December 2, 2023

‘Les Miserables’ is Playing Out in Today’s World

Javert thought he could correct his family's wrongs, but did he over-correct and forget about empathy and compassion? Is society on the same path around people with criminal histories?
November 15, 2023

Download the PARSOL Annual 2023: Rational Reform

Download the 2023 PARSOL Annual Report and Magazine Author parsol View all posts
September 24, 2023

RESCINDED: No Job for You!

When hiring employees, companies often strive to build a workforce that reflects their values, promotes diversity, and supports community integration. One often-overlooked demographic in the hiring process is re-entering citizens,...
September 12, 2023

PA House Hearing Experts: Residency Restrictions Don’t Work

Back in March, we asked PARSOL Advocates supporters to take action and write to the House Judiciary Committee chairman about HB77. Today, the Committee held a public hearing on the...
August 2, 2023

Reflections from NARSOL 2023

I was able to attend the 15th annual national conference of NARSOL June 22-25 in Houston. It was last minute and I hesitated because I haven’t flown in about 25...

Public sex offender registries are ineffective:

Studies show that public registration policies are failing in their stated goal of keeping people safe from sexual victimization. Public registries (such as the Pennsylvania Megan's Law List) create a false sense of security that something is being done about the threat of sexual harm, but the evidence does not support this belief. Rates of sexual crimes have not decreased as registries have ballooned. The isolation and stigma placed on those on the registry may actually increase their likelihood of reoffending by negatively impacting so many areas of their lives including their family, housing, and occupation.

It is the position of both PARSOL and the Supreme Court of PA that public registries are punitive in nature. They bear close resemblance to historical shaming practices and thereby violate the United States constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. Importantly, Pennsylvania’s public registry also infringes upon the Right to Reputation as guaranteed in the Pennsylvania Constitution.