In a recent New York Times profile, Danah Boyd was described by one of her colleagues at NYU as our first anthropologist “who comes from the tribe she’s studying,” meaning that the 36-year-old researcher is a digital native who grew up immersed in the same online culture as the teenagers she now studies. “Danah Boyd often dresses like her youthful subjects,” reads the caption on a photo of her wearing a fuzzy animal beanie and striped knee-highs, suggesting that Boyd is an emissary from a new and unexplored terrain. But…
Read MoreCategory: General News
General avoids sex offender list
Raleigh, N.C.— Defense attorneys said Sunday that an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him. Lawyers representing Brig. Gen. ____ ____ said he will plead to lesser charges in exchange for having the sexual assault charges dropped, along with two other counts that might have required Sinclair to register as a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreMaking Punishment Fit the Crime
Todd R. Clear, dean of Rutgers University–Newark School of Criminal Justice, is one of the country’s leading criminologists. A former president of the American Society of Criminology, he is widely known for his advocacy of evidence-based programs. In his newest book, The Punishment Imperative: The Rise and Failure of Mass Incarceration in America, Clear notes that the U.S. stands out among Western democracies for the “relentless punitive spirit” of its three-decades long mass incarceration policies. Full Article
Read MoreDo we really need new sex offender laws every time a child is killed?
First, we need to get out of the way the accusations, based on the title of this post, that I don’t care about the victims. I care about the victims much, much more than those who persist in supporting a system that all but ignores the victims and apparently doesn’t care about any victims except those victimized by registered sex offenders. Florida has just passed a plethora of laws, and is looking to pass more, under the guise of protecting children from those registered sex offenders. Full Opinion Piece
Read MoreGeneral won’t plead guilty if it means sex-offender registry, defense says
(CNN) — The defense and prosecution were hammering out a plea deal Tuesday in the court-martial of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, but no matter what the negotiations hold, the defense says three things are off the table. First, Sinclair won’t plead guilty to sexual assault, said Josh Zeitz, a spokesman for the general’s defense team. Nor will he plead guilty to any charge that will land him on a sex-offender registry. And lastly, Zeitz said, Sinclair will not plead guilty to threatening his accuser or her family. Full Article
Read MoreW.A.R. on ‘It Could Be You’ KABF 88.3 FM, Arkansas
From W.A.R. Facebook – “It Could Be You”, a talk-radio program on Little Rock, Arkansas, station KABF 88.3 FM (“The Voice of the People”) airs Wednesdays 2:00–3:00 PM Central Time. “It Could Be You” is a forum through which social justice organizations, criminal justice reform organizations, community activists, and persons and organizations providing help to those in need can discuss their work, their goals, and how the public can contact them, offer their assistance, or more effectively reach out to the underserved in the community, the state, or across the…
Read MoreThe Trial That Unleashed Hysteria Over Child Abuse
It has long been said, in varying language, that a lie travels halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on. You do not have to reach back 200 years to Scotland to find enduring wisdom in that adage. You need return only to the 1980s and to the subject of this week’s Retro Report documentary video, part of a series re-examining news stories from the past. This week’s subject is the notorious McMartin Preschool abuse trial. Full Article
Read MorePUTTING THE CARLOS MOLINA STORY INTO PROPER CONTEXT
The recent arrest of IBF Jr Middleweight World Champion Carlos Molina has made a lot of noise throughout the boxing world. He was all set to defend his title Vs. Jermall Charlo this past Saturday, but his big fight was canceled due to being arrested. Let’s take a look at some facts here. Let’s put things into the proper context as well. Firstly, Carlos Molina is no sexual predator. The title of “Sex Offender” is a very broad brush. Let me explain. Anyone that has sex with an underage girl…
Read MoreWriting to Legislators – Make it a Good Letter
The following was a comment on “International Travel – Mexico” but it applies universally. So, you’re going to write a letter to Congress? Good idea. Make it a good letter. People who think members of Congress pay little or no attention to constituent mail, are plain wrong. Concise, well thought out personal letters are one of the most effective ways Americans have of influencing law-makers. But, members of Congress get hundreds of letters and emails every day. Whether you choose to use the Postal Service or email, here are some…
Read MoreWhen Government Fears the People, There is Liberty
When the craftsman sets out to learn his trade, for example, woodworking, he spends a great deal of time learning about his craft. He must learn not only the tools to use, but also the proper types of wood to work with. He must be totally versed in all aspects of woodworking if he want to be considered a master of his trade. This is true of any field of endeavor, except for one, our Public officials. For some reason many of our politicians feel that they will gain more…
Read MoreOne Man’s Fight to Prove His Innocence
Katie Couric – One man opens up about his fight for freedom after being accused of sexual assault by his own children. Find out how he was finally freed and reunited with his family. Website
Read MoreGeneral Comments March 2014
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of March 2014. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreTalk Radio: NATIONAL REFORM SEX OFFENDER LAWS – “The Big Picture affecting our nation.
Part 1: March 2, 2014 – 8 pm PST The vision and mission of this organization. www.nationalrsol.org The effect sex offender laws have on the community. Call in to speak with the host (619) 393-2837 A national organization sees the issue and the affect demoralizing a sex offender has on communities, and why it is imperative to change this thinking to heal society, the victim and the offender. We will detail the National RSOL and what it is doing to protect the nation and reform sex offender issues. Link
Read Morethe mystery of the missing sex offenders
A fear-mongering news report from Omaha’s KETV talks about sex offenders who go missing. According to Nebraska’s sex offender registry, there are more than 900 convicted offenders living in Douglas County alone. Chris White, a deputy U.S. marshal with the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force, said about 90 of those convicted offenders are hiding. “There are more people absconding every day. That number compiles [sic] unless we get after it,” White said. A multi-agency task force tracks down the missing sex offenders. “I assume that they’re reoffending, that they’re dropping off…
Read MoreSupreme Court ruling expands police authority in home searches
WASHINGTON — Police officers may enter and search a home without a warrant as long as one occupant consents, even if another resident has previously objected, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a Los Angeles case. The 6-3 ruling, triggered by a Los Angeles Police Department arrest in 2009, gives authorities more leeway to search homes without obtaining a warrant, even when there is no emergency. Full Article
Read MoreClandestine websites fuel ‘alarming’ increase in child porn
WASHINGTON — Often, as the homemade videos begin streaming across the computer screen, unwitting children appear holding homemade placards bearing the pseudonyms of the macabre films’ makers. The makeshift message boards represent claims of credit for the ghastly images that follow: children, some pleading for help, being sexually abused in torturous ways by parents, relatives or others. Among the worst: infants used as toys for the videographers’ and viewers’ sexual gratification. Full Article
Read MoreCapitol Punishment: The Troubling Consequences of Federal Child Pornography Laws
Until Dec. 11, 2013, Jesse Ryan Loskarn was a popular chief of staff for a Tennessee senator. But on that winter day, police broke down the door of his rowhouse in southeast Washington, D.C., and searched for the illegal digital items that had led them there: explicit videos of boys posing nude and engaging in sexual acts. On Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, Ryan was found dead in his basement. On Monday, Jan. 27, 2014, there was a twist. Ryan’s mother posted his suicide note online, revealing the great complexity to…
Read MoreTask Force on Restoration of Rights and Status after Conviction (Survey)
NACDL (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) is in the midst of a major study that will lead to a report issued in 2014 on the countless ways in which a person’s rights, ability to work, and the like, are affected by a criminal conviction. As part of this effort, NACDL needs your help. If you are interested in sharing your story of lost rights and privileges resulting from a plea or guilty verdict, please complete survey. Before we would take your story public, someone on our staff will contact…
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