Tag: stereotypes

Andrew Cuomo and the Myth of the Evil Perpetrator: Governor Cuomo’s recent scandal illustrates a myth about sexual abuse

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Source: psychologytoday.com 8/11/21 Key points Prior to the reports of sexual abuse, Governor Cuomo was a popular and trusted public figure. The Myth of the Evil Perpetrator suggests that we are psychologically biased to think of sexual abusers as only archetypes of evil. In reality, even trusted figures are capable of sexual abuse (and often abuse from these individuals is even more prolific). We must be cognizant of our bias against finding “good” people culpable for sexual abuse, and understand how this bias can affect victims. “To cheapen or ridicule…

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Use science, not stigma, to determine the next steps for Nushawn Williams (Commentary)

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[syracuse.com – 3/16/21] Dr. William M. Valenti is a New York state-licensed physician in practice in Rochester. He has worked in HIV medicine, research and HIV health policy since 1981. Anne Kelsey is a staff attorney at the Center for HIV Law and Policy, in Brooklyn. In 1999, Nushawn Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape and two counts of reckless endangerment for having sex while HIV positive at the age of 19 and 20 years old. He served the full sentence of 12 years, but days before…

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Lisa Anne Zilney: Guilt by Association: Labeling Research-Based Policy Suggestions as “Pro-Offender”

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[medium.com/@zilneyl/ – 9/7/20] In the current political climate, keyboard warriors are out in full force: tossing rude insults, stigmatizing and labeling individuals, and posting adversarial disagreements to almost every social media post that crosses my desk. I recently stumbled across a Facebook post that advocated letters and petition-signing in the hopes of banning those required to register for a sex offense from yet another venue in life. A little more Facebook digging and I found numerous pages dedicated to labeling both convicted individuals and those only suspected of sex crimes.…

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Janice’s Journal: Zombies versus Sex Offenders?

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A friend recently referred to a TV series, IZombie, as a TV show in which some Zombies are portrayed in a positive light.  That is, she said, there are good Zombies and bad Zombies. The idea of a good Zombie piqued my curiosity to the point that I watched three seasons of that TV show.  I quit watching the show when I realized I was covering my own eyes for large parts of each episode due to the gory scenes they portrayed. What did I learn from watching three seasons…

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Canada: Top court to rule if mentally ill must be on sex-offender registry

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[thespec.com – 9/26/19] The federal government is challenging an appeal court decision that found that the registry reinforces a stereotype that those who commit criminal acts while mentally ill never change and pose a permanent risk. News Sep 26, 2019 by Colin Perkel The Canadian Press TORONTO — The Supreme Court of Canada will have final say on the validity of laws requiring sex offenders to register when an accused is granted an absolute discharge after being found not criminally responsible. In a decision on Thursday, the high court said…

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Stereotypes and Misconceptions About Sex Offenders [audio recordings]

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[kboo.fm 3/26/18] Jan Haaken talks with Tim Buckley, one of the authors of The New Scarlet Letters: Sex Offenders, Their Treatment, and Our Challenge. They will discuss stereotypes and misconceptions of sex offenders, and how the punitive orientation of the criminal justice system affects people who fall under this widening label. Listen to Stereotypes & Misconceptions About Sex Offenders audio recording of interview with Tim Buckley. More audio recordings discussing The New Scarlet Letters [marilyncallahanlcsw.com]    

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I Shot a Sex Offender

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[Jewish Journal] I frequently write about the importance of listening to the other side on tough issues, but are some positions so odious that they never deserve a hearing? A couple of years ago, an Australian friend was directing a documentary about a difficult subject: child sex-abuse in his Jewish community. One of the interviewees was a former abuser who had gone on to live a normal family life for decades. My friend had filmed a conversation between this man and a well-known sex-abuse survivor who had become a whistleblower.…

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