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…
Read MoreJudge’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…
Read MoreAttorneys 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…
Read MoreListen Now: Special Registry Matters Following Stunning ChesCo Decision
Listen to PARSOL’s executive director on the Registry Matters Podcast about the recent Chester County ruling declaring SORNA Unconstitutional.
Read More10 Important and Surprising Facts about Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law
Pennsylvania Megan’s Law can be confusing. Check out our Top 10 Facts about SORNA in PA.
Read MoreJudge says PA SORNA Overbroad & Unconstitutional in Chester County
Learn about Chester County Court Judge Allison Bell Royer’s ruling that Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is unconstitutional.
Read MoreUpdate on Commonwealth v. Aumick
As you may recall, I posted an article on February 26th about the Superior Court opinion of Commonwealth v. John Aumick where the Court found that SVP determinations cannot be based simply on allegations and hearsay. Normally I don’t write articles on Superior Court cases for two reasons: 1) an application for en banc (full court) reargument can be filed…
Read MoreNewsletter #5, January 2022
Happy New Year from the PARSOL Board of Directors! Thank you for reading our Winter 2022 Newsletter. 2021 has been a busy year advocating for the dignity of Pennsylvanians who are forced to register. Rest assured that 2022 will only be busier. We continually keep a close eye on the legal challenges to PA’s registry that are making their way…
Read MoreNewsletter #4, November 2021
Warm greetings from the PARSOL Board of Directors. Thank you for having a look at our Autumn 2021 Newsletter. Since our last newsletter in July, we have been busy advocating for the dignity of Pennsylvanians who are forced to register. We have also kept a close eye on the legal challenges to PA’s registry that are making their way through…
Read MoreSeparation of Powers in Pennsylvania: The Judiciary’s Prevention of Legislative Encroachment
Duquesne Law Review Vol 32, No. 3, Article 6 1994 John M. Mulchey By JB The following article from the Duke University Law Review explains how and why our Pennsylvania Supreme Court is more powerful than most other states’ supreme courts. The cases and the way our Supreme Court has interpreted its powers are explained through the Court’s interpretation of…
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