AbsurditiesBy Ipce, 2006 Intro
IntroSociety, especially the English speaking culture, is afraid for each kind of touch, intimacy and each tiny glimpse of sexuality of children. More and more, intimacy is redefined as a crime, and thus those who intimately touch children are redefined as sex offenders, including the children themselves. Fear for sex offenders spreads itself because the recidivism rate is everywhere seen as high - which is not true. This creates absurdities, of which here is a list of press clippings, a long list, although a selection from a selection of a selection. The list goes from criminalizing hugging by toddlers, via registering and civil commitment, absurd rules, laws and penalties, onto death penalties for re-offending sex offenders. ChildrenGirl, 5, Forced To Apologize For Hugging Classmate; The Boston Channel, April 5, 2006 A family in Maynard is outraged after their 5-year-old daughter was forced to write a letter denouncing hugging after a classmate embraced her. At issue is a hug Savannah said she got on the playground from a friend named Sophie. Savannah hugged Sophie back. The hugs resulted in Savannah having to write a letter, complete with teacher corrections, that read, "I touch Sophie because she touch me and I didn't like it because she was hugging me. I didn't like when she hugged me." 6-Year-Old Accused Of Sexual Harassment; Boy Accused Of Putting Fingers In Girl's Waistband; www, 8 February 2006. Officials told her [the mother] that her son was being suspended for sexually harassing a 6-year-old female classmate. [The mother] said the boy is just 6 and has no idea what sexual harassment means. [She] said the children were playing on the floor and touching each other. She said her son touched the girl's shirt, but not her skin. The school superintendent released a statement that said, "The safety and well-being of Brockton public school students and staff is of the utmost important to us, and we take all allegations of sexual harassment seriously." Boy, 8, accused of sexual harassment, march 2006, Morning Journal Lorain school officials this week executed an ''emergency removal'' of an 8-year-old boy who they say sexually harassed a girl in gym class. The boy's mother said yesterday her son was playing in gym on Tuesday when a girl student said he and two other boys may have grabbed her buttocks. He was then questioned in an informal hearing by school officials and he admitted he had been passing love notes to the same girl. The second-grader then asked to sign a notice of emergency removal form for sexual harassment. ''He admitted to what he was being accused of,'' Schnurr said, unable to give specifics but said they were ''inappropriate'' in nature. ''It's our job to teach students at a young age that inappropriate behavior is unacceptable,'' Schnurr said. ''The student did something wrong, admitted he did something wrong and received the proper discipline.'' Girl, 8, arrested after biting administrator; Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 2005 An 8-year-old was arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail last week after biting an assistant principal, outraging juvenile justice officials who believe children are too often arrested in behavior cases that could be dealt with through school discipline. She was later sent to a mental treatment facility. Kindergartners Accused of Having Sex at School; April 18, 2005 A shocking story surfacing within the La Joya School District has many parents on edge. Police say two six-year old boys were performing sexual acts on each other, on campus. We are told the two six-year-old boys in question, were performing oral sex on each other, in the restroom. Minutes later, another six-year-old student walked in and allegedly discovered what was happening. Later that night he told his parents, who then reported the incident to the school principal. The following day a police investigation was launched. Children are now monitored when they go to the bathroom. If at all possible, students are escorted by a teacher and if not, coaches randomly visit the restrooms. First-graders Face Sodomy Charges; Feb 2005 A shocking story is coming out now from two different Tri-state elementary schools. Several students have been charged in Hanson, and also in Earlington, Kentucky. [...] 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. Third-graders Three third-graders were handcuffed and taken to a police station after they were found playing with a can of Mace on the playground, prompting the city's top police official to order an investigation. Joceline Perez, 9, said she thought the Mace was perfume, and as she picked it up the can went off. One of her friends then sprayed it into the air, she said. Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson had said after a December incident in which a 10-year-old girl was handcuffed for bringing a pair of scissors to an elementary school that his department would reconsider how it restrains young children. Boy, 9, charged with rape; The Scotsman; May 2006 The boy, from Dundee, has been charged with raping a three-year-old girl following an alleged incident at a house in the city last autumn. Judge rules 10-year-olds can stand trial for sexual assault; The Associated Press, April 2005 A Juvenile Court judge ruled Thursday that there is enough evidence to try two 10-year-old boys in the alleged sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. A 12-year-old friend also is considered a suspect and may be charged, Kirby said. The boys are charged with aggravated sodomy and kidnapping. Teen faces sentencing in sex assault; The Daily News; March 6, 2006 Today, a Dickinson teen faces the County Court No. 2 jury that convicted him of sexually assaulting a boy, 11. The same jury convicted the older boy, 14 at the time of the attack. While testifying, the younger boy never said he was assaulted. However, prosecutors Paige Santell and Amy Nguyen told jurors that the assault had embarrassed the boy to the point he would not acknowledge it. Dr. James Lukefahr, head of the ABC Clinic, had testified that child victims of sexual assaults often did not publicly admit what had happened to them. The younger boy's sister testified she had found the two boys in the older child's home. She told jurors the older boy was on top of her brother, and both had their shorts down around their ankles. The older boy, now 17, faces probation to 40 years in prison. He could also receive a term in a Texas Youth Commission facility, from which he could be eligible for release when he turns 21. Two Children Convicted Of Sex Abuse of Each Other. A 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy were convicted in Ogden juvenile court of sexual abuse of a minor for having sex with each other. Teen charged with molesting, but he was under the age of consent at time of the sexual encounters; Indianapolis Star, 30 October 2005 William C. Bopp could be convicted of child molesting in Marion County, even though he was a child himself when he engaged in sexual activity with a younger girl. The Indianapolis teenager has told the Indiana Court of Appeals that charging him violates his constitutional rights, because state law says children younger than 14 who engage in sexual activity are presumed victims and can't legally consent. When underage children engage in sexual activity with each other, however, they sometimes face criminal charges that can follow them into their adult lives, even when no physical force or threat of force is involved. Bopp was charged with two counts of child molesting in February, more than two years after the relationship ended. He is accused of being sexually active with the girl from the time he was 9 until a month after he turned 14. She was 6 when the relationship started and 11 when it ended, according to court records. The girl confided in her mother about the "touching" in November 2004 but did not describe the activity as molesting, according to court records. Girl, 14, isolated in jail; Beacon Journal, May. 16, 2006 Girl refuses to testify against man who is accused of molesting her. A judge has jailed a 14-year-old girl who ran away rather than testify against a man accused of molesting her. The Norton Middle School student is being held indefinitely in an isolated area of the Summit County Jail on the orders of Common Pleas Judge James Murphy. The teen, jailed since Wednesday, insists she is not a sex abuse victim and is demanding a lawyer be assigned to represent her, court records show. However, jail officials said Monday she cannot speak with anyone without permission from county prosecutors. [Later, the accused man has been aquitted.] Boy, 17, gets 10 Years for Oral Sex With Girl, 15, and life-long registration. Georgia Reconsiders Law That Imprisoned High School Senior; ABC News, 7 Feb 2006 A wild New Year's Eve two years ago has landed a Georgia teen in prison for 10 years on charges of child molestation in a case that has state legislators reworking the strict law that put him behind bars. Fear for 'pedophiles' causes absurd rulesSex offenders ordered home early on Halloween - CNN.com - Oct 25, 2005 Sex offenders ordered home early on Halloween 2,200 told not to answer door when kids knock. New Jersey sex offenders who face supervision under Megan's Law will be confined to their homes Halloween night and will be under orders not to answer the door when trick-or-treaters come calling. No photos; The Record, May 9, 2006. Jean Hetman, who has a 13-year-old daughter who practices figure skating at the arena, said she has been video taping and photographing her daughter's routines for about six years, but now she is being told she cannot, and even had the police called on her twice. The city maintains the new policy is to protect children from pedophiles. Camera ban farce; The Telegraph, Australia, June 08, 2006 The parents of more than 30,000 children across Australia have been instructed not to take photographs of their kids at Rock Eisteddfods as a result of hysterical paedophile fears. The bans were imposed despite there being no law preventing parents from photographing children at performances. But organisers were not backing down, blaming child protection laws for the ban. The prohibition is on those who would want to use them for pornography or engaging in child sexual abuse. Parents were recently banned from taking photos at a Combined Independent School water carnival. Authorities Seize Sex Offender's Newborn; AP 21 October 2005 Child-welfare authorities seized a newborn from a hospital Friday and placed the baby in a foster home because his father is a convicted sex offender. A judge granted the mother supervised visitation rights but prohibited visits from the father. The baby should be in jeopardy because the father pleaded guilty to rape and sodomy two decades ago in New York. Woman Ticketed for Sitting on a Playground Bench with No Kids; AP, Sept. 27, 2005 A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children. The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child. The ticket could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail. The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks. Police to watch sex offenders 24 hours a day; Sunday Herald - 14 August 2005 Paedophiles and violent criminals are to be targeted by police in an unprecedented surveillance operation across Scotland. More than 3000 registered sex offenders and the country's most dangerous non-registered sexual predators are to be effectively put under 24-hour surveillance. As part of the pilots, the registration number of their car will be stored in a network of cameras around the country that will alert the police if their vehicle passes, revealing undisclosed trips or journeys to areas they are banned from visiting. Don't kiss your baby; July 26, 2005 Parents who were charged with child abuse last August have been exonerated and reunited with their children. Charbel Hamaty was charged with sexually assaulting his newborn son, and Teresa Hamaty was arrested for taking sexually explicit pictures. The photo that raised alarms shows a naked Kristoff, now 16-months-old, getting a kiss from his father on the belly button, Teresa Hamaty said. When the photos were shown to the police, the couple was arrested, and Kristoff was put in protective custody, while his half-sister, Victoria, was handed over to her birth father. Teresa Hamaty was released on bond, but wasn't allowed contact with her children for months. Charbel Hamaty spent six months in prison before the charges were dropped because of a report submitted by an expert saying there was no criminal intent in the photos. New offense; Radio, July 2005 In Florida, a convicted sex offender was arrested for reading Maxim as well as possessing a racy calendar and poster. The trick here is that it is a violation of probation to have "sexually stimulating" material, even if that material is perfectly legal. That a sex offender would have the audacity to have a sexual thought -- even a sexual thought which violates no law and with material that any free citizen can buy off the newsstand -- is now in and of itself an actionable offense. Let the boy alone; Radio, July 2005 From Akron, Ohio (story), we have the fascinating story of a man who was accused of sexually molesting a seventeen-year-old boy. What was the evidence that led to the accusation? He committed the perverted and heinous act of ... visiting the boy in the hospital. Why would he have done such a reprehensible deed? Well, apparently, the boy called him and asked him to. So remember, if a boy who loves and trusts you is in a car accident and calls you and asks you to visit him, decline. Let the boy rot alone in his hospital bed. To do otherwise is tantamount to an admission of sexual activity. "Don't talk to strangers" - Letter to Ipce, June 2005 Well, the paranoia being fed to kids proved to almost CAUSE a tragedy with the boy in Utah who got lost at Scout camp ... "don't trust or talk to strangers" he's been told ... so every time rescue searchers came near him, the kid HID in the woods and they didn't find him for four days. Think about how seriously this brainwashing and scare tactics are affecting young kids these days, when a kid that is lost in the Utah woods for four days, curling up and pulling his sweatshirt over his knees to try to keep warm all night, HIDES from rescuers because his is afraid of strangers and has been told constantly "don't talk to strangers" .... At least he didn't die from exposure while rescuers were within yards of him those four days. Mom indicted for hiring stripper for son ‘It didn’t harm him,’ mother says of effect on 16- year-old son; The Associated Press, May 29, 2005 Anette Pharris, 34, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and involving a minor in obscene acts. The boy’s father, the stripper and two others also face charges. “I tried to do something special for my son,” Pharris said. “It didn’t harm him.” About 10 people under the age of 18 were at the birthday party in September, including minors who were not related to the family, authorities said. Police spokesman Don Aaron said minors are not permitted in adult establishments. “A person shouldn’t be allowed to circumvent that law by hiring a stripper, a lady who took all her clothes off and spent a good amount of time dancing around minors,” he said. Anette Pharris took photos at the party and tried to have them developed at a nearby drug store. Drug store employees notified authorities, police said. “Who are they to tell me what I can and can’t show to my own children?” the mother said. Journalist Busted For Taking Photos On the Beach; The Telegraph, 19 March 2005 'The CCTV recorded me taking two photographs: one of a group of children'. On an idyllic summer's day, a theatre critic goes for a walk on Scarborough beach. He has a camera with him and photographs a group of children making sandcastles. An hour later, he is reported to the police and arrested. The boys were in swimming costumes, the girl with them was wearing a long dress, and the photograph caught their interaction. That evening, the police searched my hotel room; they also commissioned the Metropolitan Police to search my house in London. Meanwhile, I spent hours in a Scarborough police cell. The horror that began that night went on for almost six months. The allegation of "possession of indecent photographs of children" was only dropped, in October, when, instead, the Crown Prosecution Service decided to charge me under Section 5 (1) and (6) of the Public Order Act 1986 with "harassment, alarm or distress" - implying the use of "threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person liable to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby". When the case came to magistrates' court in late January 1999, I was found not guilty. Child Molester Hysteria in New York; Web Commentary, 29 January 2005 Apparently, a new child molester is roaming South Queens, New York – me! I say that, because recently a girl of about 11 years of age walking in my neighborhood kept nervously looking over her shoulder at me. When I sought to comfort her with a kindly smile, she became even more alarmed. At the PTA meeting that night at my son’s school, a parent insisted to me, “If a child feels intimidated, then an incident occurred.” But it gets worse. I wasn’t some stranger cruising the neighborhood (... ); I was walking the same route I walk at the same time, every weekday, to pick up my child from school. And when the girl crossed in front of me to enter her house, I recognized her. Just days earlier, for perhaps the third time, she’d flashed a brilliant smile at my son, as we headed home. (He has that effect on females.) So, what had I done to terrorize this poor child? When I told my wife what had happened, she showed me the following letter on school letterhead, which our son had brought home a few days earlier. January 6, 2005 - Dear Parents We have received the following notification from our Supervisor of Safety and Security regarding an incident that occurred this morning. Please be vigilant and in clear communication with your children in order to ensure their safety and well-being. This morning one of our 5th grade female student [child’s full name was given!] was escorted by the police from the 101 pct. to school this morning. [Child’s first name] gave the following account. “While on my way to school I saw a man following me. I looked back he smiled and nodded his head. I kept walking. when I looked back again he was still following me smiling. I looked back a third time and he was still there. [Child’s name, now in the voice of the security supervisor, but without closing the quotation] went into CVS on Beach 20th street and informed the security guard there. The security guard called the pct. the description of the male is brown skin – mixed gray and black hair about 59. The officer said he looked in the area but did not see the person. The officer also noted that this area is next to a nursing home facility. Parent of child was called and it is being reported online. Sincerely, (Name, signed) - Assistant Principal. Megan's Law: registeringBoy, 11, on sex register; Liverpool Echo; May 12 2006 An 11-year-old Merseyside boy is believed to have become Britain's youngest registered sex offender. He was 10 when he sexually assaulted a young girl. The boy was made to sign the register after being found guilty of sexually assaulting the 13-year-old girl in an Ainsdale park. Magistrates heard that the boy trapped the girl by lying on top of her and touched her breasts with both hands as she struggled to free herself. Kids As Young As 12 Are Being Put On The Kansas Sex Offender Website; KAKE News, 16 November 2005 Kids can be put on this list as young as 10 years old for what some may describe as "playing doctor" but the law has ruled as criminal offenses. "I have my son registered as a sex offender because I took him in for counseling." Kansas law requires the therapist to report children involved in sexual situations, no matter how innocent they seem. If they don't, they could lose their license. Kevin will remain on the sex offender registry website until he is 18-years-old. If he so much as hugs a girl who doesn't want to be hugged, he will be on the list for life. Police may get right to enter sex offenders' homes; Daily Telegraph 05-12-28 Police could be given new powers to enter and search the homes of sex offenders after a change of heart by ministers. The Home Office is considering calls from MPs and child sex campaigners for a law that would give police the legal right of entry to check on the whereabouts and activities of an individual on the sex offenders' register. There are also plans to amend the Terrorism Bill to increase from two to five years jail terms for all offenders refusing to divulge the key needed to decrypt computer programmes that may contain child porn. Cell phone warns about sexual predators; April 5, 2006 ORLANDO, Fla. -- When 11-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered last year, Joe Dawson immediately began gathering signatures to enact stricter penalties for registered sex offenders. Now, Dawson is teaming up with a California-based technology firm to introduce the first cell phone that uses the Global Positioning System to alert parents when a child is walking near a sexual predator's home. Lawyer fights ruling that teen tell dates' parents of sex offense; NJ.com News, June 04, 2006 The Public Defender's office asked the New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday to overturn a ruling requiring a Sussex teenager to tell the parents of any girl he dates that he is a registered sex offender. That unprecedented requirement was imposed on the teenager, now 17, as a condition of probation when he admitted endangering the welfare of his 6-year-old half sister. He was 14 when he committed that offense. He grabbed girl's arm -- now he's a sex offender; Sun Times, July 1, 2005 Fitzroy Barnaby said he had to swerve to avoid hitting the 14-year-old Des Plaines girl who walked in front of his car. She said he yelled, "Come here, little girl," before getting out of his car and grabbing her by the arm. He said he simply lectured her. The Appellate Court of Illinois said the 28-year-old Evanston man must register as a sex offender. The court said his actions are the type that are "often a precursor" to a child being abducted or molested. He was convicted of unlawful restraint of a minor -- which is a sex offense. Now, he will have to tell local police where he lives and won't be able to live near a park or school. Cook County state's attorney spokesman Tom Stanton said Barnaby should have to register "because of the proclivity of offenders who restrain children to also commit sex acts or other crimes against them." Recognizing the stigma that comes with being labeled as a sex offender, the appellate court said "it is [Barnaby's] actions which have caused him to be stigmatized, not the courts." Did killer use sex registry to hunt victims? Two on list found shot to death in Maine homes; The Star, Apr. 18, 2006. A Canadian accused of killing two men in Maine found information on the pair from the state's on-line sex offender registry, police say, raising the possibility he used the list to hunt down his alleged victims. Stephen A. Marshall, 20, of North Sydney, N.S., shot and killed himself on a bus in Boston on Sunday night as police moved to question him about the two murders.
Sex offender claims he's been beaten; May 24, 2006 - Bangor Daily News HOULTON - A local sex offender who has lived in the municipality for eight years told town councilors Monday evening that he has been beaten and harassed since speaking out at a council meeting two weeks ago about a plan that will alter how residents are notified about sex offenders living in the community. Information about Gary Schillinger, 53, is posted on the state's sex offender registry since he was convicted of three counts of gross sexual misconduct in 1986 and a federal charge of mailing child pornography in 1994. Civil commitmentCivil commitment means that a sex offender, released from prison, still has to live in a closed setting. Sex-crime witch gets new jail home; Herald Sun, 13jun06 Evil witch Robin Fletcher will be forced to stay in jail in an unprecedented crackdown on the state's worst Sex Offenders Detention Law now on cards. [He] was due to be released from Ararat jail today after his 10-year maximum sentence expired. Instead, he will be forced to pay rent and live in a "prison within a prison" inside the jail's walls. The Adult Parole Board has imposed extraordinary restrictions on Fletcher under the terms of an extended supervision order granted by a Supreme Court judge. Lock them up for good; Daily telegraph (Australia); March 01, 2006 Sex offenders and rapists could be jailed indefinitely at the discretion of the State Government under unprecedented laws that may see some locked up for life. Lenient sentences would be dealt with by the creation of "continuing detention" orders, that would apply to keep an offender behind bars after their sentence expires. Vic[toria, Australia] Govt considers sex offender law changes; ABC Net; May 16, 2006 The Victorian Government will consider changing the law to keep serious sex offenders in custody after they finish their jail sentences. The Sentencing Advisory Council will examine whether Victoria should have a continued detention scheme for criminals considered a threat to the public. Banning ordersTime Served: Iowa's Residency Rules Drive Sex Offenders Underground; The New York Times; March 15, 2006 With just 24 rooms, the motel, the Ced-Rel, was home to 26 registered sex offenders by the start of March. The men have flocked to the Ced-Rel and other rural motels and trailer parks because no one else will, or can, have them. A new state law barring those convicted of sex crimes involving children from living within 2,000 feet of a school or day care center has brought unintended and disturbing consequences. It has rendered some offenders homeless and left others sleeping in cars or in the cabs of their trucks. And the authorities say that many have simply vanished from their sight, with nearly three times as many registered sex offenders considered missing since before the law took effect in September. The statute has set off a law-making race in the cities and towns of Iowa, with each trying to be more restrictive than the next by adding parks, swimming pools, libraries and bus stops to the list of off-limits places. Fearful that Iowa's sex offenders might seek refuge across state lines, six neighboring states have joined the frenzy. Bill Would Block Sex Offenders From Renting; Legislation Would Allow Landlords To Screen Tenants; Internet, May 23, 2006 SALINAS, Calif. -- The state Legislature is considering a bill that would legally block sex offenders from renting some homes and apartments. The bill would allow landlords to screen tenants by asking them if they are registered sex offenders and would allow landlords to deny sex offenders housing. New Subdivisions Ban Sex Offenders From Moving In Texas Developer To Begin Second Neighborhood; June 13, 2006 A new subdivision planned in Kansas will look and feel just like any other development in the fast-growing area. But there's one big difference: Registered sex offenders won't be allowed to live in the new development in Lenexa, Kan. In August, construction begins on the Kansas City area's first sex-offender-restricted subdivision, probably only the second such development nationwide. Sex offenders sue over playground buffer zone; June 2, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AP) -- Six sex offenders sued the city Wednesday to block a new ordinance that bars them from venturing within 1,000 feet of parks, pools and playgrounds when children are present. Molesters may face new limits in Indy; City-County plan aims to keep sex offenders away from kids; Indy Star, March 28, 2006 A proposal to ban child molesters from Indianapolis playgrounds, swimming pools and other public places puts the city in the forefront of a national drive to restrict the activities of convicted sex offenders. The ordinance, introduced Monday at a City-County Council meeting, would go further than a bill passed this session in the legislature to prohibit sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a public park, school or youth program center. Bill would bar sex offenders from Internet; Critics of Codey plan warn against 'one-size-fits-all' law; NJ Com News; May 21, 2006 Any person convicted of using a computer to commit a sex crime would be barred from accessing the Internet under legislation Senate President Richard Codey will introduce as a way to protect children surfing the Web. Sex offenders, convicted felons to be segregated from others; May 9, 2006 AUSTIN -- Sex offenders and convicted felons who evacuate during hurricanes will no longer be allowed in the same shelters as others fleeing from home, state emergency planners said Wednesday. 'Super-hostels' planned to house sex offenders; 25/04/2006 A series of "super-hostels" are planned to house up to 100 violent and sexual offenders after their release from prison, it has been reported. The BBC Radio 4 Today programme said it had seen a Home Office briefing document setting out plans for the units, which would be much larger than the 100 hostels currently housing 12-30 people each in England and Wales. According to the BBC, the "super-hostels", each housing 75-100, would be established on existing criminal justice sites - possibly within prisons - in order to limit opposition from local communities. Lacking housing, sex offenders temporarily returned to prison; AP May 05, 2006 SAN FRANCISCO - A dozen paroled sex offenders moved onto San Quentin State Prison grounds Thursday because officials were unable to find them housing elsewhere. The men were sent to live in old officers barracks after being forced to leave a Solano County hotel where they had been staying until permanent housing could be secured. Finding housing for sex offenders is an ongoing challenge because of laws that prohibit them from living within a certain distance of schools and because communities and watchdog groups often try to block their placement.
Absurd lawsStates Get Tougher With Sex Offenders; AOL News, May 24, 2006 Public fear of sex offenders is spurring a wave of tougher laws this year, both in Congress and statehouses nationwide. At least 14 governors have signed bills this year, including Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday. The measures extend prison sentences, restrict where offenders can live, improve public notification of their whereabouts, order electronic monitoring or broaden prosecutorial power, according to a USA TODAY survey based on media reports and interviews with state officials. Lawmakers in at least 10 states have passed tough bills that await final approval. More bills are pending elsewhere, including one in South Carolina that would make some molesters eligible for the death penalty. Bill requires castration for some sex offenders; 2nd offense would mandate treatment; nola.com news; March 04, 2006 BATON ROUGE -- Repeat sexual offenders could face chemical or surgical castration as a way to curb their sexual urges if a bill filed by a southwest Louisiana lawmaker becomes law at the March 27 legislative session. Senate OKs licenses identifying sex offenders; nola.com/news; May 19, 2006 With little debate, the Senate on Thursday said that child molesters, rapists and other "sexual predators" may soon have to get special orange driver's licenses with the words "SEX OFFENDER" stamped on them as a way to warn others of the convicted felon's past. If the offenders do not drive, they must get a special orange state identification card each year with the words "SEX OFFENDER." Absurd penalties200 years not 'cruel and unusual punishment' in child porn case; Azstar, May 10, 2006 A 200-year prison term for a man convicted of possessing 20 separate items of child pornography is not constitutionally excessive, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. In a 4-1 ruling, the majority said the state Legislature is free to decide that those guilty of this crime must serve at least 10 years in prison. And they concluded lawmakers also are free to mandate that the sentences be served consecutively, with no possibility of early release -- effectively making it a life term. Toe-sucker gets life; July 12, 2003 Santa Ana, California: The former supervisor of an American youth program was sentenced Friday to life in prison on 25 counts of lewd conduct and assault for sucking the toes of 20 boys. The the prosecutor said Veches "clearly befriended these children, manipulated them and he sexually molested them". "Clearly Mr Veches posed a danger to the children of our community and he needed to be in prison," prosecutor Sheila Hanson said. Licking feet; The Orange County Register; May 17, 2006 A transient who reportedly licked the feet of five boys in San Clemente and Dana Point faces multiple counts of child molestation, the Orange County District Attorney's Office reported Tuesday. Jones could spend 16 years in prison if convicted of five felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14 and one misdemeanor count of child annoyance. 1000 years for cartoons; The Times, Dec 2, 2005 A 53-year-old Richmond man yesterday became the first person convicted under a 2003 federal statute that makes obscene cartoon drawings as well as photographs an illegal form of child pornography. Dwight Whorley could be sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison because a jury found him guilty of 74 counts of child pornography charges in U.S. District Court. Those counts include the obscene cartoons and charges of sending and receiving obscene e-mails describing sexual abuse of children. Whorley used a computer at a Virginia Employment Commission office in Richmond on March 30, 2004, to view obscene Japanese anime cartoons that depict female children being forced into sexual intercourse with adult males. Counselor Gets Life in Child Porn Case; WJLA-TV; February 10, 2006 SAN DIEGO (AP) - A former child counselor was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in an international child pornography ring in a case the judge called the "most horrible" of her legal career. "You are the most despicable individual I have come across," San Diego Superior Court Judge Gale E. Kaneshiro told Paul Gordon Whitmore as she sentenced him Thursday. Life Sentence for Child Pornographer; AP Feb 17, 2006 BALTIMORE (AP) -- A federal program that identifies alleged child molesters by publicizing their photographs has led to a life sentence for a five-time sex offender. James A. Reigle Jr., 46, was convicted in Baltimore federal court in October and sentenced Friday for sexually exploiting minors to produce child pornography, conspiracy to transport child pornography and shipping child pornography. "As far as we know, this is in fact the first life sentence imposed for a child pornography offense," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said. Pedophile ordered to pay compensation for verbal assault; The Courier Mail, 23 Dec. 2005 A pedophile has been ordered to pay criminal compensation to a boy he caused mental distress when he tried to procure him to commit a sexual act. He had approached a boy, 8, near Miami Beach, on the Gold Coast and made a lewd suggestion. The boy fled and told his mother, who with the aid of bystanders detained the man. The man was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to attempting to unlawfully procure a child under the age of 12 to commit an indecent act. Judge Ian Dearden believed the boy had suffered an injury -- mental or nervous shock -- as defined in the Act and had been the victim of a personal offence. He ordered the man to pay the boy $3750 in criminal compensation. Man met boy, 12; Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK, 5 December 2005 He said they had been in contact through Internet chatrooms for a couple of months before they met in Norfolk and confirmed he had cuddled and kissed the boy. James, 21, who lives at Railway View, near Tonypandy, South Wales admitted meeting with the 12 year-old boy following sexual grooming and was jailed for 12 months. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years and banned from working with children in the future. James was also prevented for five years from contacting children by phone, e-mail or text message or living in households with children under 16 apart from his own family. The judge said: “There is a need to protect young children, even those like this boy who was only too willing to have a relationship with you. This is a very serious offence and it is one which inevitably carries a sentence of imprisonment.” Patriot Act used to investigate and convict couple in child pornography case; Computer Crime Research Center; July 17, 2004 In his remarks to Congress, Attorney General John Ashcroft detailed how the Patriot Act was used to investigate a child pornography case. In his testimony Ashcroft said: The Patriot Act has also allowed us to go after violent criminals who would harm the innocent. The couple was charged and prosecuted for 100-counts of receipt and possession of child pornography. The case led to the conviction and sentencing of Terry and Jane Adkins. Terry Adkins, 26, was sentenced to 75 years in prison. Jane Adkins, 34, was sentenced to 30 years Child abusers 'should be jailed for longer'; The Times June 12, 2006 The Attorney-General has called for tougher jail terms for paedophiles after figures showed that more than 200 judges have handed out sentences that were too lenient. Even death penaltiesDeath for Some Sex Offenders OK'd in S.C.; AP May 31, 2006 COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The South Carolina House on Wednesday passed a pair of bills that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for some repeat child molesters. The related measures could send to death row offenders convicted twice of raping a child younger than 11. Louisiana, Florida and Montana allow the death penalty for sex crimes. Child molesters to be executed; Reuters, 10-06-2006 The Governor of the US state of Oklahoma has signed a bill allowing for the execution of repeat child molesters, a move that some critics argue is unconstitutional. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that the death penalty can only be applied in murder cases, but the author of the Oklahoma bill said it is time to challenge that ruling. The Oklahoma law makes people convicted of rape and other sex crimes more than once against children younger than 14 years of age eligible for execution. Oklahoma is the fifth state to allow the death penalty for sex crimes against children. The other states with similar legislation are Louisiana, Florida and Montana. Death Penalty in Some Cases of Child Sex Is Widening; NY Times, June 10, 2006 Oklahoma became the fifth state to allow the death penalty for sex crimes against children yesterday, a day after South Carolina enacted a similar law. The constitutionality of the new laws is unclear. The Oklahoma measure, signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, makes people found guilty of rape and other sex crimes more than once against children younger than 14 eligible for the death penalty. The South Carolina law also requires multiple offenses, but against children under 11. |