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MEDIA COVERAGE See
also Hall of
Shame: journalists, politicians, and others
who fuel the fire of fear and hatred for children who violate sex laws Naked photos, e-mail get teens in trouble CNN June 4, 2008 In Castle Rock, Colorado, 18 middle school students sent around nude pictures of themselves last year. Similar cases have been reported in New Jersey, New York, Alabama, Utah, Pennsylvania, Texas and Connecticut. Many of these pictures are falling into the wrong hands -- or worse, everyone's hands, via the Internet -- and leading to criminal charges. Preteen arrested for propositioning, touching 37-year-old Gilroy Dispatch, CA May 27, 2008 Police arrested a 12-year-old boy who asked a woman for sex then inappropriately touched her when she declined, police said. Attorney withdraws from Williamson County teen sex case KXAN-TV, Austin, TX May 22, 2008 A Williamson County teen pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault after having consensual sex with a 13-year-old girl when he was 17, despite his claim the girl had lied to him about her age. He was given probation but was also placed on the state's sex offender registry. As a result, he was forced to quit school and move out of his mother's home. He also had difficulty keeping a job. So he was rearrested, and now the state wants to revoke his probation and send him to prison. Jilted High School Ex-Boyfriend Charged with Child Pornography California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog May 21, 2008 17-year old Alex Phillips was friendly with a 16-year old girl who sent him two explicit photos of her completely naked. Phillips, miffed that she had started seeing someone else, decided to post the photos (with lewd captions) to his MySpace account. Phillips has been charged with two felonies: possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age; as well as misdemanor defamation. Mother of sex offender speaks out KHQA-TV, Keokuk, MO April 24, 2008 When he was 19, he had sex with a girl who wasn't 17 as she claimed. The jury convicted him of indecent liberties with a child and he was sentenced to almost 5 years in prison. He can't find housing, he can't find a job. He also faces a lifetime of registration as a sex offender. Porn Pics Problem In Walker County NBC-13, Birmingham, AL April 9, 2008 In the last three years, more than a dozen school children in Walker County have been caught with inappropriate pictures in school, and they're not leaving the modeling to the professionals. “We have been dealing with pornographic images of our own students on various electronic devices, cameras, iPods and cell phones,” Walker County School Board Administrator Mickey Beaty said. Possessing obscene pictures of children under 17 is a felony, whether you're a kid or not. Someone convicted might have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Justice finally prevails on youthful mistake Daily Herald, Chicago April 9, 2008 At age 13, the boy grabbed a girl's breasts before running off in a stupid, offensive pubescent stunt. He pleaded guilty to home invasion and criminal sexual abuse. Illinois law required that a juvenile sex offender "upon attaining 17 years of age shall be considered as having committed the offense on or after the sex offender's 17th birthday." Now Edmondson has ruled the young man, currently a 19-year-old college student, can be taken off the state's sex offender registry Juvenile sex offender laws struck down — for now Las Vegas Sun April 6, 2008 The laws being challenged in AB 579 are based on the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, signed into law by President Bush in July 2006. The federal law lumps teenage sex offenders 14 and older in with adults when it comes to certain punishments and requires that many of those juvenile offenders be included in Internet sex offender registries. The state’s new laws would also be applied retroactively. For Little Children, Grown-Up Labels As Sexual Harassers Washington Post April 3, 2008 During recess at his Woodbridge school one day in November, when he was 6, he said, he smacked the classmate's bottom. School officials called it "Sexual Touching Against Student, Offensive," which will remain on his student record permanently, and called the police. In Virginia, 255 elementary students were suspended last year for offensive sexual touching. In Maryland, 166 elementary school children were suspended last year for sexual harassment, including three preschoolers, 16 kindergartners and 22 first-graders. First Graders Face Sodomy Charges WFIE-TV, Evansville, IN No date given Kentucky State Police are investigating recent sexual activity between three second graders during school hours. Earlington Police Chief Craig Patterson would like to think that this is an isolated incident, but he knows it is not. He's investigating a similar situation at Earlington Elementary School where police say two first graders were found in the bathroom performing sexual acts. Both are now charged with first degree sodomy. Sex offender law WTVG-TV, Toledo, OH March 31, 2008 About 2 years ago, her 15-year-old son was convicted of inappropriately touching his 9-year-old younger sister. A judge determined he was the lowest severity under the law. But in January the law changed. The boy was reclassified to the most severe type of offender. Many offenders received similar notices. They must register every 90 days for the rest of their lives. Denton County judge's son, 18, indicted in sexual assault Dallas News March 28, 2008 A grand jury on Thursday indicted Robert Wyatt Evans, 18, on a charge of sexual assault and a charge of indecency with a child for having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. A teenager who has a sexual relationship with a child who is at least three years younger and under the age of 17 can be charged with sexual assault even if the two parties said the sex was consensual. Both charges are second-degree felonies and carry penalties of two to 20 years in prison. Teen Sex for Sale: Middle School Madam Busted ABC News March 25, 2008 The arrest of a 13-year-old girl who allegedly lured other teens to dance and perform sexual acts for money at a Dallas nightclub has focused a spotlight on the widespread problem of teen prostitution and the challenge it presents law enforcement. Juvenile sex offender laws muddy waters Las Vegas Sun March 25, 2008 Are the laws so incomprehensible that they’re illegal? Laws that are too vague are unconstitutional. Roske and the ACLU hammer that point in arguments against the state’s juvenile sex offender laws, which are based on the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act that lumps teenage sex offenders in with adults and requires that many be included in Internet sex offender registries. McLetchie, staff attorney with the ACLU of Nevada, explains it like this: “The laws are, in their entirety, a confusing morass.” Students Questioned After Footage of Teen's Sex Act Distributed Around School Fox News March 17, 2008 Police have reprimanded dozens of students at an Australian high school after a 15-year-old girl was filmed performing a sex act on a classmate and the footage was distributed to more than 100 other students. The girl told police the act had been consensual and she did not wish to file a complaint. Although detectives had intended to charge the students, all under 16, who filmed and distributed the footage, students had deleted it from their phones. 20/20 with John Stossel Parents Turn to Police When Daughters Have Sex Young Men Face Jail Time or Sex Offender Status for Having Sex With Girlfriends March 14, 2008 Age of Consent: Sex Laws Gone Too Far? Some teens branded as sex offenders for having consensual sex with their peers. March 14, 2008 Sex Abuse Laws: Unintended Consequences? Beware Candidates Who Promise To Cure Society's Ills March 12, 2008 The Age of Consent: When Young Love Is a Sex Crime Man Labeled a Sex Offender for Consensual Sex With Girlfriend, Then 15, Now His Wife March 7, 2008 Sexual Abuse or Harmless Horseplay? Kids Treated Like Cons as Schools Crack Down on Minor Infractions Oct. 5, 2007 Teens could face felonies over cell-phone pics Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, UT March 7, 2008 Davis County prosecutors have built 18 cases against teenagers from schools across the area involved in taking nude pictures and trading them over cell phones. "This is probably the tip of the tip of the iceberg," said deputy Davis County Attorney Ronald Dunn. It began with an investigation into a group of junior high students taking pictures of their breasts and genitals and trading them with friends over their cell phones. Kissing at school a crime? Rocky Mountain News March 6, 2008 "It's just getting to the point of ridiculousness where we're prosecuting kids for kissing," Councilman Doug Linkhart, who chairs the Safety Committee, said after the meeting. Among the examples cited Wednesday was a referral to Human Services for two 5-year-olds who were kissing. In another case, one 6-year-old said to another 6-year-old, "You have a sexy booty." Is Ricky Really a Sex Offender? Los Angeles City Beat Feb. 20, 2008 When Ricky was 16, he met a girl who said she was the same age. They hit it off and were eventually having sex. Two years later, Ricky is a registered sex offender, and his life is destroyed. Amanda turned out to be 13. Ricky will remain on the state’s public registry for life. He was kicked out of high school, thrown out of parks, taunted by neighbors, harassed by strangers, and unable to live within 2,000 feet of a school, day-care center or park. He is prohibited from going to the movies or mall with friends. "You’re on the Internet, so everybody sees your picture.” Sex registry called too harsh for juveniles Houston Chronicle Feb. 17, 2008 Texas officials may soon begin ignoring a new federal sex offender law that is so sweeping, it's raising concern among even those who traditionally have pushed for greater public sex offender disclosure. Scores of prosecutors, victims' rights advocates and normally get-tough lawmakers say provisions of the law are Draconian and costly and may end up harming the victims they're supposed to protect. A 14-year-old boy convicted of having sex with his 12-year-old girlfriend, for example, would be treated the same as a repeat adult predator who attacked a 3-year-old. Utah steps up sex-offender law, still short of federal compliance Daily Herald, Provo, UT Jan. 28, 2008 The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 requires states to list juvenile sex offenders as young as 14 on the registry. Ray said he will introduce a bill that will extend parole periods for sex offenders. His bill will not, however, ask Utah to list juveniles on the registry. Cell phone porn scandal hits U.S. school MSNBC Jan. 25, 2008 Pornographic video and photos of two U.S. high school girls were transmitted by cell phone to dozens of the girls' classmates and then to the wider world. One of the girls took and transmitted a photo of her bare breasts. Students believed to have received the images must show their phones to police by Tuesday to ensure the images have been erased, or they could be prosecuted in juvenile court for possession of child pornography. "The school isn't going to get everybody because it is everybody," said Samantha Smith. Ohio's new sex-offender law draws rebuke from judges The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH Jan. 24, 2008 Summit County judges will join their counterparts in at least four other Ohio counties in refusing to enforce provisions of the state's new, tougher sex-offender registration law. At issue are a host of potential contradictions and constitutional questions arising from the state legislature's attempt to comply with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The law requires juvenile sex offenders to register for life, and in some cases, have their pictures posted in Internet registries. Will states say 'no' to Adam Walsh Act? Stateline Jan. 23, 2008 One provision in particular has raised concern: a requirement that some juveniles as young as 14 be listed on states’ online sex-offender registries. “You’re damaging their lives and not serving any public safety,” said Sarah Bryer, director of the National Juvenile Justice Network. State lawmakers are questioning whether it makes sense to comply with the act by its 2009 deadline, if at all, said a criminal justice analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. 13-year-old girl arrested for alleged school bus assaults Frontiersman, Wasilla, AK January 17, 2008 The boys, also 13, of Sutton, said the girl touched them over their clothing, Palmer Police Det. Kelly Turney said. He said officers weighed the facts of the case and decided that two charges of second-degree harassment and one each of second-degree sexual assault and attempted second-degree sexual assault were appropriate. Boy, 10, denies guilt in rape Dayton Daily News, OH January 16, 2008 The boy is accused of having sex with his 7-year-old half-sister, according to a sheriff's report. "In some cases there are abuse histories and they're perpetrating as they were once perpetrated against," psychologist H. Owen Ward said. Other children have acted out or expressed sexual activity they've witnessed. "If two children are playing together sexually and one's younger and one's older, if a parent sees this, they make the allegation," he said. |
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