News From The Admin Team

First National RSOL Conference - Both Sides of the Mississippi

by - Alex Marbury

Introductory Conference Report & Press Release

Summary of Preliminary Comments from Participants

INTRODUCTORY CONFERENCE REPORT

Reform Sex Offender Laws Organization (RSOL) was a completely web-based organization until July 10, 2009, when its first national conference took place simultaneously in Boston, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas. About 130 people took part at the two sites - a downtown Austin Hotel and a downtown Boston university.

In Texas, the conference was organized and chaired by Mary Sue Molnar, creative originator of Texas Voices. In Boston, the noted peace educator, Paul Shannon, organized and chaired the conference. Almost all participants agreed that the first attempt at a national meeting was successful on several levels.

Above all, most people said, it was very important to meet each other 'in the flesh'. Whatever can be said about cyberspace, real space is still superior for human interaction. Perhaps the only major problem was a glitch in the video and audio transmissions between the two sites (only parts of the presentations could be seen or heard in Texas, and the quality of the video was poor at both sites.) Despite this, Mary Sue Molnar reported that Texas participants were equally pleased overall.

A very significant feature of the conference was the participation of representatives from other groups dealing with various aspects of the disastrous impact of America's sex offender laws. Among these were SOSEN (Sex Offender Support and Education Network), CURE-SORT (the sex offender issues section of a major prison reform group), and ETAY (Ethical Treatment for Adults and Youth - a group supporting the rights of juvenile offenders). Participants heard excellent speakers at both sites - among them prominent psychologists and researchers Dr. Richard Pillard, Dr. Jerome Miller and Dr. Fred Berlin, and nationally acclaimed legal expert, William Habern, Esq. Panels consisting of a sex offender, a family member and an expert responded to the speakers. Reports were given, including some in creative power point, by RSOL projects - the Support Hotline, the Prisoner Project and Sex Offender Laws Research, solresearch.org, dedicated to researching sex offender issues, as well as the new RSOL e-Magazine, sponsored and edited by the RSOL Correspondence Committee.

RSOL's New Hampshire contact person, Laurie Peterson, presented a very helpful session on lobby techniques - perhaps the session that gained the most praise. Alain Levesque chaired the session in which RSOL's own affiliated state groups gave their reports. More than ten group coordinators were present in Boston or Texas. Finally, in both Texas and Boston, participants divided into small groups to discuss priorities and strategies for the coming year, as RSOL gears up for increased public awareness of reform issues, as well as for lobbying state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. People at both sites came away proposing a second conference in less than a year - with proposals ranging from a public lobbying event in Washington, D.C., to further skills-building somewhere in 'the middle of the country', and also regional conferences around the U.S. The RSOL Administrative Team, the State Coordinators, and all RSOL participants have been asked to hammer out the details.

Although the conference was not open to the public, with only RSOL participants and invited guests included, and there were no advance media announcements, a press release was sent to key media in Boston afterwards. The press release is attached below. A full report and evaluation will be sent to conference attendees in a few weeks, after more critiques are solicited from participants. At the end of this article are summaries of some of the first evaluations sent in by those involved.



PRESS RELEASE AFTER THE CONFERENCE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paul Shannon
Phone: 617-497-5273
Email: pshannon@afsc.org
Or
Joel Pentlarge
Phone: 857-719-4920
Email: joelpent@comcast.net

SEX OFFENDER LAW REFORM ADVOCATES MEET IN BOSTON

On Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, a first national conference of those advocating fundamental reform of America's dangerous sex offender laws was held in Boston, Massachusetts, and Austin, Texas.

RSOL is a national project made up of over 2500 people including family members of those on sex offender registries around the country, professionals in the field (treatment providers, researchers, etc.), those who have suffered sexual violation as children and young people, registered former offenders and those falsely accused of crimes, and concerned citizens from many walks of life. (Open this link Reform Sex Offender Laws to view the list of 800 signatories to the RSOL reform agenda).

The conference was organized by Paul Shannon, a long-time educator and organizer on peace and social justice issues in greater Boston, Joel Pentlarge, a former attorney who is a registered sex offender, and Laurie Peterson of the New Hampshire group, Citizens United to Re-evaluate Sex Offender registries, a RSOL State Affiliate.

The conference sites were video linked and held simultaneously. About 70 people attended in Boston, and about 60 in Texas. The conference was sponsored by the web-based group, ReformSexOffenderLaws.Org (RSOL), and additionally, the Boston conference was co-sponsored by the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition (CJPC).

The conference heard from leading researchers and experts in Social work, Psychiatry, Psychology, Therapy, and law as related to sex offenders and sex offender issues. Among those speaking in Boston, were Dr. Fred Berlin (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma), Dr. Jerome Miller (Co-Founder, National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, and Clinical Director, Augustus Institute for Mental Health), Dr. Richard Pillard (Boston University School of Medicine, Professor of Psychiatry), and organizers who are working for reform in many states around the country. Speaking from Texas by video was Attorney William Habern, prominent attorney in cases overturning unjust sex offender laws in Texas.

Participants at the conference included therapists and lawyers working on sex offender issues, as well as registered persons and their family members. Other speakers represented other national groups and projects providing support to sex offenders and their families: SOSEN, ETAY, CURE-SORT, the RSOL National Support Hotline for Registered Persons and their Families, the RSOL Prison Support Group, and a sister group to RSOL, Sex Offender Law Research.

After the informative presentations by the assembled experts, small groups hammered out public education and legislative reform strategies for the coming year.



SUMMARY OF SOME VERY PRELIMINARY COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS
Preliminary comments from RSOL Administration Team Members is followed by randomly selected comments from conference attendees:

Evaluations have been solicited from all conference attendees at both sites, and will be appended to a final report to be sent out to all attendees. All comments have been edited for length, as well as the frequent remarks about how good looking we all are(?!) Nevertheless, the entire Administration Team will review every comment, critique, and criticism in full. These are only a sampling of comments received and have been excerpted. The intent is to present immediate feedback. These comments are given prior to any formal discussion and are intended to keep immediate impressions fresh in order that we can improve our next conference.



MARY SUE MOLNAR
(Founder: Texas Voices. Conference Organizer and Co-Chair)

Although we were disappointed at the audio we received from the Boston site, I must say, our Texas Conference was AWESOME!!! I told everyone who was in attendance - right off the bat, "This may be a learning experience for all of us. We are not video-conferencing experts. Please be patient and understanding if we experience problems. Any problems we experience will enable us to put forth a much better conference next year." At 5:00 PM, on Saturday, when I announced the end of the conference, most people just sat there as if they were not ready to leave. It was funny as I was not ready to leave either.

Here are my thoughts:

• Please don't feel bad about the audio/video stuff! (Stuff) happens. Honestly, we are so used to dealing with this SO mess that we have learned to roll with the punches and make the best of it. Next time we will know how to get it right. At least we were able to hear parts of the Boston Conference. We listened to the Boston Key-note speakers ( the best we could), but most of the time we developed our own agenda as we went along as the sound was not good at all. We did not listen to the Project Reports or the state reports as we had pretty much given up on the audio by then. Marshall's video was awesome and much appreciated.
• Laurie's presentation was GREAT! The fact that she spoke so clearly made it easier to understand. Also, the power-point (which we showed full screen) helped us follow along with Laurie's spoken words.
• Bill Habern made our day. He was available throughout both days to speak individually with the attendees. His attorney partner, Scott Pawgan, was available all evening on Friday and helped educate our group by answering several questions.
• A prominent journalist, Scott Henson, joined us on Saturday. I think he liked us and we really liked him.
• Texas Voices supporter, Licensed Treatment Provider Phil Taylor was an excellent source of info during our "ask the experts" segment (along with Bill Habern and Austin attorney Larry Sauer).
• We had tons of food brought in by all who attended and everyone really, really appreciated that fact. No one ever left to find dinner or lunch as the table was over-loaded.
• There were lots of hugs , laughing, and tears from those who were grateful to find others in the same situation.
• I do think we should be very watchful of the time issue in the future. Bill Haberm requested a time-keeper for his segment and this suggestion worked well for us.
• We all know that some folks will take the time they are given and tell their stories or preach to the choir. I don't think that a conference is the appropriate place for this- we have had the same problem here in Texas. However, I do feel it is very important for all involved to share their stories and experiences. Therefore, due to the audio problems, we took a few breaks for folks to "connect" and "connect" they did. So much so that it was difficult to get them to sit down again.

All in all, I am very excited and happy about the Texas Conference. I have heard nothing but praise and encouragement from those who attended. Even though we had a few problems and will need to adjust and make changes for future conferences, our Texas Conference was great! There is no need for anyone to beat themselves up over the audio/video issue. We'll get it right next time. Herman (our audio-video guy) could not even bring himself to be too disappointed as the Texas conference was such a success and we all learned a great deal.

Mary Sue - Reform Sex Offender Laws!



Kelly Piercy
Georgia State Contact, RSOL Corresponding Committee and E-Magazine

Overview:
The conference had a single purpose. That being to develop a sense of community among RSOL. That goal was met and surpassed.

The conference was well organized with some technical difficulties that arose primarily from a failure to follow the complete technology plan to the letter and ensuring that appropriate technical expertise was placed effectively in Boston.

Conference scheduling was well paced with the exception that time keeping was not rigidly enforced thus causing a somewhat rushed feel to various agenda items.

With the above exceptions, the conference accomplished its purpose and must be cemented with a follow-on request for critique by attendees and discussion about scheduling Regional State Organizer/Member conferences and possibly scheduling a National Conference in six months as opposed to one year.

Issues:
This section is my impressions of how the conference could be improved.

Technology:
The VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) audio and video link. The plan established and tested for the audio/video link, as tested, appeared to function properly. However, various equipment and testing was not implemented according to the plan. The testing did not include a 'live' assessment of production quality, resulting in poor presentation quality in both picture and sound. Issues such as lighting and sound pick-up should have been tested and perfected to avoid the resultant 'home movie' appearance of the presentations. This failure to follow the plan resulted in less than effective use of this technology and an impression of amateurishness. The plan was for a full duplex system. This plan asked for two computers at each location. One pair of systems (Boston-Austin) was to serve as the primary audio/video link. The second pair of systems was to serve as a 'Producer's' link between the sites. As it obtained, the primary system was compromised by bandwidth. In order for the receiving site to broadcast audio and video, one or the other suffered in terms of resolution. This compromise was further complicated by the Boston location not implementing full duplex capability as the plan specified. Had full duplex capability been available, the difficulty presented by bandwidth would have been immediately obvious to 'producers' at both locations. Additionally, had full duplex capability been in place, immediate resolution could have been accomplished by carrying video on one system and audio on a second system, and the 'producer's link moved to the back-up cell phone system. Conclusion: The A/V link failed for want of a nail.

Recommendations:
Full duplex capability must be in place. It is recommended that full duplex be dedicated to the conference and that a third set of VOIP accounts be established. These, in addition to the four accounts already in place are to be maintained by RSOL to allow further testing and implementation of video conferencing/communication.

Presenter/Conference Interface:

The scheme for the interaction between the Presenters and the Conference was well planned and poorly implemented. Presenters were left searching for a question in many panel and audience responses. The majority of panel and audience responses were 'my story' rambles. Conclusion: What should have been an effective challenge/clarification/response opportunity was lost.

Recommendations: Prior to the conference, especially panel members should be directed to find a specific question within the presentation that comes directly from their perspective, i.e. Therapist, Family Member, RSO. The implicit instruction should be not to tell their story, rather to challenge a statement or reinforce a statement made by the presenter and broaden some portion of the presentation.

Audience Participation:

The attendees were very interactive with the conference. However, much conference time was wasted by those attendees who either used valuable time in 'telling their story' or using their opportunity to hold the floor as a 'bully pulpit'. It is regrettable to note that we have all heard the stories more times than any of us care to remember. In fact, hearing the same story from another person serves no purpose other than to exhaust those who spend every day of their life listening to the stories again and attempting to show empathy for the person. This conference, or any conference, is not the appropriate place and allowing this only distracts and dilutes the intent of the important work that needs to be accomplished at the conference.

Conclusion: Much of the valuable time available to establish goals and move forward was wasted by 'story time'.

Recommendation: Conference attendees must be told, prior to the conference, that telling personal stories is inappropriate in a public venue and such activity will be stopped by the Chair. The opening of the conference should not be set up in a way that allows groups to isolate in clusters. The beginning of the conference should have an area with no seating available where attendees will be forced to interact as an entire group. Members of the Admin team must circulate among the attendees making introductions and breaking up clusters and cliques. During this opening phase, and given the un-professional background of the majority of attendees, stories can be freely related and the 'need' to tell 'my story' can be somewhat diffuse. As Admin Team Members circulate, they can develop a focus on conference goals and locate attendees that possibly should not be given a pulpit during the conference.

Sister Organizations and associated presentations.

Marshall Burns presentation was focused directly on RSOL Goals and the synergistic relationship between his valuable work in parallel to that of RSOL. All presentations from either parallel organizations or RSOL Affiliates must be presented prior to the conference for approval. More RSOL literature should have been available to complement the many duplicated materials from SOSEN. State Reports paled by being scheduled after the SOSEN, CURE-SORT and ETAY presentations.

Vetting State Affiliate presentations. Presenters from the various states, at least this one, were not certain what they should or could say from their prepared remarks as the scheduled time was severely cut when the preceding associated projects went beyond scheduled time. (More prep time is needed for the state presentations.)

Small Group Conference. I was only able to attend my small group conference and was not able to hear the reports from the other groups due to my travel schedule. That phase of this segment of the program went very well. I think this is very important and was well placed in the schedule.

An optional post conference dinner/cocktail/something should be scheduled where Admin Team Members can host another large group interaction to gain impressions. Admin Team Members must schedule themselves to arrive a day prior to the conference and leave a day after the conference.

Kelly R Piercy
P. O. Box 180
Hull, GA 30646-0180

(706) 955 2009

Georgians for Reform
RSOL e-Magazine
Women Against the Registry
Email: semperfidelas@gmail.com

NOTE: Elsewhere, Kelly has also noted that no African-Americans were present (at least in Boston), and possibly no Hispanics - he suggests a major outreach to these groups is needed. Also, Kelly suggested that we need more outreach to a wide range of religious groups and churches. Kelly also concluded: All in all, I found the conference very effective! Time-keeping needs to be more aggressive!



LAURIE PETERSON (RSOL New Hampshire Coordinator, Presenter of Report on Lobby Techniques at the Conference)

(Note from Alex: These are in response to some of the comments made by Kelly above and in other emails among Admin Team members)

With regard to fielding questions from the audience, we had decided to leave it up to Berlin to select audience members after getting the back and forth started, I agree that bringing up personal stories detracted from what could have been more productive time. That said, I feel it was at least somewhat cathartic to those who did share some personal situations.

RSOL, as an organization, is really a platform to motivate and inform other states and people involved in those states in order to achieve the change RSOL believes should occur. We are, after all, a group of many autonomous groups and in and of ourselves; RSOL is not the active force as much as the RSOL state chapter work is the active ground force.

...I agree State reports should be given before any (groups outside of RSOL) in order to highlight RSOL chapter work. This must be a top priority moving forward. Most of the delays to schedule can be attributed to the technology difficulty while we were hoping to find a better solution to involve Texas. (Note - this is a summary of Laurie's comment on the video glitch: We do have to investigate other types of equipment and possibly also use professionals to set it up and operate it.) With the conference forty-five minutes behind schedule, we did a decent job of catching up, given the circumstances. Had we been able to maintain schedule, we may have been early on some items.

Small Groups: Great idea, loved the break up from the pace of the large conference room. It was refreshing and more intimate and groups were chosen at random. HOW AWESOME!

There was a proposal laid out (in Laurie's group) that a future conference focus on an intensive 2 day lobbying/advocacy training seminar, if you will, in D.C. where members join to learn the basics, hone their skills over a weekend and then hit the Hill on Monday, with scheduled meetings with their Congressmen. A conference of this sort would be geared to small group training sessions on various lobbying techniques and strategies to help train up our members. Perhaps each group could circulate from one room to the next, learning different components over an afternoon, and come back and try out our new skills of debate and intelligently stating the issue to each other, something along those lines. I think this WAS the most productive part of our time there, with regard to giving RSOL and affiliates a focus to move forward.

We spent a lot of time at the conference discussing where we are, or where we were as opposed to what we are doing and where we are going. Perhaps this is necessary for the first conference in order to reflect on the past and approach the future. Clearly, a second conference will be aimed at what we are doing now, strategies for success and where we are going... I am not sure how to break up "cliques." Sort of hard to do unless we assign seating. Perhaps a quick introduction session where we go table to table and ask for a name and state only? I'm unsure how best to approach and tackle that. A lot of people are hard pressed to come out of their shells, never mind coming out on this issue and then interacting with others! I leave this to my capable cohorts!



ALAIN LEVESQUE
State Group Coordinator, Conference Greeter and Co-Organizer of Boston Conference

(Note from Alex - Again, these are responses to Kelly and Laurie, and NOT a complete evaluation.)

Technology issues: This is not my field of expertise at all. I will let you guys come up with the right solutions, but I do want to bring up one question: Based on our (sad) experience at the last conference, do we come to the conclusion that we shouldn't use the same formula again (two conference sites linked via cam)? Or are we willing to give it another try?

Time-keeping: I agree that we need to be more strict on time. Alex insisted that I find someone to check the time during every presentation... I did not do this (adequately). (Next time we'll do better!)

"Personal" interventions from the audience: I strongly support Kelly's idea of having a period exclusively dedicated to sharing personal stories. This could be the very first activity scheduled at the next conference. ...and we could then insist that such personal stories should not be brought up for the rest of the conference.

Small discussion groups: I share Laurie and Kelly's enthusiasm. I believe the small groups were a great success (except maybe for the minutes; I only received minutes from two of the four groups). We really need to write down all the ideas that the groups came up with and discuss them at our next phone conference.

I agree with Kelly that Admin Team members should arrive a day before the conference and leave a day after. Whether or not this is possible for everybody is another story...

On having regular Regional conferences and National conferences every 6 months: these sound like excellent ideas, ..but I am afraid that we will not have time to do anything else if we spend so much time preparing for conferences...

On Laurie's suggestion of having the audience write down their questions and having the Admin Team randomly pick the questions: I'm not sure if that's a good idea. ...We need to be careful not to over control. People might not appreciate it. Plus, I believe that spontaneous reactions from the crowd is an important element in developing a feeling of community.

Reaching out to minorities and churches: great ideas! Good to see that some of you already started taking action.

Very practical propositions:

(Summary of this comment by Alex - We need to monitor more closely the lodging and travel arrangements of speakers, to keep within our budget.) Perhaps we should put a message on our website asking for donations for the expenses for the conference.

Make sure to bring our own coffee next time!!!! That Dunkin Donuts coffee was really expensive!

>

EXCERPTS

Jennifer Van Waes (RSOL Ky Contact)

• 1) Dr. Miller stressed that the issues surrounding SO registration are very racially based, yet there was no minority representation in the room at the conference. So, somehow we need to work on getting minorities involved both on the personal and group levels. How do we reach minority groups with the message? Perhaps some contact with the NAACP or some other action group working on the issues of the disproportionate numbers of incarcerated minorities is in order.
• 2) We discussed having a capacity building workshop in DC, possibly to time with a child welfare event that will be occurring in Jan or Feb. I got to thinking about that - I don't think that it is a good idea to hold our event at the same time. I think that would only serve to perpetuate the notion that SOs are a subversive group and we would be seen as trying to undermine child welfare, not promote it. RSOL hasn't been around long enough to have gained any trust from the child advocacy community and that would lead to some real misperceptions about the organization that could truly hinder our progress if we are not careful.
• 3) In respect to that same topic, we should find some child advocacy group that also sees the destruction that the SO laws are causing and partner with them.
• 4) What about seeking out Patti Wetterling as a supporter? I've read that she was instrumental in the passing of Megan's Law, but has come out saying that it has all gone well beyond the original purpose... just a thought.

Thanks for a very informative conference!



Barbara McClamma (Florida Signatory)

(In an email to Laurie Peterson, copied to Paul and Alex)

First of all, I want to express heartfelt gratitude for ALL the work that you and others are doing! That being said, I will respond to your request for feedback as best I can! First of all the technology glitches did not distract me from the information that was being disseminated - at least not for me. I thought the Friday night lecture by Dr. Miller was informative but not especially meaningful to my reason for being there. (She comments that others told her the same thing.) While it helps to have the background on various deviancies, and historical perspective from such a credible person, I am more interested in where we are NOW and where we will go from here. Sat. morning with Dr. Berlin continued with additional information, again helpful. It IS meaningful to have accurate information from such reputable speakers as Dr. Miller and Dr. Berlin, for sure but perhaps less time could have been spent on this and more discussion on their presentations! The Texas link, both speaker (Bill Habern. Esq.) and the state leaders (Mary Sue et al) was VERY informative to me and also uplifting in terms of forward movement for the cause. I want to especially thank you, Laurie, for your presentation, your knowledge, organizational skill and commitment that is evident through your work, not just your passion! I look forward to receiving the Power Point and studying it further. The small group sessions gave good direction for next steps. You all did an excellent job keeping those of us who were speaking from a particular 'platform' under control so the time was not hijacked by any one person. Paul, is especially masterful at this!!! This is a tough challenge and you all met it well! I met some wonderful new friends!

My next challenge is to determine how I can best serve meaningfully and get information to family and friends who really want to help. Specific info on laws that can be addressed through written letters will really help us both statewide and nationally with some suggested wording, realizing that 'canned' letter writing is not effective and talking points are VERY helpful! We have lots of family and friends and while they are very supportive, I am seeking ways in which I can garner their support in a structured and specific way. I hope this is somewhat helpful.

My best to each of you and again thank you!

Barbara McClamma.



Walter Howard (Massachusetts participant, and organizer of his own website, http://www.rightsandlaw.net)

Walter Howard (Massachusetts participant, and organizer of his own group,)

Note from Alex: personal comments about his own involvement and interaction with some of the Massachusetts organizers have been omitted.)

I'd like to applaud the effort made by RSOL in organizing its first National Conference, but I was quite disappointed. I have a few suggestions for future RSOL events where people are traveling from all over the Country to attend.

As you know, the video feed was lost because of the mishandling of the system that was deployed. Leaving a mouse on a podium that is controlling the video technology is a big no-no). I watched in horror as the key-note speaker was playing with it, and then menus began popping up on the screen, and sure enough, a menu was arbitrarily selected, and BAM, there went the video feed. That didn't need to happen and could have been avoided. Autonomy may be a good idea in the minds of some, but in the case of RSOL, it has proven to be detrimental to the morale of other people/groups that have, and continue to make positive contributions to the mission of eliminating S.O. laws altogether. (Mr. Howard felt the Friday keynote speaker rambled and was not focused.)

I don't think that anyone in this effort needs to hear the same old war stories to reinforce our disgust with the situation. What's needed is GENUINE PROFESSIONAL activists who have won serious battles in the past who can inspire us to take the necessary steps to accomplish our goals THROUGH OOPERATION. Your conference seemed more like a conference to "celebrate messengers," rather than as an "inspiration into action for the cause of restoring Justice to former offenders."

For me, the conference was a waste of time and money. I expected a lot better from RSOL. I would rather have heard from Paul, Joel and Laurie than the speakers. Motivating people into activism is a very serious business, and what's needed are PROFESSIONALS. There are groups out there that "train" people how to be activists, and they are very successful. Perhaps your organization should find a way to employ these groups to conduct training events to better handle the work ahead of us all? With only better decision making, (the conference) would have been a fantastic event.

Changing the public's beliefs will be the MOST difficult task ahead of all of us. The public will not have any sympathy for the civil and human rights of "vicious sex offenders." (sarcasm) I believe the best approach is to be armed with "better solutions" than the current laws as they exist today. This will of course require "genuine experts" with big reputations to clearly point out how irrational this nonsense is, and they can't do that by hiding in the wings in fear of the aftermath of being rational.

I also think that choosing a scripted panel to pose questions to the speakers is not the way to go. The questions I heard posed were indeed scripted, and honestly, unrelated to the reform effort as far as "action" is concerned.



Bill Dobbs
New York City Attorney and long-time Gay and Civil Liberties Activist

(Note from Alex: Bill has given some initial critique, but has not yet sent in his full evaluation. Here are some of his key ideas, summarized by Alex and others who have seen them or talked to him.)

KEY ISSUES: Why was there no evaluation session where participants could give their own feedback at the conference. Why was there not immediately a mailing to all attendees - a listserve - asking for evaluative comments? It was clear that most RSOL leaders and others present were not prepared to make presentations. Too much emphasis on experts. Participants and panelists often strayed into telling personal stories. It was very difficult, with a couple of exceptions, to understand clearly what the RSOL affiliated groups are doing, from the reports given. RSOL is clearly not ready as an organization to face the public or legislators, though that is clearly what is needed. Suggestion: How about a second conference on further skills building - public speaking, writing, presentation of key ideas for reform, and still more lobbying. The lobby session was good, but probably needed to be simpler and assume less understanding of lobbying by participants.

(The following is from an email to Paul Shannon.)

Post-conference release: Was there any 'news' at the gathering? Conferences don't usually draw media interest although this was a first national gathering on a hot topic. Does RSOL and/or affiliates (great to hear that the number of states with an affiliate is zooming) have a press list? If not, time to get a press crew going. No doubt there's a conference summary planned and that might be dressed up for the website as a release...

RSOL letter publicity: reaching a particular number of signers might be of interest or perhaps when there are high-profile signers. More newsworthy might be a local or national event in conjunction with the letter. Something like a press event (or even protest) outside a key registry supporter's office, when a registry repeal bill is introduced, in connection with a lobby day for reforming sex offender laws, etc.

The RSOL letter coupled with the successful in-person national gathering signal RSOL's substance. That's important when reporters/producers pick their sources and make decisions about coverage.

Media going forward: the media is a crucial way to influence public opinion. RSOL should incorporate media strategy and work in its overall campaigning. I would suggest a very simple beginning, monitoring coverage. Affiliated groups could post clippings etc to an email list.

Other projects and work might spin off of that.



The First National Conference to Reform Sex Offender Laws
Patricia Winchild, Co-coordinator, Maryland RSOL

I left for my trip from Baltimore to Boston in early July for the First National Conference to Reform Sex Offender Laws with a little hope and a lot of questions. Who would be there? What would the people be like? What could be accomplished? Attendees came from all over the U.S., i.e. California, Florida, New Mexico and many other states.

Texas was there by video cam. Suffolk University felt like a good place to be. It was large, comfortable and it seemed appropriate that we were in the heart of Boston, a city known historically for America's rebellious beginnings. Signs of that history were all around us. People were in the streets dressed like Minutemen and militia and Boston was a boisterous, busy city. It was inspiring and felt like we were about to have our very own Boston Tea Party.

Dr. Pillard, a psychiatrist from the Boston School of Medicine, who is also part of the conference's co-sponsor, The Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, introduced Dr. Jerome Miller, a social worker trained at the renowned Menninger Clinic, was our keynote speaker. He reminded us of the fact that we were also in the land of Salem, a haunting, historical memory of our not-so-proud past. Dr. Pillard recalled that in the name of protecting it's children, a society almost destroyed itself. Perhaps the ghost of Hester Prynne was stirred by our mission.

Dr. Pillard brought up the popular myths about sex offenders that, like all Big Lies, when they are repeated enough, tend to be regarded as accepted truth. The myths? 1.Sex offenders are beyond hope. Dr. Berlin, our authority on this subject, quickly dispelled this lie. 2. The recidivism rate is very high. Actually, the rate for offenders is much lower than the average person coming out of prison for other crimes.

Dr. Miller's talk was entitled "De-Mythologizing the Sex Offender: Replacing Hysteria, Slander and Dehumanization with Research, Justice and Common Sense". He spoke about the hysteria beginning in the 1980's regarding sex offenders and how the related laws have become more and more Draconian. Dr. Miller's style of storytelling was somewhat reminiscent of Native Americans. Like a wise and eloquent uncle with a warm, quirky humor, he both educated and delighted us.

He reviewed America's shameful history of the law being used to disproportionately punish the poor, people of color, and those who were "different". He mentioned books such as "Last One Over the Wall" and "Afro-Americans in the Criminal Justice System". A B.B.C. writer, Marisa Warner's book "Boogiemen and Monsters" was suggested as one that demonstrates that the boogieman of our times is the pedophile.

Dr. Miller described the "moral panic" that has been sweeping across our society with the sex offender laws, how racism, classism and sexism, especially against men, has been part of that. Some might be surprised to learn that miscegenation laws in Virginia were still operating even up until very recent years. Richard Nixon once said though he didn't support Roe vs. Wade, he could understand the necessity of abortion "for hildren of mixed race".

In discussing the "research" done to prove some fallacious claims about sex offenders, Dr. Miller gave an example of methodology that coerced participants into saying things that supported what the researcher was trying to prove that would negatively reflect on those with sexual problems. He also talked about the tendency of some writers to make victims of sexual abuse all sound like it was impossible to become a survivor. One of the attendees announced afterwards that she is a "survivor" and proud of that and strongly resents those who have tried to tell her she will never overcome what happened to her in the past. Dr. Miller said the truth about victims of sexual abuse is that some recover; some do not.

Though it may be part of human nature to want a quick fix to problems, the U.S. may be especially inclined to be this way. The National Enquirer, is, after all, the most read paper in America. Perhaps it has to do with our profit-driven, increasingly tabloid-type news programs that give sound bites rather than more thorough investigation of the news. Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite both warned about the dangers of this any years ago. The personal, family and societal problems that we humans have are very poorly addressed by our current style of reporting in the media and the content chosen. Corporate media cares more about ratings (i.e. money) than what we need to understand about our society and the world. Resolving personal and societal problems takes time, thought and resolve. It's easier and more popular to dramatically make war on a problem. Making war on a societal problem may sound good but it mostly gives us a false sense of security while masking the fact that nothing significant changes.

Exceptional horror stories about sex offenders have been used as if they were the rule. In fact, Dr. Miller pointed out that giving these laws names of the most horrific examples has helped to hide that these cases were exceptions, rather than what is typical. The effect this has had is to heighten fear and rage in people and this is fodder for vigilantism. When people are blinded by these emotions, they are much easier to manipulate. Some television and newspaper coverage of the issue of sex offenders have been a type of public mass porn, with a growing number of people attracted to the coverage of it almost like an addiction. The program "To Catch a Predator" is a good example of this. If you watched this show regularly, you'd probably believe that most sex offenders are strangers. But this is false. Most sex abuse happens within families or by someone known to the family. "To Catch a Predator" also had one very good example of how someone with money rarely pays the price for their behavior. One show used a young, attractive policewoman to seduce a man who flew in to meet her. His lawyer used the fact that she was an undercover officer to get him off. And what was his community service? He helped police entrap other "potential" sex offenders. Dr. Miller suggested that many of the men who showed up for the show were more pathetic than dangerous. The war on sex offenders was compared in some ways with the war on drugs. Both have targeted primarily low-income people, and people of color. Dr. Miller said that one major ill effect, among many, of the hysteria and panic about sex offenders has been the deterioration in the mental health profession. Dr. Miller added that the worse a clinician is, the more probation officers might like them. The goal of probation used to be to help those on parole be successful in the community. Now, the goal has become increasingly to get them back in prison. In fact, in some states, a parole officer gets more points for accomplishing this.

As a social worker, Dr. Miller lamented that not enough social workers have been on the right side of this issue. The sex offender issue has become like a tidal wave that not only sweeps up a targeted group of dangerous men but also engulfs more and more men (primarily) who are not dangerous at all, especially to children. Hysteria has blinded too many to the truth and has fed a mob mentality. And the mob has been ruling the day. Media personalities, like Nancy Grace and opportunistic politicians may have led the way but overly zealous prosecutors wanting to make a name for themselves have jumped on the bandwagon. And of course, too many attorneys who do not care whether their client is innocent or not, do even better financially if they can get their clients to take a plea, because then they have less work. So, for a less scrupulous attorney, it's in their best interest to encourage a client to take a plea. (And there are ways to do this without directly doing it.) We now know too that many people who are not dangerous and even the falsely accused do just that. Those who do are usually acting out of having limited funds and the legitimate fear related to the very real possibility, in the climate we are living in, of a legal lynching. Many people do not understand an innocent person taking a plea or someone who commits a crime but not the type that should put them on the registry, taking a plea . If they really understood what has been happening in the U.S. since the more recent versions of sex offender laws began and really understood the raging hysteria since, then maybe they would. If you or anyone you cared about were either falsely accused of sexual abuse of a child or even if you were guilty of something, just not hurting a child, then, you would get it.

One might ask, what country is this? What year is this? We were reminded that the socio-political atmosphere since 9-11 is most certainly a part of this picture. But other forces are at work as well. Dr. Miller pointed out the importance of understanding how our prison system has become more and more of a business. The bigger the prisons, the more funds and political power go to certain states. And the Supermax prison system is the best example of that. He explained how the Supermax prison has been scientifically designed to accomplish the goal not of rehabilitation but of breaking down a human being, to drive someone insane and thus become more manageable. The system, he says, has been very successful at this. The critical question Dr. Miller asked is "How much should we have to sell off our humanity in order to ensure public safety? " One undisputed fact is that prisons make people worse. The phrase "college for criminals" is more true today than ever in the U.S.

The last figures about the sex offender registry is that about three-quarters of a million people are on it. And it's been growing exponentially. One aspect that is rarely addressed about the dynamic of power between those who control and punish and those who are punished is that people in power may not be so psychologically sound of mind themselves. Dr. Miller told the revealing story about the last hanging in England. It was of a mentally retarded boy. A reporter talked to the hanging judges' assistant, someone who had worked with the judge for many years. This man told the reporter that the judge had always brought changes of underwear with him to work for years because during the hangings, the judge "creamed his pants". The sadistic aspects reinforced in those who use the law for more personal reasons than are obvious may deserve closer consideration.

Dr. Fred Berlin, our next prominent speaker from Baltimore's John Hopkins Hospital Sex Offender Clinic, told clinical stories that demonstrated the tremendous complexity of human behavior regarding sexual disorders. He made it easier to see sex -offenders as individuals and thus human beings. Contrary to what we hear in the media, he spoke of the great diversity even among those with problems in this area. There is much to suggest that most sex offenders were also abused themselves as children. This was not said as an excuse, Berlin said, but as something to help explain how they became who they are. He reminded us that sex offenders are not a homogenous group the way they are usually portrayed in the media. He distinguished between someone who is a true pedophile (small minority on the registry) and those who are now incorrectly labeled as such. At Hopkins, treatment is provided and if needed, special supervised housing is available. If the person is a repeat offender, they go to prison. But, unlike the media's versions of these stories, unlike law enforcement's, distinctions are made . Too many talking heads have used the word "predator" to describe the most diverse sex offenses, offenses that before the Adam Walsh type laws would have been misdemeanors but now are automatic felonies. What is abominable is that the same excesses in the media and in politics has been what has pushed the Justice Department to permit these extraordinary excesses in legislation. So now, large numbers of those who are not dangerous are lumped together with a small number who are a true threat to children. But, even in this small group of sex offenders, Berlin explained there are men who can and do control their impulses and seek treatment to do so. The popular myth is that this is not even possible. Dr. Berlin talked about those who even desire and seek chemical castration. Some are people who have never hurt a child and want help so they never do. There are some who may have touched a child inappropriately or had child porn on their computer but never harmed anyone. The registry has become a legal tool that does not help us understand who is dangerous and who is not. The way it functions presently is as a weapon that is bludgeoning the civil rights of people who are not dangerous but are considered to be so just because they are on the registry.

Dr. Berlin and our other speakers talked about the importance of our prioritizing our fight. While eradicating the registry may be our most important goal, getting rid of public notification is likely a more attainable one. The contradictions in the criminal justice system were discussed. The law is used to treat sex offenses as a crime. But when an offender was ready to leave prison, they were ordered for mental health treatment. Dr.Berlin says it is not fair to "have it both ways". It is either a crime or a psychiatric illness. This confusion makes aftercare more difficult. Should there be a civil commitment because the person is a patient or a criminal? In the past, the way this was handled was that people were convicted but they were still able to work, and live in the community when they got out. Now, more and more people are losing their jobs, their support systems and it is pushing many underground. This actually causes more of a problem for public safety for our children. What incentive does someone have to make amends, move on and become a law-abiding citizen if they can never put something behind them? Almost all other criminal convictions provide a new chance for someone re-entering society when their prison time is completed.

Do we really believe that people can make mistakes, learn lessons and redeem themselves? Only a very small number of those on the registry are repeat offenders. Yet these are the people who the public has been encouraged to fixate on and judge unfairly anyone included in the wide net the new laws for sex offenders cast. Hate and fear have been growing in proportion to the size of the sex offender registry. They've become more popular to target than murderers, rapists and serial killers.

Dr. Berlin made a comparison of the problem of sex offenders with those suffering from alcoholism. It's hard to believe, he said, that not long before A.A. and especially the Betty Ford Clinic, many alcoholics were regarded, if not the same as sex offenders, still with great disdain by the general public. Berlin suggested there needs to be more treatment centers and housing for people with sex disorders, the way it's been handled in neighbor countries like Canada and Great Britain. And their much lower rates of sex offenders reflect that their methods are working.

He described the etiology of sexual problems that distinguished between pedophiles and those who committed a sexual offense but were not pedophiles. He made the distinction between what is the pedophile's fault and responsibility and what is not. He made it very clear that anyone who has an urge to harm a child has a responsibility to get treatment or be sent to prison. Ironically, the very legislation set up to protect children is actually now acting as a deterrent to people who need treatment the most and would be willing to get it. One offender for a crime over twenty years ago spoke and said he went to Dr. Berlin's Clinic and it "saved my life". He also had just had his name removed from the registry.

Texas keynoter, Attorney William Habern gave an informative and spirited talk titled "Sex Offender Civil Rights: From Where we were To Where We Are Going" Laurie Peterson, a young, smart and savvy self-taught lobbyist gave the talk "Lobby Techniques and Experience for Sex Offender Laws at State and National Levels. The talks all energized us and reinforced a common commitment. I know they made us all feel more powerful and dedicated to this righteous cause. At least two, maybe three books are coming out of this conference from professional writers in attendance. One of our California speakers, Nancy Irwin, psychotherapist, has good media connections and an extremely impressive speaker. She could easily be someone we see on Rachel Maddows' show or something similar. Kelly Piercy from Georgia has been a tireless activist with WAR (Women Against the Registry) and our RSOL I.T. expert, par excellance.

After the talks, we broke up into four smaller groups for discussion and planning with the challenge to come up with at least one goal to bring back to RSOL that we can do for the coming year. The ideas were all very exciting that the groups came up with. Hearing them, it becomes clear how successful this conference was and why Paul Shannon deserves a big thank you from all of us for his hard work.

The group I was in was led by Laurie Peterson . We came up with the plan for a second conference in the spring to coincide with a large child welfare conference in D.C. Laurie is an amazing person and no one could be in the same room with her and not be motivated... it is just not possible. She makes you feel like you can do it. Even more, she makes you want to try, even at something as intimidating as lobbying. Her enthusiasm and confidence were contagious. We plan to meet for two days next Spring in Washington, D.C. to get trained by Laurie. Then that Monday, we will visit as many legislators and congress people as possible armed with our packets and our lobbying know-how and wow them .

Another big plus of the conference was being able to share all the resources. RSOL will be the clearinghouse for this. SOSEN (Sex Offender Solutions and Education Network) is a very valuable resource and important link for us. And now, we have a national 800 hotline that we can refer people to.

I met so many great people, it was exhilarating. One was Jeff Birkey, the only other Maryland attendee besides myself, and our speaker Dr. Berlin. Jeff and I plan to go to churches together (another group suggestion) and hopefully, get them to join us and be a resource for sex offenders and families. Jeff has an excellent website called ethicaltreatment.org, for youthful offenders with a wealth of information on it. Another person who was extraordinarily impressive with her smarts and vitality was Mary Devoy , Virginia's State Coordinator . A social worker who helped start the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, Ros, told me about C.O.S.A. and their remarkable work with sex offenders. She sent information explaining their important concept of restorative justice. COSA believes this is much more successful to help reduce offenses by sex offenders in order to keep society safe but still give someone a chance to redeem themselves. It was good to learn that at least some religious people in other countries like Canada and England actually put their ideals into real practice. And they do a much better job with people with this problem than the police. Their low recidivism rates prove this.

I know that we all left excited and determined to make a difference. So many interesting and even funny things came up at the conference. A mysterious ally called e-advocate who stays hidden in the background but has a lot of smarts and connections was mentioned. A highly placed government official was present who is also on the registry shared many good ideas and still has connections that can help us . We all agreed that this is not just an issue about sex offenders. This is not only an issue affecting children. This is a family issue because we mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, sons, daughters and all of us who care are deeply affected by this. I met a wonderful mother-daughter team from New Hampshire who came on behalf of their son &brother. They shared with me how much what happened to their son/brother affected his younger brother who idolized his older brother.

Leaving Boston, a city I'd never been to, I felt transformed. I was proud to be part of such a great cause and working with such good people. The battle may be long and difficult. We may be fewer in numbers than the opposition (right now). But, our cause is just. And I believe more strongly than ever that we will win. I know if you'd been in Boston, you would know that too. What can you do? The very least you can do is write letters. We also need experienced writers or people willing to learn and develop their writing skills, who will write to the most strategic people we need to make an impression on. One point that was strongly brought home is that people who might join us need to know who we are, need to put a face with our cause. You have the power to change minds and hearts ! If you are good at public speaking, or want to be, join the newly formed Speakers Bureau. This will help us reach community groups and churches, etc. Churches should be our strongest allies. There were so many examples given of how talking to family members, friends, ministers or co-workers can turn people around. And Laurie Peterson, such a lovely pit-bull ,can teach all of us willing to be trained in the spring as lobbyists. I guarantee you with Laurie as our teacher, we will do it right. This second conference and training with lobbying afterwards will give us a lot of much needed publicity, especially . because of our piggybacking on a national Child Welfare Conference happening at the same time. We intend to present ourselves not as opponents of this group but as partners with it. We will advocate that the way to protect children is not with these bad laws that are doing the opposite of what was intended but with ones that are better.

Send money. Even $1.00, $5.00 will help. RSOL plans to set up a PayPal system. A fund is starting that will use the money for radio ads, TV spots, magazines, etc. Read the RSOL newsletter and see all the other ideas and plans that were born from this conference.

Even if you've felt hopeless, if you've felt helpless, join us and that will become less and less. We need you with us because the more of you who work with us, the harder we fight, the better our chances are of winning. We must win because we are right. With your help, we will succeed ! What are we fighting for ?... a safer society for children, and nothing less than a more just United States of America.