[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…
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The 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…
Read MoreTX: District Attorney puts sex offenders on notice, warns parents that strangers are least of their worries
Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham has a message for unregistered sex offenders looking for a place to hide: stay away from Southeast Texas. “I really think sexual predators should find somewhere else to go,” Wortham said, adding that unregistered sex offenders in Jefferson County would be prosecuted for failing to register and for failing to change their address within seven days of moving. They face third-degree felony charges and punishment ranging from two to 10 years behind bars. Full Article
Read MoreOverextending the definition of sexual assault is also harmful (Opinion)
We are going to need some new words. As allegations of sexual misconduct continue to flood our mass media, the term “sexual misconduct” won’t suffice. Neither will “sexual assault” or “harassment.” “Misconduct” is a handy catchall when we are not sure which actions under discussion are criminal and which are merely disgusting, but the legal terms of assault and harassment are surprisingly and unhelpfully broad. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreCongressman Smith vs. the activists
GOP CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH HAS REBUFFED ACTIVISTS ABOUT HIS ANTI-ABORTION STANCE AND OBAMACARE REPEAL SINCE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION Full Article
Read MoreOver 23 years later, Megan’s Law is still expanding, this time worldwide (Opinion)
It’s hard to believe it’s been 23 years since the death of Megan Kanka, the Hamilton 7-year-old who was raped and murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender. It is, without question, the most heinous and brutal crime in modern Mercer County history. It’s something no one who lives around here will ever forget. Full Article
Read MoreMother Behind Megan’s Law Speaks out Against Branding ‘Sexting’ Children as Child Pornographers
[Associated Press as quoted by Huffington Post] The current insane trend of charging young people (usually girls) with various forms of child pornography for posting or texting sexual images of themselves has reached such a nadir that the very woman who brought about Megan’s Law (which forces convicted sex offenders to register their address with the state every ninety days) is now against it. The case that has caused such outcry involves a fourteen-year old girl who is being charged with ‘distribution of child pornography’ for posting 30 explicit images…
Read MoreSmith’s Law Results in Important New Protections for Children Against Predators
A new passport identifier for convicted pedophiles will help protect children from pedophiles looking to travel abroad, possibly to abuse children, said Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), author of legislation to create the identifier. “Child predators thrive on secrecy—a secrecy that allows them to commit heinous crimes against the weakest and most vulnerable,” Smith stated at a press conference on Friday in Trenton, N.J., about the passport protections included in his International Megan’s Law, which had several other provisions aimed at protecting children. “We know from law enforcement and media documentation…
Read MoreWhen Does a Watershed Become a Sex Panic?
The policing of sex can blur the boundaries between rape; nonviolent sexual coercion; and bad, fumbling, drunken sex. The effect is both to criminalize bad sex and trivialize rape. Full Article
Read MoreUnderstanding sex offenders: the untold story
I’ve made people’s stories my life’s work. I’m a person who talks to people sitting next to me on airplanes. I engage people at grocery stores, and even while sitting in those flimsy robes in the hospital, waiting for a mammogram. I generally like people. And I constantly “interview” them, even when I’m not working. I consider myself open-minded. I’d rather ask questions than answer. I try not to judge. But one fall day last year, a random call to the newsroom caught me off guard: A co-worker shouted across…
Read MorePA: Updates to Sex Offender Registration Law in Pa. Proposed
A member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives said his proposed legislation will adapt the Adam Walsh Act to prevent retroactive application of the law and still require sex offenders to continue registration as sex offenders to the Pennsylvania State Police. Full Article
Read MoreOK: Letter to the editor: Sex offender laws too harsh
The claims that sex offenders’ re-offense rates are frightening and high have been solidly disproven. In fact, statistics now show that re-offense rates for this group of offenders, less than 5 percent, is among the lowest of all categories. Full Letter to the Editor
Read MoreNotes from the Handbasket: neighborly behavior, NextDoor
[handbasketnotes.blogspot.com] NextDoor, a private social network for neighborhoods, is a popular means of letting neighbors know if you have a washer and dryer to sell or if you want to buy a camper. NextDoor lets people ask for plumber recommendations and post information about crime in the area. A handy app for the neighborly…unless your address is on the sex offender registry. No one who lives at a registered address is allowed to join NextDoor. Not the registrant, not the spouse. No one at that address. Read more
Read MoreACSOL to Host Conference on June 15 and 16, 2018
ACSOL will host its second annual conference on June 15 and June 16, 2018, at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. The conference will focus upon important issues such as the International Megan’s Law and the Tiered Registry as well as employment and housing. “The second conference will build upon the success of the inaugural conference and address the issues of greatest importance to registrants and their loved ones,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Confirmed speakers for the 2018 conference include law professors Ira Ellman and Catherine Carpenter, sociologist Emily Horowitz…
Read Morehow to make the registry more meaningful
Vincent Carroll argues in The Denver Post that Colorado ought to make its sex offender registry more meaningful to the public by assessing actual risk and removing some names. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreACSOL to Challenge Passport Identifier in Federal Court
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will challenge the passport identifier recently revealed by the U.S. State Department. The challenge is expected to be filed in a federal district court within the next 90 days. “We have begun the necessary process of identifying a strategy for a successful challenge,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The strategy will include the identification of potential plaintiffs as well as both legal and financial resources. The federal district court in which the challenge will be filed has not yet been determined.…
Read MoreGeneral Comments November 2017
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of November 2017. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
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