As Pennsylvania observes both Autism Acceptance Month and Sexual Assault Prevention Month this April, the Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) has released a new report focusing on individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other intellectual and developmental disabilities who are involved in sexual offense cases.
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What happens when you suspend legal precedent and standing rules? Destruction and loss. Today, we’re looking at the suspension of certain statute of limitations laws in New Jersey, as Pennsylvania has similar pending legislation under consideration in the Pennsylvania Senate. The Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps Shuts Down due to 40-Year Old Allegation Participants, family members, alumni, and supporters of…
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Guest Blog Post by C.M. A scam. An elaborate ruse orchestrated to prey on my fears and vulnerabilities. That’s all this was. But in reality, it was so much more. I live my life in constant fear of “screwing up.” A big part of me questioned the validity of the scenario from the beginning, yet amidst the chaos and confusion,…
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The Eight Master Lessons Of Nature; What Nature Teaches Us About Living Well In The World by Gary Ferguson was written and published in 2019. I picked up the book at my local library. I wanted to read it because I have found myself turning to nature to help with stress. There are quite a few studies showing how the…
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More than three years after my release, I had the opportunity to return to Houtzdale State Correctional Institution’s Veterans’ Block (VSU) to tell my story to the Veterans still incarcerated. Unfortunately, the story of soldiers returning from combat who end up behind bars is not a unique one. Surprisingly, after my talk, I found out that the unit had never…
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Today, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons has over 2,400 applications it is processing thanks to the efforts of the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity’s state-wide initiative, the “Pardon Project,” and others like it. Before these efforts were made, the board only handled around 400 +/- a year. Even with those lower numbers, the recent administration still had pardons sitting on…
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HB 1678 would provide tremendous resources and support for persons incarcerated in Pennsylvania, but it excludes persons with sex crimes for no good reason.
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Getting a phone call from someone identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer with the “Pennsylvania Megan’s Law” office informing you of an “issue” with your registration and getting some sort of threat is a terrifying experience. Most people forced to register are doing their best to comply with the PA SORNA Registry. Data from the Pennsylvania State Police shows…
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Milton Friedman’s insightful quote, “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results,” provides a critical lens through which we can examine the failures of policies such as the Prohibition Act of 1920 and Megan’s Law. To remedy the mistake of evaluating policies solely based on intentions, a shift in focus…
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A PARSOL member recently alerted us about the following scam in the Lehigh Valley region. We want everyone to remember that the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law registry has no DNA requirement and the “state commissioner” cannot create such requirements. Certain sentences in PA do impose DNA sampling, but they are not because of “the registry.” If YOU are aware of an…
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