Tag: recidivism

NEWS RELEASE: Judge declares PA Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act Unconstitutional

NEW FREEDOM, Pa. – Today [8/23/22] Chester County Court Judge Allison Bell Royer ruled that Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is unconstitutional in Commonwealth v. George Torsilieri. “PARSOL and our affiliates across the country have long advocated against sex offender registries due to their punitive nature and ineffectiveness. Research indicates that most sexual offenses are committed by first-time…

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Current sexual offense registration and notification policies are nothing but “window-dressing”

By Meghan M. Mitchell, Kristen M. Zgoba, Alex R. Piquero . . . There are roughly half a million sexual assault incidents in the United States every year — and more than 11,000 in Florida alone. These numbers are troubling. So it’s no surprise that people search the sex offender registration website to make sure that no one convicted of a sexual…

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Another letter to NPR about its erroneously written sex offender piece

Cheryl, My name is Christopher E. Pelloski, MD. I have written two books that chronicle my experience within and research about the current U.S. criminal justice system and sex offender registry, Trauma, Shame, and the Power of Love, and A Torturous Path. I listened to your recent piece about the sex offender registry on NPR, and I believe some key…

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PA Supreme Court sends Commonwealth v. Torsilieri back to local court

Originally published at parsol.org; reprinted in full with permission. By Josiah . . . The PA Supreme Court (SCOPA) filed their opinions on Com. v. George Torsilieri on June 16 regarding the constitutionality of PA’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) Revised Subchapter H. Mr. Torsilieri and his attorneys argued that SORNA is based on outdated legislative findings and…

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Who Can We Believe?

By Sandy . . . A democracy works as it should only when the people trust their elected officials. Trust is not a given; it is earned, and the key to earning it is truthfulness, honesty, and candor. In this age of fake news, claims of fake news, and social media pundits who can spread both at the speed of…

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Current sexual offense policies: “Less about managing risk than maximizing punishment”

Image and article used with permission from Prison Policy Initiative By Wendy Sawyer . . . By now, most people who pay any attention to criminal justice reform know better than to label people convicted of drug offenses “drug offenders,” a dehumanizing label that presumes that these individuals will be criminals for life. But we continue to label people “sex…

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New study shows sexual offense recidivism rates lower than previous estimates

By Maynard Law Office; reprinted with permission . . . Recently, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report entitled, “Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from State Prison: A 9-Year Follow Up (2005-2014).” “Notwithstanding the sensationalist headline (“three times as likely”), the statistics reported are actually quite favorable. First, it’s important to note that this BOJ report is not based on samples…

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NARSOLs Robin Vander Wall discusses the registry with Nevada radio host

https://narsol.org/av/interviews/vanderwall-interview-6-1-18.mp3   Robin was the guest on “Truth to Power,” a talk radio program out of Reno on June 1st 2018. He and host Brendan Trainor discuss, among other things, NARSOL’s conference, the registry, and important legislation and court decision.

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The sex offender registry — it’s not what you think

By Sandy Rozek . . .  “Texas sex offender added to 10 most wanted sex offenders list.” “Virginia man arrested for sex crimes after third victim comes forward.” “Arizona sex offender sentenced to 100 years for child porn.” These are the sorts of headlines that inundate the news and media outlets regarding those in the criminal justice system because of…

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For registered sex offenders, court victories slow, but they are coming

By James Neighbors . . . Back before the judicial system became a sprawling monster of inefficiency and inequity, justice was served in America. The punishment fit the crime, and once you got out of prison, ALL of your rights were returned, including gun ownership and voting rights. Not so much in America today. In the “kinder, gentler” America as…

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