A panel of appellate judges ruled last week that Pennsylvania’s established process to designate a convicted sex offender as a “sexually violent predator” is unconstitutional. Full Article
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PA: Ruling halts proceedings related to defendants facing sexually violent predator designations
The state Superior Court has handed down a ruling that put an immediate halt to all court proceedings related to defendants facing sexually violent predator designations. As the second ruling within several months to call the state’s current sexual offender statute into question, District Attorney John T. Adams said that it’s time to start fresh.”What we need now is a rewrite of our statutory scheme dealing with the sexual offenders registry,” he said. Full Article Note: this article appears to be for subscribers only. It may be readable after doing…
Read MorePA: Legal questions swirl around Megan’s Law in Pennsylvania
Since 1995, Pennsylvania has had Megan’s Law, which seeks to protect communities by requiring sex offenders to register with the state police, or face arrest if they fail to do so. But a July decision by the state Supreme Court has undermined that once bedrock certainty, and cases like Davies’s are now testing the law’s reach, under which offenders have their photos, addresses and other identifying information published on a state-run website. http://www.mcall.com/news/police/mc-nws-pennsylvania-megans-law-sex-offender-registry-unconsitutional-20171024-story.html
Read MorePA: Montco senator’s bill would remove sex offender registration requirement for custody crimes
[Bucks County Courier Times – Pennsylvania] After ____ ____ stole an SUV that was left idling in the parking lot of a Bristol Township convenience store, he quickly learned an 11-year-old passenger was in the backseat. Once the boy made his presence known, ____ pulled over and let him out before driving away, according to court records in the 2009 crime. The boy wasn’t hurt. ____ was arrested and later pleaded guilty in Bucks County Court to charges including theft, receiving stolen property and interference with custody of children. The…
Read MorePA: Megan’s Law list might get smaller
The number of sex offenders on the state’s Megan’s Law sex offender registry could drop as the result of a July ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, three Valley district attorneys and the Pennsylvania State Police say. Full Article
Read MorePA: Clarity on sex offenders: U.S. Supreme Court appeal needed for state ruling
The state Supreme Court has thrown into question the registration of as many as 4,500 sex offenders statewide. The case giving rise to the ruling originated in Cumberland County, and officials there have 90 days to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. They should file the appeal to gain clarity on two important questions: At what point are sex offenders unjustly punished and to what extent should communities be informed about potentially dangerous people in their midst? Full Editorial
Read MorePA: Cumberland County DA Freed to request U.S. Supreme Court review of sex offender decision
Roughly two weeks ago the Pennsylvania Supreme Court deemed the state’s current sex offender registration law to be punishment and ultimately barred by both the state and federal constitutions when applied retroactively. That decision may now end up under review from the highest court in the country. Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said Friday his office would ask the Supreme Court of the United States to review the decision, which was handed down on July 19. Full Article
Read MorePA: Sex offender registry changes need quick evaluation (Editorial)
Jennifer Storm, Pennsylvania’s victim advocate, said her office currently keeps more than 3,900 victims notified about the status of Megan’s Law sex registry offenders, including changes in their jobs or where they live. Understandably, she told the Associated Press, it’s a matter of safety and “piece of mind.” Full Article
Read MorePA: Some lawyers, prosecutors disagree on child interference convictions being Megan’s Law offenses
Philadelphia resident ____ ____ became a registered sex offender in Pennsylvania last year after pleading guilty to interfering with the custody of her daughter. But if prosecutors had let the 49-year-old noncustodial parent plead guilty to a different crime for signing her daughter out of school without the consent of the girl’s legal guardian in 2015, ____ wouldn’t find her photo and personal information listed with convicted child molesters, kiddie porn collectors and rapists on Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law registry. Pennsylvania prosecutors know what criminal offenses carry so-called Megan’s Law attachments,…
Read MorePA: Woman charged with not revealing sex offender’s whereabouts
Though it’s unclear if a woman knew before police told her that the man she married is a convicted sex offender wanted for allegedly not registering his whereabouts as the law requires, police charged her Wednesday with knowing and not revealing his whereabouts. Full Article
Read MorePA: Pennsylvania Supreme Court finds state sex offender registration law punitive and thus unconstitutional to apply retroactively
In a big opinion today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided its state’s sex offender registration law, though civil in design, was punitive in practice and thus cannot be applied retroactively. Full Article
Read MorePA: Judge was right to protect foreign kids from U.S. sex predator, court says
An Allegheny County judge acted correctly when she sentenced a sex predator to a 20- to 40-year prison term to ensure he’ll be too old to molest foreign children when he is eventually deported, a state appeals court panel has ruled. Full Article
Read MorePA: Police warning of fake sex offender notification letters
Police in Lawrence County are telling residents to be on the lookout for fake sex offender warnings being circulated. Full Article
Read MorePA: Bill cutting off public assistance for non-compliant Megan’s Law registrants passes the Pa. House
Legislation that would make convicted sex offenders who are out of compliance with Megan’s Law ineligible for public assistance passed the state House of Representatives on Monday by a 190-2 vote. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks County, now goes to the Senate for consideration. It would allow sex offenders’ benefits to be reinstated immediately once they came back into compliance but would not be eligible for any missed benefits. However, it allows benefits to continue for their minor children even if a parent or guardian is a non-compliant Megan’s Law…
Read MorePA: Does isolating sex offenders really work? Some experts say no
The arguments from experts who contend that residency restrictions such as those sought by Dawn Knull don’t work focus on concerns that the restrictions isolate sex offenders and make it more difficult for them to be rehabilitated. “It is a bad idea from the perspective of public safety,” said Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which brought the case on behalf of sex offenders that led to the court striking down the Allegheny County ordinance. Many experts have come out in recent…
Read MorePA: 2016 Crime Review – A look at the effectiveness of sex offender registries
It may run counter to conventional wisdom, but it is exceedingly rare for a person registered as a sex offender to be charged with a new sexual offense in Cumberland County. Of the 75 charged sex crime cases in Cumberland County in 2016, only two were committed by a person listed on the sex offender registry, according to an analysis of court records conducted by The Sentinel. Full Article
Read MorePA: Pennsylvania residents will need more than a driver’s license to fly in US next year
Starting Jan. 22, 2018, Pennsylvania residents will need more than just a driver’s license to travel domestically. Driver’s licenses from the Keystone State are currently not compliant with the federal government’s Real ID Act which set tougher standards for IDs to improve security in 2005. Full Article
Read MorePA: Supreme Court Further Restricts Sex Offender Registry
The registration of sex offenders in Pennsylvania, known as Megan’s Law, has had a tumultuous existence, including a number of revisions to comply with several successful challenges before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Last month, the state’s high court further refined the state’s sex offender registry. The Supreme Court made a ruling that will have an impact on determining which sex offenders will be considered lifetime registrants. The court narrowed the ability of the authorities to designate an offender as a lifetime registrant as the result of being convicted of multiple…
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