (because they can't possibly do that and be effective in the legal arena) but they are the best thing that is happening in our favor today. They have had a major influence on academia, journalists and the legal community. They are showing up in groups in state houses and in front of courthouses and engaging the public and lawmakers in discussions about the disaster of sex laws. They have managed to defeat state bills before they became laws and have overturned local ordinances in dozens, if not hundreds, of cities and towns, such as the laws banning "sex offenders" from parks, beaches, libraries, etc. in Southern California. ACSOL has filed dozens and dozens of lawsuits against the federal government, the states and municipalities and most of them have been successful. Now they're suing on behalf of civil detainees who are being held in "hosprisons" even after serving the entirety of their prison sentences. There is every reason to believe that the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the federal and state courts, are gradually being influenced by their work. There are more criminal defense lawyers and law professors on the boards of these organizations than ever before. Major newspapers, such as the Washington Post and magazines, such as Reason and The Economist, have written about the urgent need to reform these laws, often citing the work of these organizations. You can bet that the Supreme Court Justices read the Washington Post. Just imagine if many of the people affected by these laws were to throw their support, in money or effort, behind them, how we might make dramatic progress. For all of the talk about VirPed and whether they are making a difference, we should instead be discussing the tangible progress made by those organizations who are doing solid, difficult and essential work. |