NOTICE: The last day to comment is October 13th Hi All, We need people to visit the Federal Register website today and submit comments on a rule change to the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). From out Legislative Director: I have read over the proposed rule change to the SORNA Legislation (28 CFR 72). Please find my explanation on what…
Read More
Reprinted with permission from David Garlock: Monster. Pedophile. Predator. These are the words society uses to define people who have been convicted of a sex offense – words that create their own life sentence, intended to permanently isolate and condemn, and imply an inability to change. But I have found these words to be inaccurate descriptors and damaging to our…
Read More
In late August, an adult male on the Registry selfishly and callously shot and murdered a sixteen-year-old boy in broad daylight in the city of Harrisburg, PA. The teen was trying to escape the shooter, and reports have it that sexual assault was also part of the terrible crime against this youth. PARSOL expresses our deep condolences to the family…
Read More
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (SCOPA) heard oral arguments in a consolidated case of Mr. Claude Lacombe and Mr. Michael Witmayer in November of 2019 challenging the constitutionality of Subchapter I of PA’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). SCOPA ruled Subchapter I is “non-punitive and does not violate the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws”. This is…
Read More
By Larry of NARSOL. . . In these consolidated appeals, Commonwealth v. Lacombe and Commonwealth v. Witmayer, the Commonwealth (state) challenged orders of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas relieving appellees Claude Lacombe and Michael Witmayer of their duties to comply with Subchapter I of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. To achieve its dual goals of ensuring public safety…
Read MoreThe recent decision by the PA Supreme Court that sent a Constitutional challenge to public sex offender registries back to square one is a setback for those who know that sex offense registries are ineffective. Reactive measures like the registry divert resources away from policy which has the potential to prevent sexual crimes. While we will likely not see the…
Read More
The PA Supreme Court (SCOPA) filed their opinions on Com. v. George Torsilieri on June 16 regarding the constitutionality of PA’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) Revised Subchapter H. Mr. Torsilieri and his attorneys argued that SORNA is based on outdated legislative findings and presented current scientific evidence refuting the accuracy of those findings. The majority opinion was…
Read More
The Pennsylvania State Police have posted new guidelines concerning Pennsylvania Registrants. Below is the following criteria that will be followed. Please read over this carefully as the status of your county changes from red, to yellow, to green. Verification Appearance When an individual’s scheduled appearance date nears, correspondence with additional instructions and a paper verification form will be mailed to…
Read More
Sex offender registries promised to keep survivors and communities safe by limiting where people convicted of sex offenses can live, work, learn and volunteer. It requires them to publicly register where they reside and work. But studies show these laws fail to keep us safe, while they create an underclass of people who struggle to find a good job and…
Read More
By Jerry B . . . In 2006, Defendant Zeno committed two delinquent acts that occurred when he was age 14 and 16. Because of the nature of the two acts, his case was transferred from juvenile court to adult criminal court where he pled guilty to rape of a child, sexual assault, criminal attempt (rape), criminal attempt (incest), and…
Read More