Monthly Archives: March 2014
Pennsylvania Increases Penalties for Child Abuse and Child Porn
In reaction to the sensational Jerry Sandusky and Catholic clergy molestation scandals, the Pennsylvania Senate has approved one more bill in a broad response aimed at stiffening penalties for child pornography and abuse. In December 2013, the Senate approved a bill to increase the degree of child pornography crimes, up to as high as a… Read More »
Getting Your Name Off the Sex Offender Registry
The sex offender registry provides an invaluable public service, but sometimes a name on that list doesn’t belong there. If it’s yours, your life has been changed forever, for the worse. While sex offender registration is not a new concept, public access to sex offender databases is relatively new. In response to public outrage over… Read More »
Pennsylvania Judge Eases Lifetime Registration Requirements for Juvenile Sex Offenders
A York County judge has ruled a Pennsylvania law imposing lifetime registration requirements on juvenile sex offenders unconstitutional. In his controversial ruling, Senior Judge John C. Uhler concluded that the registration provision of Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) prevents the court from considering the many unique attributes of youth offenders and unfairly… Read More »
Sexting: Prank or Pornography?
Sexting is the transmitting of sexually explicit messages using cell phone text messages. Typically, the messages contain photograph or video links of the person sending them. Popular among teens, some view these messages as high-tech flirting or pranks played on friends. But the legislatures of many states, including Pennsylvania, see it quite differently. Sexting is… Read More »