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 years. But, I put that aside because PARSOL asked and I wanted to represent them and network with others in order to better serve registrants. The speakers were a wealth…
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Unfair: The New Science Of Criminal Injustice by Adam Benforado is a book about our broken system of criminal justice and the surprising reasons why. The author, an associate professor of law at Drexel University, is a graduate of both Yale College and Harvard Law School. This book is about the many problems in U.S. justice system and does not…
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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…
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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court (SCOPA) heard oral arguments in Commonwealth v. Torsilieri on May 23, 2023. I don’t think the arguments were all too exciting. However, several interesting issues were made such as at what recidivism rate the General Assembly considers to be “high risk”, whether the irrebuttable presumption test is useful anymore, whether “not universally true” an accurate benchmark…
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In an article I published on July 13, 2022, I promised I would update you on the Superior Court Com. v. John Aumick, 2022 PA Super. 33 (Aumick I) . I also wrote, “[n]ormally I don’t write articles on Superior Court cases for two reasons: 1) an application for en banc (full court) reargument can be filed whereas, if granted,…
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PARSOL Perspectives is a new event series for PARSOL members to learn about important issues facing the PARSOL/PFR community. We are excited to kick it off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2023 — just ten days before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will be hearing oral arguments for round two of Commonwealth v. Torsilieri in Harrisburg. In anticipation…
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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…
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I got a call from my son in the fall of 2019. He said he had something important to tell me and wanted to meet me at a private location. He sounded worried. I felt a sense of urgency in his voice. I had no idea what he was going to tell me. He shared he was under investigation for…
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SO: The New Scarlett Letters: Sex Offenders, Their Treatment, and Our Challenge, published in 2018, would benefit from person first language. It was coauthored by Marilyn Callahan and Tim Buckley. They have both volunteered in prisons and re-entry programs. Marilyn is a Social worker who has done extensive work with people accused of a sex offense. The people written about…
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