Fwd: BREAKING NEWS: Advocates Gather at Pennsylvania Capitol to Mark 30 Years of PA Megan’s Law

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From: John Dawe - PARSOL <con...@parsol.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 29, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Subject: BREAKING NEWS: Advocates Gather at Pennsylvania Capitol to Mark 30 Years of PA Megan’s Law

Pennsylvania Advocates Host Capitol Rally on 30th Anniversary of PA Megan’s Law

 

NOTE: Media Images, Video, and Captions are provided below the news release.

 

HARRISBURG, PA – October 28, 2025 – The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL.org) Advocates gathered at the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda today to mark thirty years since the enactment of Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law and to call for modernization of the state’s sexual offense laws which were signed into law by then- Governor Tom Ridge on October 21, 1995. 

 

“Our lives have changed since 1995. You’ll all recognize Microsoft’s groundbreaking system, Windows 95. But is anyone still using that? Pennsylvania’s registry laws are stuck in 1995 while everything else has moved forward,” remarked Robert Ciccinelli (Havertown), PARSOL board member, who opened the event while advocates held signs showing nostalgia from that year including props from the era including the O.J. Simpson verdict headline news, a poster from the hit 90’s TV show “ER”, the dial-up internet modem, a 22-cent postage stamp, and the floppy disk drive.

 

Speakers included Josiah Krammes (Pottsville), PARSOL Chair, Joey Nicholson (Coatesville), founder of the Pathfinder Reentry Project, State Representatives Emily Kinkead (D-Pittsburgh) and Tim Briggs (D-King of Prussia), and Olivia Schmidt (Sharon), PARSOL Advocates secretary.

 

“Sexual violence destroys lives and tears apart families, which is why our response to sexual harm must be both compassionate to survivors and effective at preventing future harm. We should never tolerate approaches that minimize these crimes or fail to center victim safety,” urged Krammes. “That's precisely why evidence-based prevention and smart resource allocation matter so much—victims deserve policies that actually work, not just ones that sound tough.”

 

 

“Modernizing the system means focusing resources on current risk, not decades-old cases. That’s how you protect families,” he noted, citing multiple studies from the U.S. Department of Justice, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

 

Nicholson, sharing experiences from PARSOL’s statewide programs, told several personal stories of how the registry hinders successful reintegration—even among those who have completed treatment and proven stability. “When policies lack nuance, entire families carry the weight,” said Nicholson. “Modern times demand modern policies built on what we now know about accountability, growth, and rehabilitation.” 

 

 

Reflecting on his fourteen years of incarceration, Nicholson added, “Real transformation doesn’t begin in a cell, it begins in the heart, and then it transforms your mind. I came home with one goal – to help others find that meaningful spark before the system or life breaks them. These programs are now supported by law enforcement, treatment providers, correctional administrators, and members of the faith community – people who believe in modernization over marginalization.” 

 

Rep. Kinkead noted that supporting survivors of sexual violence and modernizing laws that hold perpetrators of harm accountable are not incompatible. “The registry harms people who have been held accountable but cannot find housing, jobs, or a place in the community where they can consistently give back. When we put people in a system where they are ostracized, they disappear,” she said. 

 

Kinkead added that by using what we’ve learned over thirty years to modernize the law and actively include those who have committed offenses in the solution, “… we reduce the number of victims that happen. We prevent people from committing crimes because we are supporting not just survivors but the safety of the entire community.”

 

“People who are willing to do the work, get better, learn from their mistakes, make amends, and pay their debt to society deserve the opportunity to be a full member of it, if we are willing, as legislators, to be bold, take a stand and ensure we are making evidence-based policies,” she concluded. “These are common-sense reforms from thirty years of understanding what works and what doesn’t. [Legislators] cannot be held in the past because we are afraid to make changes, and how it will be perceived.

 

Chairman Briggs echoed Kinkead’s resolve, adding, “Too many times this issue seems too difficult for legislators to get their heads around, and they want to continue that thirty-year-old approach. Despite this, we need to modernize the registry to allow individuals who no longer pose a risk to be removed from the list and ensure the tools necessary for safe communities, including evidence-based assessments, ensuring individuals who need services are receiving them.” 

 

“There is no time better than the present to start tackling these issues. Today’s kickoff reinforces the desire to keep our communities safe by using modern thinking to address these issues in a fair and compassionate way. We look forward to working with PARSOL moving forward,” Briggs concluded.

 

View the Press Conference Recording Here (20 min) featuring remarks from State Reps. Emily Kinkead and Tim Briggs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd7Q7qha3-s&feature=youtu.be

 

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About PARSOL - The Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (PARSOL) works to modernize the Commonwealth’s sexual offense laws through advocacy, education, and evidence-based practices. For further information or interviews, contact John Dawe at jo...@parsol.org or (717) 820-2237.

 

 

Media Image & Suggested Caption:

"PARSOL Chair Josiah Krammes of Pottsville calls for sex offense policy modernization at the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg surrounded by advocates including State Representative Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) and State House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery)."  Photo by John Dawe / Provided.  Image Link: https://parsol.org/presser/IMG_9940.jpeg

 

Media Image & Suggested Caption:
"House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Tim Briggs lends his support to registry modernization campaign at the Rally as Rep. Emily Kinkead looks on." Photo by John Dawe / Provided.  Image Link: https://parsol.org/presser/IMG_9948.jpeg

 

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