[Electronic Frontier Foundation] In the most illuminating part of last week’s House subcommittee hearing on the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA, H.R. 1865), Tennessee Bureau of Investigation special agent Russ Winkler explained how he uses online platforms—particularly Backpage—to fight online sex trafficking. Winkler painted a fascinating picture of agents on his team posing as johns, gaining trust with traffickers, and apprehending them. His testimony demonstrated how, with proper training and resources, law enforcement officers can navigate the online platforms where sex work takes place…
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#DontLookAway: The difference between paedophiles and sex offenders
[The Star, Johannesburg, South Africa] Johannesburg – Every now and then police report busting international paedophile rings. The details are gory, adults – usually men – sharing pictures and videos of young children being abused. In one of the cases early this year, one of the worst paedophiles was sentenced to 32 life sentences and a further 170 years for, among other things, sexually abusing his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter. Other than raping her, he used a toy dinosaur, thermometer and a sex toy to penetrate the child. The man, who…
Read MoreDon’t Rush New Sexual Harassment Policies, Some Women Lawmakers Warn
[governing.com] One of the top agenda items for state legislatures next year will be to address the rampant sexual harassment in state capitols. Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have been accused of sexual harassment — or worse — since the #metoo movement took off in mid-October. But several women in the Illinois legislature, which has already passed new laws in response to the outcry, caution that lawmakers should take their time when writing new sexual harassment policies. “When you’re in crisis mode, you tend to move quickly. I…
Read MoreOR: After 15 years, ex-lawyer branded as child molester wins a reversal
The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed the conviction of a former lawyer who was found guilty in 2002 of sexually touching a 10-year-old girl in the kitchen of a McMinnville home, in a case riddled with questionable evidence. Although Bradley Christopher Holbrook has already served a 6 ¼-year prison sentence, the reversal means he will no longer be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and carry that stigma. It also means that he won’t be a convicted felon anymore and could…
Read MoreNH: Public pool can’t ban sex offender
PORTSMOUTH — City Attorney Robert Sullivan confirmed he recently met with a group of people who are concerned because a registered sex offender has been using the Portsmouth Indoor Pool. The pool, located near the high school, is used by community members and youth and school swim teams. After the meeting, Sullivan said, he reached out to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire to get its input. “The actions which the city might be able to take or which the city might be prevented from taking would be…
Read MoreCO: Town of Palisade lowers fee sex offenders are required to pay to register
[thedenverchannel.com] PALISADE, Colo. – In a move designed to encourage compliance from offenders, the town of Palisade has lowered the fees associated with registering as a sex offender. The decision to lower the fee from $75 a year to $25 a year was made earlier this month by the Board of Trustees, Denver7 news partner KJCT reported. The Palisade Police Department asked the board to lower the fee on behalf of offenders, who may be dissuaded to register because of the financial burden. The reduction of fees is not expected…
Read MoreParole violations are driving prison’s revolving door
[Richmond Times-Dispatch] (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Shawn D. Bushway, University at Albany, State University of New York and David J. Harding, University of California, Berkeley (THE CONVERSATION) Rapper Meek Mill is back in prison in Pennsylvania for violating the terms of his probation. According to officials, Mill left the state without permission, did not meet with his probation officer, tested positive for Percocet, failed to complete community service and got into a fight at an airport. Mill’s case…
Read MoreOK: Tenth Circuit COA upholds Oklahoma driver’s license requirement
[NARSOL] By Robin . . . Unpersuaded by the court-appointed counsel’s encouragement to read a prison inmate’s pro se lawsuit liberally enough to include a First Amendment complaint, the Tenth Circuit has affirmed a lower Court’s judgment dismissing a challenge to Oklahoma’s requirement that citizens convicted of an “aggravated sex offense” must have their driver’s licenses (and state-issued identification cards) stamped with the words “Sex Offender.” The National Association of Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL), represented by John J. Korzen (Wake Forest School of Law) was joined by its state…
Read MoreFrance: Teacher who had ‘affair’ with 14-yr-old pupil avoids jail
[abs-cbn.com] Fontainebleau, France – A French teacher was handed a suspended jail sentence Monday for having sex with a 14-year-old pupil, the latest of several cases fueling debate over the age of consent. French teacher to be tried for sex with pupil aged 14 The 31-year-old maths teacher had an affair for several months with the girl this year after they struck up a conversation on Instagram. The pupil, who was in the man’s class last year, insisted the pair were in love but her parents said he was a…
Read MoreTherapy for Sexual Misconduct? It’s Mostly Unproven
[New York Times] The recent surge in accusations of sexual harassment and assault has prompted some admitted offenders to seek professional help for the emotional or personality distortions that underlie their behavior. “My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons,” the producer Harvey Weinstein said in a statement in October. The actor Kevin Spacey announced that he would be “taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment.” Whatever mix of damage control and contrition they represent, pledges like these suggest that there are standard…
Read MoreThe Police Who Prey on Victims [opinion]
[cato.org] Although much of the press has been focused, of late, on the incidents of sexual assault in the entertainment and media industries, it is also among the most pernicious and likely under-reported varieties of on-duty police misconduct. The police are viewed by the majority of the public as among the most trusted institutions in society, behind the military and small business. Many of the people who come into contact with police, though, suffer the stigma of criminal records, tenuous immigration status, mental illness, intoxication or substance addiction, or some…
Read MoreFL: Florida bill would declare porn a public health crisis: causes ‘unhealthy brain development’
[lifesitenews.com] FLORIDA, November 22, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The state of Florida may declare pornography a public health crisis because of the myriad health and brain problems it causes. Rep. Ross Spano, who represents House District 59, introduced a resolution acknowledging “pornography is creating a public health crisis and contributing to the hypersexualization of children and teens.” If the resolution passes, the declaration that pornography is a public health crisis will mean the government “acknowledges the need for education, prevention, research, and policy change to protect the citizens of this state.”…
Read MoreAZ: Buckeye Police create registry program for individuals with autism, other disabilities
[abc15.com] The Buckeye Police Department has launched a registry and identification program for individuals with autism and other conditions after a city officer mistook an autistic teen for a drug user earlier this year. Buckeye officials said the voluntary program will help officers better manage calls and interactions. But experts and civil rights leaders worry about its implementation. Read more
Read MoreWhat Rape Reform Needs: More Convictions, Less Punishment [opinion]
[thecrimereport.org] In what is being called the “Post-Weinstein era,” victims of sexual assault and harassment are finally being believed. This no doubt is overdue, but in the context of rape, believing the victim will not be enough. Three reforms are essential to how we convict and punish rapists. First, the way states currently define the crime of rape does not target the conduct of unwanted sex. In the United States, rape was initially defined by unwanted sex accompanied by an element of force. The proof of force was and continues…
Read MoreCA: Child porn case against California doctor dismissed
[pressherald.com] The child pornography case against a California doctor whose computer was searched after he submitted it to Best Buy’s Geek Squad for repair has been dismissed after a judge ruled that an FBI agent made “several false or misleading statements or omissions … with reckless disregard for the truth” in a search warrant affidavit. The case against oncologist _____ attracted national attention because it revealed that technicians at the Geek Squad’s central repair facility in Kentucky had been paid by the FBI and would tip off the FBI field…
Read MoreTX: Jefferson Co. D.A.: Zero tolerance for sex offenders
[KFDM.com] Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham tells KFDM News that his office has zero tolerance for sex offenders and will not support a sentence of probation for anyone convicted of a sex offense. Wortham said the holiday season is a time when sex crimes often increase. He says 90 percent of the offenders know their victims. In fact, he said, of the 150 cases set for trial in Jefferson County, all but one are cases in which the offender knows the victim. Wortham urges parents to talk with their…
Read MoreThe Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and Depression in Adulthood [research paper]
[Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies] Abstract: Accounts of sexual abuse appear daily in the media. Rightfully, this issue demands attention. Juveniles may be victims; they may also be offenders who are subject to sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policies. Growing research finds that SORN policies fail to achieve intended public policy outcomes. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of SORN for juvenile offenders. This study contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of these policies on this population. Merton’s concept of manifest and latent…
Read MoreFinally! The Naked Congressman Principle! [opinion]
[ethicsalarms.com] I’m sure Democrats will be thankful for this. Ultra-conservative Texas Congressman Joe Barton, in his fourth decade in the House, has a nude selfie circulating on the web. As I note above, ew. There are some material distinctions from the Weiner debacle: Joe was separated when he sent them; he wasn’t showing his man-things to cyber-pal he had never met, and most important of all, he didn’t lie about it, immediately confirming that the selfie was indeed his. which, unfortunately, means that he is also copping to sexting the…
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