STROUDSBURG, Pa. – PARSOL is praising a ruling by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court that states that a private housing development or homeowners association cannot ban persons forced to register as a ‘sex offender’ under the state’s SORNA / Megan’s Law from living within their community. Ruling in a Monroe County case, the state Commonwealth Court said a 2016 restrictive covenant…
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On Thursday, September 29, 2022, the newly re-constituted United States Sentencing Commission issued tentative policy priorities for the 2022-2023 amendment year—with top focus on implementation of the First Step Act of 2018. A brief public comment period followed during which the following comments were submitted by “John F.” as reported by NARSOL. They are posted here for your information. The…
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The recent release of new data on recidivism by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, in a report released last month entitled, PA DOC: Recidivism, states that ‘sex offenders’ have the lowest recidivism rates. We have therefore updated our Fact Sheet.
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Manufacturing Criminals: Fourth Amendment Decay in the Electronic Age by Bonnie Burkhardt is about how law enforcement, prosecutors and task forces are violating the 4th amendment, “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported…
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October is here and it’s almost that frightful time of the year. The goblins, ghouls, and ghosts are out. But of course, we can’t forget the neighborhood “boogeyman”. He doesn’t wear a costume or put on Halloween makeup. He doesn’t go around with an ax, machete, or chainsaw. He doesn’t hide underneath the bed or in the closet waiting to…
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WHAT? The neck’s an intimate part of the body? Since when? Since 9/29/22 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in a 5 to 2 ruling on Commonwealth v. Carl Gamby, 62 MAP 2021. They considered “whether the unwanted kissing of a person’s neck constitutes the touching of ‘sexual or other intimate parts’ for purposes of the crime of indecent assault,”…
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The Legislative Committee of PARSOL is based in Harrisburg but is active across the entire Commonwealth. It is dedicated to forming relationships with our elected officials and tracking bills that affect sexual offense policy. PARSOL’s sexual offense policy interests include: Proactive measures such as education and identifying effective interventions aimed at preventing abuse. Criminal Justice Reform (CJR) efforts that might…
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PARSOL receives letters and phone calls from people who are on the registry and those facing being placed on the registry. Often these letters and phone calls include statements like, “I am a sex offender,” “My daughter is a sex offender,” “My husband is a sex offender.” News articles, legislative documents, legal documents, and even professional journal articles refer to…
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The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) has learned that attorneys for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (SCOPA) in the case Commonwealth v. Torsilieri. The appeal docket number is 97 MAP 2022. But didn’t SCOPA already send this for review? That’s correct. In June 2020, SCOPA remanded the…
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Supporters of the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law List inaccurately state that people with sexual offenses have a higher rate of reoffending. Candidates for Public Office often use this statement to incite moral panic and increase their popularity amongst voters.
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