Logic is not our strong suit: Pennsylvania edition

SYTYCB entry

There are innumerable issues in regards to Megan’s Law, the catch-all name for laws in the US which require law enforcement to notify residents, schools, and churches about sex offenders who move into the area. Many see it as a way to protect those who could be potentially victimized while others see it as additional punishment for those who have already served their sentences as well as having no real effect on preventing recidivism. Be that as it may, when released from prison, the man or woman must register with police within a set time limit.

In Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, (a suburb of Philadelphia), State Police have allowed Steven Sherlock, a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and has been labeled a “violent sexual predator,” to register his address as a local park.  Sherlock is currently homeless and provided his address as Naylor’s Run Park, a park used by a local YMCA as well as hundreds of children on a daily basis. Under Pennsylvania law, Sherlock was required to provide an address, and, if homeless, provide an area where he slept.

The additional hitch (beyond allowing a man with a history of sexually assaulting children to reside in a park) is that it is illegal to be in Naylor’s Run Park after sunset. Therefore, if the police were to check on Sherlock and found him in the park at night, they could arrest him.

Homelessness in Philadelphia is a serious problem, and Sherlock made no attempt to hide his homelessness to the Pennsylvania State Police. Rather than helping him secure housing or connecting him to a program which could provide services, he was permitted to use the park, which the police know is illegal to sleep in, as his home address.

Thus far, Sherlock has not been seen in the park, and the Upper Darby Police Department, who were not made aware of this until it was already approved, have stated they will arrest Sherlock if they see him in the park after night falls.

The Pennsylvania State Police have yet to comment.