Category: Legislature

SURVEY RESULTS: Voter Disenfranchisement High Among Reentrants with Sex-Related Offenses

Pennsylvania HR 47 is a 2023 Resolution directing the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on voting patterns and knowledge about voting rights among formerly incarcerated qualified electors in Pennsylvania and submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives. In response to this study, The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws…

Read More

PARSOL Lobby Day 2024 Recap

PARSOL Legislative Director Randall Hayes and Managing Director John Dawe were joined on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg, PA on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 by eight additional PARSOL volunteers from across the state. We met with dozens of Senators, Representatives, and Senate and House employees about rational reform measures to protect our communities and families from harm. Here are our current…

Read More

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 merits of residency restrictions for some people forced to register under Pennsylvania’s ‘Megan’s Law’ (SORNA).  The emails worked.  Rather than not hold a hearing (our original ask), Chairman Timothy Briggs…

Read More

PARSOL’s Public Comment to the United States Sentencing Commission

During her confirmation hearings, now Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and former vice-chair of the USSC commission said, reflecting the Commission’s stance on sexual offenses and sentencing: The statute doesn’t say, “Look only at the guidelines and stop.”The statute doesn’t say, “Impose the highest possible penalty for this sickening and egregious crime.”The statute says, “Calculate the guidelines, but also…

Read More

NEWS RELEASE: PARSOL Responds to May 23, 2023 SCOPA Hearing in Comm. v. Torsilieri

Media Relations Contact: John Dawe, PARSOL Communication Director – media@parsol.org HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) strongly urges the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to uphold Chester County Judge Allison Bell Royer’s finding in the case of Comm. v. George Torsilieri that Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) is unconstitutional.  Royer…

Read More

TAKE ACTION: Help Block Residency Restriction Bills (2023)

Pennsylvania State Representatives have introduced House Bills 47 and 77. These bills target persons forced to register under PA’s Megan’s Law. If passed, an individual forced to register as a “sexually violent predator” who resides within 2,500 feet of a public school, private school, parochial school, or day-care center would have six months after the law’s effective date to relocate…

Read More

PA’s Task Force on Child Pornography Report Confirms our Beliefs

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 53 of 2021 on June 30, 2021. Act 53 did two things: It enhanced the sentencing penalty on child pornography; and It established the Task Force on Child Pornography (TFCP).  The Task Force’s Recommendations The TFCP was comprised of legislators, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim advocates, and psychologists. Together, they examined the sentencing of…

Read More

PARSOL’s Response to Hampton Township Petition; SVP Concerns

[Harrisburg, PA] 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 justice reform that cultivates a fair and just society, honors an individual’s inherent dignity, and promotes respect and fairness. As such, we are compelled to weigh in on…

Read More

Become a PARSOL Member Today and help fuel the movement for rational laws in PA!

Learn More
X