A ruling issued by a sharply-divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court could greatly alter the registration requirements imposed on some types of convicted sex offenders. The decision by the court’s majority states that offenders who commit some kinds of sex crimes, such as possessing child pornography, cannot be made to register with state police for life unless they commit at least one more sex crime after their initial convictions. In other words, they have to become recidivists to qualify for the lifetime registration. Full Article Decision Dissenting Opinion 1 Dissenting Opinion 2
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PA: Senators eye raising age limits in child sex abuse lawsuits
HARRISBURG, Pa. —Pennsylvania’s top legal office is telling lawmakers that it’s unconstitutional to retroactively give victims of child sexual abuse more time to sue, although some lawmakers remain willing to support it. Full Article Related http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160613_Letters__Protect_all_victims_of_sex_abuse.html
Read MorePA: When Your Boss Is Also a Registered Sex Offender
Once a promising young cadet in the police academy, Conshohocken’s ____ ____ ____ is now a convicted sex offender. In 2014, at the age of 29, ____ pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault and sexual abuse of a child. The victim took private ballroom dancing lessons from ____, and investigators said that he videotaped some of their more than 20 sexual encounters, which occurred when the girl was 14 and 15 and ____ was 27. ____ will be listed on the Pennsylvania Megan’s Law website for the rest of his life. So does that mean…
Read MorePA: Challenge to SORNA retroactivity reaches Pennsylvania Supreme Court
In the last few years, Pennsylvania’s courts have taken an active role in defining the propriety and scope of the state’s sex offender registration program. Following on the heels of a December 2014 decision striking down sex offender registration for juveniles, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a sweeping challenge to the retroactive application of Pennsylvania’s adult sex offender registry. Full Article
Read MorePA: Supreme Court to hear registration appeals from 3 sex offenders
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals by three convicted child molesters, including a Harrisburg man and a former Lancaster County teacher, who claim they wrongly are being forced to register with state police for life. Full Article
Read MorePA: When facts aren’t facts – A look at the effectiveness of sexual offender registries
The passages of sexual offender registries have grabbed headlines as steps toward public safety against unchanging “predators” who are being released back into society. The registry laws themselves have cost billions of dollars and generally are passed with overwhelming support. But do they work? Full Article
Read MorePA: Second judge resigns amid ‘Porngate’ scandal
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice _ ____ ____ resigned on Tuesday, the second jurist to step down after being accused of using state computers to exchange sexually and racially offensive emails with his peers. ____, 67, a Republican first elected in 2001, tendered his resignation from the state’s highest court after admitting to sending approximately 18 “inappropriate” emails to friends, according to a statement form his lawyer, William Costopoulos. Eakin is the second Supreme Court justice caught up in the email scandal, dubbed “Porngate” by local media. Full Article
Read MorePA: Kane appoints special prosecutor to unravel PornGate
Pennsylvanians have already suffered the indignity of learning that judges, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials have used state computer systems to exchange pornographic, racist and misogynistic emails. Now, state taxpayers will pick up the bill for a team of special prosecutors hired to sort out the sordid details of PornGate. Full Article
Read MoreAfter Sandusky wins back pension, PA senator calls for stricter forfeiture law
Jerry Sandusky might have gotten his public pension back, but one lawmaker wants to ensure taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for other sex offenders’ retirements. State Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, plans to introduce legislation that would bar public officials and employees from collecting retirement benefits if they’re convicted of, or plead guilty or no defense, to crimes that require registration as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. Full Article
Read MorePA: Gun rights for sex offender lands in Idaho Supreme Court
BOISE – A former Idaho man’s problems convincing the state of Pennsylvania he should have the right to bear arms landed in the Idaho Supreme Court Tuesday. ____ ____ was convicted of rape in Idaho in 1992, a felony that carries a permanent loss of gun rights. That conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor in 2004 through a sentencing agreement, but he was still required to register as a sex offender. That kind of arrangement couldn’t happen today; Idaho changed its laws in 2006 to prevent a conviction on a felony…
Read MorePA: 3 men jailed for separate sex assaults of 12-year-old girl from OKCupid dating website
A trio of Lancaster County men recently stood before a local judge and admitted to sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl they met in an online chatroom. … Each man told Reinaker they met the girl through OKCupid, an online dating website. Each claimed they believed the girl was over 18. She was, in fact, 12 at the start of the contact, police reported. … Cory Miller, ____’ lawyer, said the victim continued to use the website even after the men were charged. Full Article
Read MorePA: City will pay $50,000 to settle sex offender lawsuit
City Council agreed last week to pay $50,000 toward the settlement of a lawsuit which was filed against the city for discriminating against a registered sex offender. … Their eviction was prompted by Mayor Justin Taylor’s discovery that Patrick had been convicted in 2009 of unlawful contact or communication with a minor, and his subsequent listing on the Megan’s Law Registry. Under a city ordinance which was in effect at that time, registered sex offenders were prohibited from living within 2,500 feet of any facility or area where children might…
Read MoreOffensive offender list (Editorial)
Kids do stupid things. And sometimes they do stupid things that are criminal. But unlike adults who commit a crime, we don’t subject kids to the same consequences, which sometimes can be harsh and life-changing. We take into consideration their immaturity and the likelihood that a young person’s behavior can be altered via counseling, oversight and education, and we cut them a break. Full Article
Read MorePA: Lifetime registration mandate for juvenile sex offenders is unconstitutional, Pa. Supreme Court says
A Pennsylvania law that requires juveniles who commit the most serious types of sex crimes to register with police for life is unconstitutional because it breeches the youngsters’ civil rights, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. Full Article
Read MorePA: Megan’s Law mandate unfairly punishes offenders, court rules
[Updated with Decision] Some of Pennsylvania’s latest sex offender registration requirements run afoul of a constitutional ban on laws that create new penalties for people who have already paid for their crimes, the Commonwealth Court has ruled. The panel of seven Commonwealth Court judges also found, however, that requiring sex offenders to reveal their email addresses and other online aliases is not a violation of the First Amendment right to anonymous speech. Full Article Decision: http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/214MD13_10-14-14.pdf
Read MorePA: ‘Deplorable’ sex offender’s crime could be considered worse than murder, prosecutor says
With a sentence of 23 to 46 years in prison, sex offender ____ ____ will be incarcerated longer than some murderers. But in a sense, his crime is worse than murder, according to a prosecutor. … “I say involuntary deviate sexual intercourse is worse than murder because you’ve got to live with it,” (Assistant District Attorney Pat) Broscius said. “When you’re murdered, you’re dead.” Full Article
Read MorePA: Mandatory minimum sentences are ‘unconstitutional,’ court says
Locals charged with crimes involving drugs, guns or sex abuse could be due relief at sentencing, according to a high-court ruling. A Pennsylvania Superior Court opinion has deemed mandatory minimum sentences “unconstitutional,” a ruling which could have major impact on countless cases here and across the state. Full Article
Read MorePA: New unit puts sex offenders on notice
A newly formed Pennsylvania State Police unit working to keep tabs on sex offenders is expected to soon come to Western Pennsylvania. The Megan’s Law Compliance Unit consists of two troopers who work with local agencies to arrest sex offenders who have failed to register their addresses or online accounts or otherwise have violated the terms of their release. Full Article
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