January 15, 2023

Collateral Consequences: An Exercise in PFR Disenfranchisement

I recently penned an essay on felony voting disenfranchisement at the request of an incarcerated friend who needed assistance with a Villanova University application question. As I concluded my composition,...
January 7, 2023

Call to Action: PA Senate announces new Judiciary Committee Members

Hello, supporters, and Happy New Year. We need your help. 2023 brings us a new 2-year Legislative Session and, with it, a fresh list of Members for all Committees. Here...
December 9, 2022

PARSOL’s Response to Hampton Township Petition; SVP Concerns

The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) believes all sexual abuse is unacceptable and that prevention, treatment, and healing are possible. We take a person-first approach to criminal...
November 12, 2022

A History of PA’s Registry, Part III

Those who wish to understand how Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA, Or Megan’s Law) operates today may be dismayed to learn that there are two sets of...
November 10, 2022

Judge’s Opinion Cites ‘Sex Offender’ Myths & Out-of-Context Facts

SHAME! SHAME! Judge David Porter for the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court has recently published an opinion on Lacey Stradford; et al (appellees). v. Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The Appellees...

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.