HARRISBURG – Legislation is forthcoming from Sen. Tracy Pennycuick of Berks & Montgomery Counties which would provide lifetime no-contact orders for victims of certain serious or violent offenses. Under current law, victims are forced to return to court repeatedly to renew no-contact protections when they expire. Without renewal, an offender may once again attempt to contact the victim, even though the conviction, and the harm that made the protection necessary, has not changed. Unwanted contact can re-traumatize victims and force them back into court to maintain a boundary the criminal justice system has already determined is necessary. This is especially true for survivors of rape and other sexually violent offenses, including offenses involving the abuse or exploitation of children. The legislation will allow the court, at sentencing and upon the request of the victim or prosecutor, to issue a permanent order prohibiting the defendant from contacting the victim. The prohibition would cover direct and indirect contact, including contact through another person or by electronic or digital means. The order could be terminated or modified at the victim’s request or if the underlying conviction is overturned, dismissed or otherwise legally invalidated.
SEN. TRACY PENNYCUICK