PARSOL Lobby Day 2024 Recap

PARSOL Legislative Director Randall Hayes and Managing Director John Dawe were joined on Capitol Hill in Harrisburg, PA on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 by eight additional PARSOL volunteers from across the state. We met with dozens of Senators, Representatives, and Senate and House employees about rational reform measures to protect our communities and families from harm. Here are our current…

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March 27th Update

Thanks for clicking on our mobile messaging link. We thought it best to direct you to this link than blow up your phone with multiple messages! If you haven’t heard from us in a while, it is possible our emails are landing in your spam filter, or your email address is incorrect on our system. We ask that you take…

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Legal Case Update: Com. v. McGinnis

The case of Com. v. McGinnis involves the admissibility of expert testimony on false or distorted memories in children who are alleged victims of sexual abuse. The complainant, J.M., disclosed to his mother in 2013 that his father (the defendant) had sexually abused him years prior. J.M. was found competent to testify at trial. The defense sought to introduce expert…

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Are the Courts the New Galileo?

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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A History of PA’s Registry, Part III

Those who wish to understand how Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA, Or Megan’s Law) operates today may be dismayed to learn that there are two sets of laws dictating the “who, what, when, where, and hows” of the registry.  Misinformation from law enforcement around this confusing scheme is common. Because persons forced to register (PFRs) can be…

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Judge’s Opinion Cites ‘Sex Offender’ Myths & Out-of-Context Facts

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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Attorneys Challenge Chester County Decision; What Happens Now?

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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PARSOL Fall Conference is 11/15 at Tree of Life Church in Harrisburg & Online! Sign up now!

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