Justice for All: A Conference to Reform Sexual Offense Laws
“Justice for All: A Conference to Reform Sexual Offense Laws,” will be held in Los Angeles during Labor Day weekend. The conference will begin on Thursday, August 29, with an evening social gathering and continue through noon on Sunday, September 1. The conference will be held near LAX airport.
Keynote speaker Alex Landon, a prominent criminal defense attorney, will open the conference the morning of Friday, August 30. Mr. Landon is co-author of the book “A Parallel Universe,” which analyzes sex offender issues from both legal and human perspectives. He is also former president of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and is a current board member of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL) organization.
“This is an excellent opportunity for registrants and family members of registrants to learn about the laws and policies that affect their daily lives,” stated Brenda Jones, Executive Director of Reform Sex Offender Laws. Past national conferences have been held in Boston, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and Albuquerque.
“California is honored to host this annual event which will feature distinguished experts from around the nation,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of CA RSOL. There are more than 100,000 registered sex offenders in the state of California, including more than 11,000 in Los Angeles County.
Additional confirmed speakers include:
Catherine Carpenter, criminal defense attorney and professor of law at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles;
Doctor Suzonne Kline, former administrator of Florida’s Sexually Violent Predator Program; and
Doctor Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower, Founding Program Director of Circles of Support and Accountability at the Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies at Fresno Pacific University.
Ms. Carpenter’s primary focus of scholarship is on issues pertaining to sex offender registration laws and sex crimes. Her 2012 law review article, “The Evolution of Unconstitutionality in Sex Offender Registration Laws,” was recently cited in John Doe v. Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Maryland.
Dr. Kline is currently in private practice and specializes in forensic evaluation, risk assessment. She also offers expert testimony regarding effective sexual offender management. Formerly the administrator of Florida’s Sexually Violent Predator Program (SVPP), Dr. Kline is currently an expert consultant to the Florida Action Committee (FAC), Caution Click: National Campaign for Reform (CCNCR) and the Missouri Citizens for Reform (MCR) in their respective efforts to reform current sex offender management practices.
Dr. Ruth-Heffelbower is a former minister and has been involved in restorative justice work for more than 30 years. She helped to found the COSA program in 2007 with a start-up grant from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She has provided leadership for organizations both in North America and Indonesia. As an instructor, her graduate-level courses have included studies in group dynamics, family ministries, spiritual formation and spiritual direction.
Online registration for the conference is now available at rsolconference.org. The cost to register is $100 per person, with an early bird discount of $10 through July 31.
