The management of those convicted of sex-based crimes after release has been largely effectuated through the enforcement of civil (rather than criminal) laws. The use of civil regulations as management tools has the distinct benefit of permitting criminal justice officials to restrict the freedom and privacy of sex offenders without abiding by the stricter procedural requirements that would be constitutionally…
Read More
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
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.
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
HB 1678 would provide tremendous resources and support for persons incarcerated in Pennsylvania, but it excludes persons with sex crimes for no good reason.
Read More
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…
Read More
Sometimes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hands us just what we need to make our case for rational sexual offense laws, and this year was a big year for that kind of thing. So… thanks, Pennsylvania government! Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Pornography (TFCP) The Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Pornography (TFCP) was established by Act 53 of 2021 by the…
Read More
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
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