Source: salon.com 4/24/24 Most youth who exhibit problematic sexual behavior don’t need punishment. They need help Adult sex offenders are criminals who need to be brought to justice to maintain public safety. But we need to be careful about extending that same principle to children who hurt other kids. Most youth who exhibit problematic sexual behavior don’t need punishment. They need help. It’s time for the public and our legal system to catch up with the growing literature on the causes of such behavior and how to stop it, rather…
Read MoreTag: juvenile sex offenders
Sri Lanka: Psychiatric assessment essential for sexual offenders or victims with ADHD: Study
Source: nation.lk 9/14/21 By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody Owing to neuro developmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in turn being associated with sexual abuse and related offences in the Sri Lankan context, it is recommended that children and adolescents who are either victims of sexual abuse or offenders of the same, undergo psychiatric assessment, a local study noted. … The instant case described an adolescent who allegedly sexually abused another schoolboy in the context of previously undiagnosed ADHD. Child sexual abuse is the involvement of children and adolescents…
Read MoreFlorida Youth Registration Story Collection
Source: jlc.org (Juvenile Law Center) email Juvenile Law Center is working on a report on the registration of youth as sex offenders in Florida. The report will address state registration law, county and municipal ordinances, and data on individuals required to register as youth in Florida. We are collecting stories from individuals who were or are required to register as sex offenders in Florida following either an adjudication in juvenile court or a conviction in criminal court for an offense that occurred while the individual was under the age of…
Read MoreWhy Blanket Registration of Youth as Sex Offenders is Bad Public Policy
Source: thecrimereport.org 8/5/21 We praise children for their curiosity. How else are they to learn to navigate the world? But sometimes a child’s curiosity leads to a lifetime of punishment and ostracism. Sadly, this is the harsh reality of many children who were charged with a sex offense. Although it can be a difficult notion to accept, children may exhibit sexual behavior as part of their normal childhood development. Some behaviors that stem from curiosity, such as ‘playing doctor’ or touching another child in their genital area can be problematic,…
Read MoreCO: Mandatory lifetime juvenile sex offense registration is unconstitutional, Colorado Supreme Court rules
Source: denverpost.com 6/28/21 Juveniles cannot be mandated to register as lifelong “sex offenders” in Colorado if there is no way for offenders to be individually assessed or to later be removed from the registry, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. The 6-1 decision follows a new law signed by Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday that eliminates mandatory lifetime sex offense registration for juveniles who commit multiple sex offenses. The law takes effect Sept. 1. The justices found that mandating all people who committed multiple sex offenses when they were children…
Read MoreNY: 7-year-old charged with rape, lawyer calls it ‘absurd’
[wwnytv.com – 3/29/21] BRASHER FALLS, N.Y. (WWNY) – A 7-year-old boy from Brasher Falls has been charged with rape. State police didn’t release much information, but said the unidentified child was charged with third-degree rape on March 23. Troopers say the incident was reported on Thanksgiving. The child was cited and released. The case will be handled in Family Court. Police say the investigation is continuing. We spoke with a New York City attorney, who is with a group that handles youth defense cases. “Instinctually, it shouldn’t happen that a…
Read MorePublic Perceptions Of Youth Who Commit Sexual Offense Is Skewed, Our Research Shows
[jjie.org – 1/11/21] Few crimes stimulate such visceral reactions and deep-seated fears as sexual offenses. Accordingly, societal responses to sexual offending such as registration and notification laws tend to be quite punitive and highly stigmatizing for the offender. Yet these social control practices are widely considered by the public to be essential for community safety. However, given lessons learned about the linkages between moral panic and legislation in other justice contexts (e.g., juvenile “superpredators” and waiver/transfer laws), we question the degree to which public perceptions about the characteristics of persons…
Read MoreOH: Court sides with state in sex offender jurisdiction case
[wfmj.com – 12/3/20] COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The ability of a judge to hold a hearing on a juvenile’s sex offender classification status doesn’t automatically expire when the child turns 21, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. At issue before the court was a Cincinnati-area defendant who sexually abused two young relatives when he was 14, according to court records. The defendant was convicted in juvenile court in 2011 and labeled a juvenile sexual offender, requiring him to register with authorities annually for ten years, the records show. State law…
Read MoreJuvenile Law Center Report Advocates End of Youth Registration
[jlc.org – 8/13/20] The Juvenile Law Center released today a comprehensive report focused upon individuals who are currently required to register due to their conviction for a sex offense that was committed when they were children. According to that report, there are more than 200,000 such individuals including people who were convicted when they were only 8 years old. The report points out that children on sex offender registries are four times more likely to report a recent suicide attempt as compared to their peers. The same children face residency…
Read MoreAL: CCBOE approves policy for low risk juvenile sex offenders
[cullmantimes.com – 8/15/20] The Cullman County School Board has approved a new board policy that will allow the superintendent and school administrators to know the names of students in the system who are low risk sex offenders. The policy was approved during Thursday night’s meeting to bring the system in line with Annalyn’s Law, which was passed by the state in 2018 and requires local law enforcement to notify school system’s when a low risk juvenile sex offender is enrolled in one of its schools. Learning Support Specialist Karen Pinion shared some of…
Read MorePA cannot require registration of juvenile offenders rules PA Supreme Court
[narsol.org – 5/28/20] In 2006, Defendant Zeno committed two delinquent acts that occurred when he was age 14 and 16. Because of the nature of the two acts, his case was transferred from juvenile court to adult criminal court where he pled guilty to rape of a child, sexual assault, criminal attempt (rape), criminal attempt (incest), and indecent assault. The trial court sentenced him to an aggregate sentence of four to eight years’ incarceration followed by five years’ probation, and informed him that he would be required to register as…
Read MoreMI: State of Michigan set to pay $80M to settle sex abuse suit with former juvenile offenders
[detroitnews.com – 2/27/20] The Michigan Department of Corrections will pay $80 million to settle a lawsuit with former juvenile offenders who claimed they were sexually abused in Michigan prisons between October 2010 and February 2020, state officials said Thursday. Pending final approval April 9, the state will pay $25 million immediately, $15 million by October, $25 million by October 2021 and $15 million by October 2022. Buy PhotoMichigan officials have settled a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former juvenile offenders for $80 million. (Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News) State corrections officials and Attorney…
Read MoreFL: Department of Juvenile Justice refuses to accept 15-year-old charged with possession of child pornography
[palmcoastobserver.com] In 2018 under the direction of Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office began participating with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force consists of state and local law enforcement who are dedicated to developing effective responses to the online enticement of children by sexual predators, child exploitation, and child obscenity and pornography cases … Lashbrook identified a residence in Daytona North that was actively engaging in the manufacturing and distribution of child pornography. On Jan. 23, the FCSO Major Case Unit, as…
Read MoreCO: Lawmakers consider changes to Colorado’s juvenile sex offender registry
[9news.com – 1/24/20] DENVER — It’s not often you see prosecutors and public defenders working together on the same team. But Thursday night, representatives from both groups spoke before state lawmakers in a joint effort to reform the law around Colorado’s juvenile sex offender registry list. “There are demonstrable…effects for children listed on this public registry right now,” said Amanda Gall, a Sexual Assault Resource Prosecutor at the Colorado District Attorney’s Council. “This bill strikes a balance between public access and privacy for these children.” HB-1079 was passed out of…
Read MoreIL: Suit settled in teen suicide that led to Illinois law change
[abcnews.go.com – 8/31/19] The case of a suburban Chicago teenager who killed himself after being confronted at his high school about whether he made a video of himself having sex with a classmate raised uncomfortable questions about how aggressively school officials should question kids suspected of wrongdoing and whether they should wait until a parent arrives. A wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of 16-year-old Corey Walgren that focused on those questions has been resolved, with the city of Naperville expected to approve a settlement on Tuesday in which…
Read MoreCO: “The ultimate scarlet letter”: A 29-year-old could get name off sex-offender registry for juvenile crimes if Denver court decides he’s being cruelly, unusually punished
[denverpost.com – 6/22/19] A 29-year-old Coloradan made to register as a sex-offender for the rest of his life because of two sexual offenses he committed as a child and teenager could get his name off the list if a Denver juvenile court determines the lifetime mandate is cruel and unusual punishment. The development comes via a Colorado Court of Appeals decision, which the 29-year-old’s attorney, Gail Johnson, described as groundbreaking. The decision signals a changing attitude on how long juvenile sex offenders must be tied to their crimes, and it…
Read MoreAL: Juvenile sex offender notification bill passes
[montgomeryadvertiser.com] A bill changing the way schools deal with juvenile sex offenders in the classroom is headed to the governor’s desk. State Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville, sponsored the legislation. The Senate on Tuesday afternoon concurred with amendments added in the House version, clearing the way for the bill to get the governor’s signature making it law. Chambliss’ bill expands the pool of people notified of low risk juvenile sex offenders to include the superintendent of education and each individual board of education member. It also addresses enrollment of convicted juvenile…
Read MoreOH: CSU QB isn’t on sex offender registry because conviction came as minor
[reformohio.blogspot.com] Central State University football player ______ was convicted in 2013 along with a Steubenville High School teammate of raping a 16-year-old girl who was incapacitated by alcohol. But because ____was a juvenile at the time, his conviction does not appear on the sex offender registry. If not for widespread publicity of the crime, ____‘s conviction would be unknown to many of his fellow students, and possibly to the school. Central State officials would not comment on their decision to allow ____ to enroll and play football, citing federal laws…
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