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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It’s a pleasure to be a part of something that is bigger than me and my own experiences. Coming together to support a common good is the hallmark of the career that I have chosen. Or perhaps has chosen me. I am a therapist working in the helping field since 2007. I have worked in the substance use bracket for…
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Javert thought he could correct his family’s wrongs, but did he over-correct and forget about empathy and compassion? Is society on the same path around people with criminal histories?
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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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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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I recently penned an essay on felony voting disenfranchisement at the request of an incarcerated friend who needed assistance with a Villanova University application question. As I concluded my composition, I could not help but ponder the countless instances in which PFRs are disenfranchised absent any legitimate government interest or reasonable general risk. As such, the promise of equal protection…
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SHAME! SHAME! Judge David Porter for the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court has recently published an opinion on Lacey Stradford; et al (appellees). v. Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The Appellees challenged the Dept. of Corrections (DOC) policy on how they determine which parolees can be released to a halfway house based on that it violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection…
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PARSOL (and NARSOL) board member David Garlock recently spoke about the punitive nature of the sex offender registry, including Pennsylvania Megan’s Law List, as an invited panelist on the “Business of Being Black” show hosted by Tammi Mac on the new FOX SOUL network. Garlock joined Business of Being Black host Tammi Mac along with Gail Wyatt, Ph.D. a Psychologist…
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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…
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