Articles written by NARSOL.
By Sandy . . . At NARSOL, each of us wears many hats. Robin Vander Wall is the organization’s vice-chair, president of its foundation (Vivante Espero), sits on several working committees, and is chair of the marketing and finance committees. It is in that last role that he left his home state of North Carolina, where he is also the…
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By Michael . . . As a senior citizen recently qualifying for Medicare, I was excited to learn that my new Medicare Advantage plan allowed me free access to the YMCA. Since our local “Y” has a great pool, I was really looking forward to getting the exercise I need with a low impact work out. I took my paperwork…
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By Sandy . . . In 1999, a young man of 17 met a young lady of 16. The details of the development of their relationship are murky; some reports indicate they were not sexually involved on the day for which he was charged but were later. There seems to be no question about her willingness to engage in the…
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By Will Mingus . . . As a child, I was taught the adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” But that’s not really true, is it? Ask any child who’s been the recipient of verbal attacks from bullies, or even friends, and you’ll know that words can, in fact, hurt. A lot.…
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By Sandy . . . Everyone will not agree, but it is my belief that much sexual offense policy is driven by a sincere desire to protect children and reduce the risk of harm to them. The fact that the greatest part of such policy is ineffective, often actually harmful, and at times appears to be blatantly unconstitutional is very…
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By Jason . . . Dear Facebook, Winter break-ups are the hardest. It’s been four cold months since you broke up with me. I thought you might want to know I’m doing okay. Sure, at first, I’d find myself flicking my thumb up as if I were still able to scroll the feed. I’d stop, hoping nobody saw. But really, I’m…
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By Sandy . . . I get a large number of emails each day, many containing links to stories or news items. I cannot read them all, and I generally make that decision in less than a second. What determines whether I click or not? Maybe the title, the publication, or the person who sent it to me. In this case,…
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By Robin . . . In February 2019, renowned author and social activist Judith Levine gave a presentation entitled “The Feminist & The Sex Offender” at an event primarily sponsored by the Sex Offender Policy Reform Initiative (SOPRI). While I was unable to attend, after viewing the YouTube video of her talk, I found it to be very informative and…
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NARSOL Attorney Paul Dubbeling this week attended a symposium sponsored by the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which brought together state officials, reform advocates, and researchers to discuss the impact of residency restrictions in Minnesota. Patty Wetterling, mother of Jacob Wetterling, gave the keynote address while renowned researcher Jill Levenson led off the event with a detailed…
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By Sandy . . . When the next freeze hits Virginia, or the next hurricane threatens the eastern seaboard, that state will join others in which persons on a sexual offense registry can – and will – legally be denied entrance to emergency shelters. The two houses of the Virginia Assembly, each unable to agree on the other’s version of…
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