David Lee presenting on opportunities to prevent teen dating violence

The Family Violence Prevention Fund, Peace Over Violence and Rainbow Services hosted a briefing late week titled “Linking Local Providers with Federal Funding.” The room was packed at Peace Over Violence’s offices as representatives of local service providers learned about opportunities for funding.
I was there to share about statewide and national efforts to address teen dating violence, including exciting national efforts such as CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education and DELTA programs, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Blue Shield Foundation’s Start Strong initiative. I was encouraged when one of the participants shared how successful prevention efforts have been in the schools where she  works.

Representative Lucile Roybal-Allard opened the session encouraging the audience to make sure their voices are heard in congress about the need for domestic violence and sexual assault services. Funding opportunities from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, Office of Women’s Health and Office on Violence Against Women were described followed by a detailed presentation on  how to apply for federal grants by Jewish Women International ’s Deborah Rosenbloom.

Along with updates about the status of efforts preparing to renew the Violence Against Women Act in 2011, a panel including representatives from Peace Over Violence, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Jewish Women International, CALCASA, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence addressed local, statewide and national efforts to address teen dating violence.

Click here to get materials from this session.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

Passengers on cruise ships headed from or toward American ports will gain increased security, services and rights when the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 is  implemented thanks to the leadership of a California Congresswoman, vocal survivors and the President of the United States.

On Tues. July 31, the President signed H.R. 3360, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento). In a press release, the Congresswoman credits “Laurie Dishman, a Sacramento, CA resident and a constituent of Rep. Matsui’s, who wrote to her Representative after being sexually assaulted on a cruise ship – and asked for help. After several Congressional hearings which brought to light the gross inadequacies of current safety requirements on cruise ships, Rep. Matsui introduced H.R. 3360 in the House of Representatives.”

Congresswoman Matsui states that “H.R. 3360 will improve the safety and security of all cruise ship passengers traveling in and out of U.S. waters, and provide common-sense security measures to prevent crimes from occurring – and protections and support for victims and their families if and when they do.”

Also applauding the enactment was Ken Carver, President of International Cruise Victims Association (ICV): “Today marks the beginning of a new accountability for any crimes that are committed against passengers on cruise ships…This came about because a small group of victims joined together four and one-half years ago to form ICV. From just a few families, ICV now has membership in over 20 countries. The lesson learned from this is that no one should ever underestimate the power of organized victims, who all are volunteers, to make changes. The passage of this legislation would not have happened without the dedicated support of Sen. Kerry and Rep. Matsui who joined our efforts to pass this historic legislation. This legislation will protect millions of passengers in the coming years and we are deeply indebted to all of those that help make this happen.”

A brief description of the policies signed into law are as followed:

• Prevention
  • Mandate all passenger and crew cabin doors be equipped with peep holes or other mean of visual identification
  • Mandate all passenger and crew cabin doors be equipped with security latches and time-sensitive key technology
  • Require cruise ships to maintain electronic video surveillance to assist in documenting crimes and provided as evidence for prosecution
    • Video records shall be made available to law enforcement, upon request, during an investigation
  • Cruise operators are mandated to provide a “security guide” to each passenger that describes medical and security personnel designated to prevent and respond to criminal and medical situations within 24-hour contact instructions
    • Security guide will also provide information to passengers on how to report crimes to appropriate US law enforcement REGARDLESS of where the crime is committed (US waters, high seas, in any country visit on the voyage)
    • Security guide must be published on the website of cruise ship owners/operators
  • Limits on Crew Access
    • Vessel owners/operators must implement procedures and restrictions concerning which crewmembers have access to passenger cabins
    • And limit the periods of time crew will have access to passenger cabins
• Intervention
  • Mandate operators/owners to maintain on the vessel adequate, in-date supplies of anti-retroviral medication and other medications designed at preventing STDs
    • required to maintain adequate equipment and materials for performing a rape exam/rape kits to evaluate the patient for trauma, provide medical care, and relevant medical services
  • Vessels are required to make available at all times medical staff (licensed physician or RN) who have undergone a credentialing process
    • Medical staff must have at least 3 years post-graduate/registration clinical practice and emergency medicine
    • Is able to provide assistance in the event of a sexual assault and to conduct rape kit exam
    • Meet guidelines established by the American College of Emergency Physicians related to the treatment and care of SA victims
    • Prepare and provide SA victims with medical documentation of the findings of the exam
    • Required to provide patient with free and immediate access to contact local law enforcement, FBI, Coast Guard, or Embassy or Consulate, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline program or other third party victim advocacy hotline service
    • Required to provide telephone line and internet-accessible computer terminal by which the SA victim may confidentially access law enforcement, attorney and information and support services available through National Sexual Assault Hotline Program or other third party advocacy service
• Victim Privacy
  • Masters of the vessel are required to treat all information, especially medical information, confidential and shall not be released to cruise line or owner of vessel or any legal representative thereof without the prior knowledge and written approval of patient, or patient next-of-kin
  • Exceptions include:
    • information, other than medical findings, shall be included in centralized crime log
    • information to secure the safety of passengers or crew on board the vessel
    • any information to law enforcement official performing official duties in the course of investigation
• Record Keeping
  • All vessels are required to keep a centralized log book of all complaints of crimes and make log book available upon the request to any agent of the FBI, Coast Guard, and law enforcement official performing official duties int he course of investigation
• Reporting
  • Owner/operator of vessel must contact nearest FBI field office or legal attache as soon as possible after the occurrence of specified crime commitment
  • Shall file a report of the incident on an Internet based portal maintained by the Secretary
  • Borderless Reporting
    • Reporting crimes within this measure are applicable regardless of vessel registry and if the vessel is owned in whole or in part, by a US person/corporation, regardless of the nationality of the victim if committed within the maritime jurisdiction of the US
    • if the offense of concern is committed by or against a US national outside of the jurisdiction of any nation
    • if the offense of concern occurs in the Territorial Sea of the US
    • if the offense of concern is committed by or against a US national on a vessel during a voyage that departed from or will arrive at a US port
• Information
  • Secretary shall maintain a statistical compilation of all incidents on an Internet site that provides numerical accounting of missing persons or alleged crimes.
  • Data shall be updated quarterly and each cruise line shall be identified by name, and each crime shall be identified as to whether the crime was committed by a passenger or crew member
  • Cruise lines taking in or discharging passengers in the US shall provide a Internet website link to Federal database on their website
• Staff training/certification
  • The Secretary shall issue guidelines, training curricula, and inspection and certification procedures within 6 months of enactment of Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010
  • Within 1 year of enactment the Secretary and director of FBI shall develop training standards and curricula for security personnel, crewmembers, and law enforcement officials on the appropriate methods of prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of criminal activities in international waters.
    • This act also establishes minimum standards in which this training must adhere on page 8 Section 3508(b).
  • Beginning 2 years after these standards are established, no ship may enter US port or carry a US citizen as a passenger unless there is at least 1 crewmember onboard who is certified as having successfully completed training in prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of criminal activities
• The Act also lists a litany of penalties if any of these sections are violated by ship operators/owners.

Let us know what your thoughts are concerning the signing of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act.

The California Safe at Home Program continues to expand and service more victims each year, according to the quarterly newsletter distributed by the Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office, who is responsible for administering the confidential address program.

“Since 1999, Safe at Home has helped shield the home addresses of more than 5,000 survivors of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, as well as reproductive health care doctors, nurses, volunteers and patients. Now 35 states have confidential address programs, many of which were modeled after California’s program,” stated the newsletter.

The state’s program and Safe at Home participants also received a policy boost from the U.S. Department of Treasury that issued a November 2009 ruling “allowing national banks and credit unions to accept the contact address of a state’s confidential address program rather than a residence address” as previous mandated before the federal clarification.  This new ruling gives victims further confidentiality and protection.

Even as California continues to suffer from record deficits and slow economic recovery, this essential victim’s service continues to train and conduct outreach through low-cost communication alternatives such as Internet webinars and telephone training. “Safe at Home staff have completed phone training for 15 new enrolling agencies and provided refresher trainings to another 17 agencies.”

The newsletter also includes an update on Senate Bill 1233 by Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach), that would remove the Jan. 1, 2013 program sunset and make the Safe at Home program a permanent addition to the state’s victims’ service apparatus.  The Secretary of State urges you to “phone, email or write your Assemblymember and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and emphasize why you support a permanent confidential address program in our state.”

To find your Assemblymember, access the Assembly’s “Find My District” tool.

You can also contact the Governor’s office at his Contact page.

Let us know how the Safe at Home program has served victims and survivors in your community.

L to R: Chief Justice Ronald George, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Judge Tani Cantil-Sakauye. Photo: Governor's Press Office

On Thursday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated Judge Tani Cantil-Sakauye to replace retiring Chief Justice Ronald George as the state’s top judge.  If confirmed by voters, Cantil-Sakauye would become California’s first woman and Asian-American Chief Justice. Also, if confirmed, California’s supreme court will have a female majority for the first time in it’s history.  Listen to KQED’s profile of Judge Cantil-Sakauye below:

Watch the Governor’s announcement below:

Earlier this month, CA Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George announced his retirement after serving on the state’s high court for 19 years. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement highlighting George’s “tremendous commitment to justice with extraordinary dedication to upholding impartiality under the law.”  KQED did a profile on George’s retirement announcement:

Tell us what you think about the changing chief’s on the state’s Supreme Court.

CA Supreme Court Justices (L to R): Carlos R. Moreno, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, Joyce L. Kennard, Chief Justice Ronald George, Marvin Baxter, Ming Chin, Carol Corrigan

On Monday June 21, 2010, the California Supreme Court unanimously upheld and protected the state’s rape shield law, that would prevent specific instances of a victim’s sexual conduct from being admitted as evidence or proof of consent by the victim in a prosecution of a sexual assault or other sex offense.  The 7 to 0 opinion of the court sets an optimistic precedent for the protection of future victims and prevents defendants from using a victim’s sexual history as proof of consent.

More details on this decision and the specifics of this case after the break…

The Supreme Court heard the case of People v. Fontana in which the background and decision is as followed:

The crime occurred in San Francisco in March of 2003 at the Windsor Hotel where the offender, Danny Fontana, a registered sex offender, was residing. Fontana and the 19 year old victim, hereby known as “Irene S.,” had become acquaintances because they were both regular customers at a local discount store. Irene had expressed interest to the store owner that she was looking for a cheap laptop for school. Soon after, the offender had mentioned he had a laptop in his room for sale but did not want to bring it to the store and that Irene would have to come to his room to view the discount laptop. After initially refusing, Irene eventually made her way to the offender’s hotel and was forced into his room where she was threatened with her life, strangled, sexually assaulted, and then photographed.

When Irene was able to eventually leave the offender’s premises, she later reported the rape to the discount store owner and soon after her father who notified law enforcement.

The offender, Danny Fontana had been previously convicted of rape in 1975, as well as false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit rape, and attempting to dissuade a witness in a 1992, where he threatened a woman at knife point to perform oral copulation. Fontana had been classified as a high-risk sex offender and was on parole. Fontana admitted to strangling Irene, but as a defense against the victim coming onto him and offering to perform sexual acts in exchange for the laptop. He also claimed to strangle her because of his ”lifelong fear of having his penis bitten off” when she offered to perform oral sex. Additionally, he claimed that the victim’s genital injuries were caused by her consensual sex with her boyfriend several hours prior to suspected assault and he knew about it because he witnessed seminal fluid “in her privates.”  During the investigation, Irene admitted to having sex with her boyfriend twice that morning.

The defense attorney petitioned the trial court judge to have an evidentiary hearing without the jury present, in order to prove that Irene’s sexual activities earlier that day were relevant to Fontana’s defense that he did not cause the rape-related injuries. Forensic experts agreed that her genital injuries could have been caused by regular sexual activity, but that her other injuries were absolutely caused by strangling and the defendants claims could not explain the injuries to her oral cavity.  The trial court judge denied the defense’s petition to include the victim’s sexual history, citing the lack of relevance that would allow the lowering state’s rape shield law. The jury found Fontana guilty of forcible digital penetration, forcible oral copulation, assault with intent to commit rape, digital penetration, oral copulation, and all by use of a deadly weapon.  Fontana was sentenced to 75 years to life plus a determinate 14 years for forcible oral copulation.

The Court of Appeal reversed the trial courts decision, finding that the trail court erred in excluding evidence of Irene’s consensual encounter earlier that day, which could have provided an alternative explanation for injuries to Irene.

The Supreme Court, upon review, rejected Fontana’s claim that the trial court deprived him of his right to confront witnesses or his right to present a defense. They stated the following reasons:

1. “The inability of the defense to prove that her oral injuries were caused by her consensual sex earlier in the day.”
2. “The trial jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant digitally penetrated the victim, as the victim had testified and contrary to the defendant’s testimony that he had no sexual contact with the victim at all.  In making this finding, the jury necessarily rejected the defendant’s claim that he had lashed out violently (but not sexually) at the victim because of his lifelong fear or having his penis bitten off during oral sex.” Which was thoroughly rebutted by his admissions that he demanded oral sex in 1992 and that he engaged in oral sex with his current girlfriend.
3. The Supreme Court agreed with the trial courts description that the defendant’s claims were “utterly fantastic and inherently unbelievable and [an] incredible claim that the [Irene] on her own initiative, despite refusing to come up before, on her own initiative came up to the defendant’s room after recent sex with [her] boyfriend…”
4. The Supreme Court found that the defendants contradicted his own claim by his actions of taking his shirt off and sitting next to her on his bed, “which is presumably the opposite of how one would have acted if he had seen semen ‘in her privates’ and had been disgusted.”
5. The Supreme Court also agreed with the trail court that the “defendant’s claim that there was visible semen ‘in her privates’ several hours after Irene had intercourse and despite having worn panties in the interim defies gravity and common sense, and the defendant offered no medical foundation that could link his observation to her prior conduct.”
6. Finally the Supreme Court found the “defendant had little need to establish that Irene had actually engaged in sex that day in order to support his contention that he was disgusted by the appearance of ‘her privates,’ since it can be difficult to distinguish visually between seminal fluid and cervical mucus, which is a normal discharge that increases around the time of ovulation.  Defendant’s testimony depended on his belief that what he saw was seminal fluid.”

Is California’s current rape shield statute adequate enough to protect a victim’s past from being put on trial?  We’d like your feedback.

CALCASA was on board the USS Abraham Lincoln.

One exciting thing about watching all of the registrations pour in for the National Conference (NSAC) is getting a glimpse of who will be in attendance and where they are coming from. Staff at CALCASA recently noticed dozens of registrants from various branches of military. This is one signal of an ongoing shift in our field regarding the connection between victim advocacy and the military at large.

There has been a growing partnership between civilian victim advocates and those serving military populations. These ties have been particularly evident since the inception of SAPRO, along with campaigns like I. A.M. Strong, My Strength is for Defending and others. More and more, installations are turning to community-based organizations to provide services on bases, awareness raising or training.

Networking and relationship building between civilian victim advocates and military installations are just one of many different unique opportunities attendees can look forward to at the national conference. What are you looking forward to?

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) calls on the Attorney General to implement national standards for the prevention, detection, response and monitoring of sexual abuse in US detention facilities. CALCASA is a founding member of the Raising the Bar for Justice and Safety Coalition that calls for swift adoption of these national standards.

CALCASA continues to work with partners such as Just Detention International to address the issues of rape in prisons and other detention facilities. Lovisa Stannow, Executive Director of Just Detention International, wrote an informative blog in the  Huffington Post about the delay in adopting these standards.

Just Detention International will host several sessions at the National Sexual Assault Conference held in Los Angeles on September 1-3, 2010.  This is a good opportunity to learn more about efforts to prevent rape in detention facilities.

Earlier this month, CALCASA Director of Public Affairs Robert Coombs and I left to Washington D.C. for the 2010 Advocacy Day hosted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

This two day event included policy briefings by the following distinguished guests:

- Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women
- Marylouise Kelley, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, Health and Human Services Agency
- Judge Susan Carbon, Office of Violence Against Women
- Karen Lang, Center for Disease Control Division of Violence Prevention
- and 10 Members of Congress.

NNEDV/NAESV Advocacy Day allowed advocates from all over the United States and the territories to conduct over 150 Congressional visits.  CALCASA joined forces with our sister organization, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV), to meet with our homestate elected officials. Both organizations stressed that our elected members of Congress support the following proposals:

• Increase funding to the Violence Against Women Act programs: Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP), Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors (STOP), Legal Assistance for Victims, and Transitional Housing Grants, and other VAWA related programs
• Increase funds to Rape Prevention and Education Program grants administered by the Center for Disease Control
• Reauthorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act

CALCASA would like to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Dianne Feinstien, Congresspersons John Campbell, Maxine Waters, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Judy Chu, Adam Schiff, and Barbara Lee and all of their staffs for taking the time out of their day to meet with their constituents.

Today, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center commemorates 10 years of service to the sexual violence prevention field. To celebrate, NSVRC, which is located in Pennsylvania, is hosting an open house for the community to learn about resources and services available to the public.

NSVRC was established in 2000 as the nation’s first resource center devoted exclusively to sexual violence. For the past decade, the it has collaborated with sexual assault coalitions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several community-based and national-allied projects to prevent sexual violence.

“We have learned a lot in the past 10 years,” said NSVRC Director Karen Baker in a press release. “By working together and sharing our expertise, we can begin to reshape our communities into ones that are more safe, respectful, inclusive and honoring of each and every person.”

For the complete press release, click here.

AMC 2010 Closing Ceremony

Detroit, MI – After wrapping up the Summer 2010 Campus Training & Technical Assistance Institute in Las Vegas, I caught a red-eye flight to attend the annual Allied Media Conference (AMC).  Held at the campus of Wayne State University near Detroit’s downtown, the AMC drew “people involved with do-it-yourself media, alternative media makers, [and those] interested in using participatory media as a strategy for social justice organizing.”  Certainly a cultural and geographic shift trading in the western desert for the midwestern city that has struggled for years to rebuild itself.  For the next three days, I learned how local communities in Detroit are working tirelessly to improve living conditions for themselves, their families, and neighbors.

The AMC offered participants a variety of tracks designed to generate and actively engage in discussions surrounding particular areas of interest ranging from disability justice, indigenous media, creating safe communities, Medios Caminantes (the Spanish language media track), Trans & Queer Youth, and Media Policy to name a few.  The AMC’s notion of media (multiple forms of communication including print and web-based journalism, radio, writing, art, and music) has come to expand over the years which is incredibly refreshing given the ever-increasing power and range that technology has in transforming individuals and communities.

Each workshop I attended either provided participants in opportunity to learn hands-on the technology at hand (such as community mapping) and/or encouraged folks to identify needs, resources and network in order to build capacity, knowledge and access. Each workshop, keynote speaker, artist, facilitator, conference participant I heard or met, reinvigorated my commitment to building communities by evoking a language rooted in idealism, realism, and practicality.

Transformative art work at AMC 2010

Collaborative mapping, a visual representation of needs and/or assets in a given community, caught my interest given its relationship to the work I do at CALCASA.  Some examples of community mapping include: Philadelphia Place (storytelling collaboration of peoples and events in Philadelphia), Toronto Trees (uses trees as landmarks in tours of Toronto), and Green Map (identifies areas with green resources). Throughout the community mapping workshop, I frequently thought of Dorothy Edwards’ intervention to end sexual violence.  To simplify: sexual violence = red dots.  Bystander intervention = green dots.  Red and green dots spread across the United States, ideally the green dots surpassing the number of red dots and ultimately covering the country.

How can Green Dot, or any other intervention for that matter, translate itself from an initially theoretical conceptualization and practical approach to potentially technological soundboard/card conceived as a community map to further illustrate the urgency to combat sexual violence as communities?  How can survivors, bystanders, educators, and others engage with the data?  This is a question I’m struggling with and would like to hear your take on community mapping of sexual violence on college campuses.

Save the date: June 23 – 26, 2011 in Detroit for the next AMC.

CALCASA’s public affairs associate, Phillip Ung, has been selected as a member of the California Judicial Council’s Violence Against Women Education Project (VAWEP) Planning Committee.

VAWEP serves as a specially convened working group of the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee and provides recommendations and guidance relating to the project.  VAWEP is an initiative to provide the courts with information, educational materials, training, and technical assistance relating to the court’s role in responding to domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, and elder abuse cases.

Phillip will be joining judges, prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement, and victim advocates to identify and develop educational materials, programming, and curricula related to domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, and elder abuse for the judicial branch.

The Governor has now issued his revised budget proposal containing drastic cuts that would be devastating to California women and families.  The CA Commission on the Status of Women wants to hear from you about the impact of these proposed cuts or any other issue that’s important to you.

The Commission will hold public hearings to provide a forum for Californians to voice their opinions and talk about real problems faced by women and girls every day. They want to hear from people throughout the state who have ideas about how California can help improve the lives of women and girls. Information obtained from the hearings will assist in the Commission’s ongoing work to achieve equal opportunities for all women and girls.

Hearing Schedule:

Friday, June 11th
1 PM to 5 PM
Pasadena Central Library
Donald Wright Auditorium
285 East Walnut Street
Pasadena, CA
* Submit sign-up form by June 3rd

Friday, June 18th
11 AM to 3 PM
Redding Library
1100 Parkview Avenue
Redding, CA
* Submit sign-up form by June 10th

Thursday, August 12th
1 PM to 5 PM
State Capitol, Room TBD
Sacramento, CA
* Submit sign-up form by August 4th

Can’t attend a hearing? Submit your recommendations in writing by August 12, 2010.

For more information, sign-up to testify, or submit your recommendations in writing, please visit www.women.ca.gov.

* Priority to testify will be given to individuals who submit their sign-up form by the dates listed

Last month, CALCASA’s Director of Public Affairs Robert Coombs spent a weekend aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. He, along with bloggers and media, had the opportunity to explore the ship and meet with its crew.

While underway in the Pacific, Coombs learned about some of the initiatives the Navy has to deal with sexual assault. The timing was fitting because he was on board during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In the video clip, he interviews Lt. Cmdr. William J. Marks, the ship’s public affairs officer, who talks about the Navy’s commitment to victim intervention, prevention and response.

Coombs also met S.A.V.I. advocates — that’s Sexual Assault Victim Intervention. These individuals are doing some of the same work that advocates in California are working on, in addition to dealing with the special nature of working with sexual assault in the military.

Denim Day California 2010 was another big hit in the Capitol region with hundreds of legislators and staff participating to increase sexual assault awareness and to show that there is never reason or an excuse to rape.

On a wet and rainy day, CALCASA’s Capitol event brought together legislators, agency allies and crime victim representatives to stand together against sexual assault.

Please click through the photo slideshow to see great photos of the Capitol event and watch the video to see legislators taking leadership on sexual assault awareness.

News of other successful Denim Day events permeated through the media and we want to thank all of our members and allies for making Denim Day 2010 a success. Let us work together over the next year to make sure sexual assault awareness is not just in the month of April but throughout the year.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey C. Horne (I), Director, Army Human Resources Policy Directorate, introduces Robert Coombs who was a subject-matter expert at the third annual Army SHARP Summit.

Robert Coombs, CALCASA’s director of public affairs, attended the U.S. Army’s 2010 Sexual Harassment /Assault Prevention (SHARP) Summit in Arlington, Va. This is part of the Army’s I.AM.STRONG campaign, which is spreading the message to combat sexual assaults by engaging all soldiers in preventing sexual assaults before they occur.

“Every leader needs to see sexual assault as fundamentally counter to the warrior ethos,” said Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., chief of staff of the Army. “It’s all about leadership and leaders setting the right examples.”

For more information about the Summit, visit the SHARP Program website.

Gov. Schwarzenegger's public observance.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger observed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and released to following public statement:

“Greetings to everyone observing Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As Governor, keeping our citizens safe is my highest priority, and I applaud all those who are devoted to stopping sexual assault and helping those who have been victimized by this horrible crime. …

“The perpetrators must answer to justice, and the victims must have resources and opportunities to heal. Your actions are ensuring that these goals become realities, and I commend you for  your dedication to your fellow Californians. Thanks to your concern, our Golden State is an even better — and safer — place to call home.”

“Please accept my best wishes for a memorable observance and continued success in your noble endeavors.  Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger”

CALCASA will continue to work with the Governor and the Legislature to meet our commitment to ending sexual violence in our communities.

Please comment and let us know about your Sexual Assault Awareness Month events.

© Citizensheep's Photostream

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed William Gailey and Gary Lieberstein to the California Sex Offender Management Board.

The CA Sex Offender Management Board is a 17-member body whose mission is to address issues, concerns and problems related to community management of adult sex offenders by identifying and developing recommendations to improve policies and practices.

William Gailey served on the California State Bar Board of Governors since 2007, and since 1991, he has served as chairman of Gailey Associates. Previously, he worked as a detective for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1968 to 1991. Gailey is a retired veteran of the U.S. Army Airborne Unit, where he served as a sergeant E-5 paratrooper from 1965 to 1968. He is a licensed private investigator, a member of the California Association of Licensed Investigators and the California Homicide Investigators Association. Gailey previously served on the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services Disciplinary Review Committee, where he was appointed by Governor Gray Davis in 2002.

Gary Lieberstein has served Napa County as district attorney since 1998, where he was re-elected in 2002 and 2006 and worked as deputy district attorney from 1985 to 1998. He is president of the California District Attorneys Association and California representative for the National District Attorneys Association Board of Directors. Lieberstein is chair of the Napa County Child Abuse Prevention Council, the Napa County Gang Violence Prevention Council and the Napa County Elder Abuse Prevention Council.

Do you ever get the feeling that the government is driving a 1972 Ford Pinto (Squeak!  Sputter!  Grind!) in a 2010 Tesla Roadster World (Zoom!  Swoosh!  Zip!)?

I will let you in on a little (but open) secret: Government is embracing new interactive and social technologies and strategies, but at a much slower rate than almost everyone else in the private sector.  Some will write this off as another government failure; others will see it as an opportunity for the government to change how it does business.

You might be asking yourself why the government is so slow at embracing interactive technologies. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Government services and forms must of available to all citizens, including those who do not have everyday access to Internet, a printer or do not speak English.
2. Tax payer money must be spent wisely, preventing government from spending public funds on trendy tech. Any investment in new interactive service platforms must be secure, tested, long term and work every time a constituent wishes to access that service.
3. The California state government is the single largest employer with more than 230,000 employees and more than 200 agencies, departments, bureaus, boards and commissions.  Retraining or educating even 10 percent of state employees in new and ever-evolving interactive services is a daunting and expensive task.

However, there is a growing consensus among public officials, non-governmental organizations, media outlets and concerned citizens that the sooner governments adopt interactive platforms, the more efficient and accessible government becomes.  Below is a list of ways California has adopted to increase efficiency and access:

• Every state legislator has a Website where concerns can be sent directly to his/her office via e-mail.
• Most legislators have adopted social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to keep voters updated.
• Most legislative hearings are now streamed live online at www.calchannel.com.
• Public hearings, events and announcements are also streamed online.
• Public forms and documents are slowly being published and accessible online; however online submissions are still rare.

Please comment and let us know your thoughts on how the government has embraced new tech or how it can do a better job.  Look out for a follow up post next week.

Robert Coombs, CALCASA’s Director of Public Affairs, was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to serve on the California Sex Offender Management Board.  This appointment does not require a legislative confirmation and has no salary.

On September 20, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1015, which created the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB).

Because California is the most populated state in the Union and has had lifetime registration for its convicted sex offenders since 1947, California has more registered sex offenders than any other state with about 88,000 identified sex offenders (per Department of Justice, August 2007). Currently, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) supervises about 10,000 of those 88,000 sex offenders, of which about 3,200 have been designated as High Risk Sex Offenders (CDCR Housing Summit, March 2007). Additionally, there are about 22,500 adult sex offenders serving time in one of 32 state prisons operated by CDCR (California Sex Offender Management Task Force Report, July 2007).

The mission of the board is to is to address issues, concerns and problems related to community management of adult sex offenders by identifying and developing recommendations to improve policies and practices.

Visit the California Sex Offender Management Board website to learn more about the Board’s duties and reports.

At South by Southwest, representation from the sexual violence field was few and far between; however, I did get to meet with Sally Laskey, associate director, from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. She was at the conference to learn about why technology is an important part of the movement to end sexual violence. She and I talked about what our experience has been at the conference, and we made the observation that one of the messages across many of the sessions was the way technology can be used as a tool for listening to your audience. For CALCASA, this could mean how it uses the Website — and the technologies that make the blog possible — and social media tools to better serve members, advocates and staff.

One of the sessions I attended was “Managing Your Content Management System,” which basically provided advice about how to better handle the back end of Websites. The best tip that I took away from this was that successful Web sites — both the front end and the back end — cannot be executed by a designer alone. The editorial team (CALCASA staff) and Website audience (members, advocates, etc.) need to provide feedback, suggestions and usability advice to the designer(s). And on the other side of this sword, designers have to put on their listening ears in order to create the best product possible for the editorial team and users.

Following the same theme of listening to your audience was a session about “Conducting Great Interviews.” As CALCASA increases the amount of audio and video material it publishes on the Web, interview skills become increasingly important. The interviews we conduct must create value for those who watch it. Aside from the standard advice — be prepared, be prompt, be face-to-face — one way to start a successful interview is to really understand who you’re interviewing — and this comes back to listening. What does he/she represent? How is he/she feeling behind the camera and/or recorder? Are your questions going to invoke an interesting response? And after the interviewee is talking, truly be present. It’s so easy — and I know I’ve done this — to read off a list of questions and completely forget to listen to what the interviewee is talking about because you’re more concerned about your next question. I challenge myself and the rest of CALCASA’s staff to seriously try being present as we conduct interviews with members, experts, advocates and the public. I would be willing to bet that our audience is going to be able to tell these interviews apart.

We are listening. Technology, tools, books and education (the list could go on) is only part of what’s needed in the movement to end sexual violence; we all need to be communicating — sharing what’s working and what’s not. So leave us your comments. Give us your feedback.

Feministing.com Editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay at South by Southwest Interactive

Having returned from three days of mental stimulation, inspiration and overload, I find myself thinking about how CALCASA can incorporate what I’ve learned to strengthen the movement to end sexual violence.

I spent a few days this week in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. This is a space where some of the brightest minds in emerging technology come together to give presentations, share ideas and network with one another. There is representation from most of the usual suspects — Google, Apple, Twitter, Microsoft … the list could go on. CALCASA is clearly the unusual suspect. It’s becoming more apparent that even in our work technology can be a vehicle to engage with members, communicate with partners and educate others about ending sexual violence.

On Sunday, I attended a keynote by Valerie Casey, founder of the Designers Accord, a global coalition of designers, educators and business leaders working together to create positive and sustainable impact. She talked about how to use system thinking — how things influence one another within the whole — in a way that would harness the technology community in a way that would help sustainability. This made me think: What are the components that feed into our movement? Is advocacy enough by itself? Is prevention the answer? Or do we invest our time in changing social norms? All of these components create the system of our movement, and I think that social media and technology are vital to this system. They are tools to educate people about this work and an instrument to create social impact. Our movement — our system — is stronger when working in cohort with each element, and as Casey said, social media creates “the architecture of our communication.”

This begs the question about how CALCASA can use social media in its work. What are techniques outside standard outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and our blog? One option: crowdsourcing. I listened to a panel discussion about how nonprofits have used this technique to change the world. Essentially, instead of keeping ideas and tasks behind closed doors, these organizations leveraged community collaboration to meet their goals. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of how CALCASA could take the issue of sexual violence to the crowd in a forum that leads to constructive problem-solving. Within our agency, we can use this technique to strengthen our social media interactions with members and to bring survivors together. For example, the American Cancer Society used crowdsourcing to start the Website SharingHope.tv. This site is a place for people to share their stories about cancer. CALCASA could bring survivors of sexual assault together in a similar way. There could be a platform in which survivors, family members and activists could share their experiences with video, audio, pictures and written stories.

Please comment and leave your ideas below! I’d love to hear them. Also, there will be a continuation to this post next week, so watch for it.

The California Coalition on Sexual Offending has just released its 2010 Annual Conference Brochure. The training conference, which will take place in San Diego from May 12-14, focuses on the theme “Together we can end sexual abuse.”

Since 1986, CCOSO has provided expertise, training, education and legislative guidance in treatment, management and research related to sexual offending. Keynote speaker at the event is Dr. Daniel Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine where he is on the faculty of the Center for Culture, Brain and Development, and the co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. His presentation will focus on mindsight, which he says is “the ability for the human mind to see itself. It is a powerful lens through which we can understand our inner lives with more clarity, transform the brain and enhance our relationships with others.”

The conference will bring together a range of individuals, including representatives from law enforcement, criminal justice, mental health, probation, parole and community services dedicated to addressing the significant and complex issues related to sexual offending.

To register or for more information about the California Coalition on Sexual Offending’s 13th Annual Training Conference, download the brochure.

By Paul Elias The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the constitutionality of a “Jessica’s Law” provision that allows indefinite confinement of sexually violent predators.

It’s the first of two decisions the court is expected to issue over the legality of the law that was passed as Proposition 82 in 2006.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule Monday on a separate legal challenge to a provision prohibiting released predators from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park.

On Thursday, the court dealt with whether sexually violent predators can be treated differently from other violent felons, who can be held only for defined terms in mental health facilities after prison.

The Legislative Analysts Office launched a page on its website to keep track of its writings on the 2010-11 budget and the 2009-10 budget revisions. You can refine your searches by policy area or department. The results can be downloaded into Excel spreadsheets.

Read recent publications by the LAO here.

California inmate release plan begins

The state’s controversial plan to reduce its prison population by 6,500 inmates over the next year begins today, with victims and law enforcement groups once again warning it will increase crime.

“We are concerned for the public’s safety,” said Christine Ward, director of the Crime Victims Action Alliance in Sacramento.

State leaders lobby Congress for federal funds

California’s state leaders are in Washington today and Thursday for the first round of visits this year to press the federal government for billions of dollars to help the state’s beleaguered budget.

Stanislaus County victims center narrowly approved

The concept of a one-stop shop for abuse victims for all of Stanislaus County, which could open in a few months, nearly withered Tuesday in the heat of a philosophical argument between county supervisors.

None debated the need for a uniform response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child and elder abuse. But they disagreed on the rationale behind charging a fee that some say has nothing to do with such a service.

Panel: Rethink lifetime supervision for sex offenders

Lawmakers should revise state law to limit the number of sex offenders subject to lifetime supervision, focusing the state’s scarce resources on the highest-risk offenders, a state panel recommended Tuesday.

The move comes after a Des Moines Register probe in July showed Iowa’s experiment with lifetime monitoring of sex offenders would cost at the very minimum about $168 million over the next 20 years.

Week of January 18th

Below is a summary of what happened this week with bills that CALCASA is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring, supporting and watching. We included links to each bill, so that you can read the text.

ASSEMBLY – APPROPRIATIONS

AB 558 (Portantino) Sexual assault crimes.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 1/21/2010 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (January 21).
Current Location: 1/21/2010 A-SECOND READING

AB 633 (Ammiano) Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: inmates and wards: classification.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 1/21/2010 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 2.) (January 21).
Current Location: 1/21/2010 A-SECOND READING

AB 505 (Furutani) Sex offenders: housing.
CALCASA Position: Questions
Status: Status: 1/21/2010 In committee: Set, second hearing. Held under submission.
Current Location: 1/21/2010 A-APPR.

SENATE – APPROPRIATIONS

SB 733 (Leno) Crime victims: trauma center grants.
CALCASA Position: Concerns
Status: 1/21/2010 Do pass as amended.
Current Location: 1/21/2010 S-APPR. SUSPENSE FILE

High court rejects challenge to Calif. prison plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected California’s challenge to a preliminary court order forcing the state to reduce its prison population, setting up the state’s appeal of a final order issued last week.

Rise in sex offender parolees living on the street

John Simerman reported earlier this week that “less than a year after state corrections officials tightened a $22 million spigot of free apartments and motel rooms for paroled sex offenders, the number of parolees who say they are homeless has nearly doubled, adding fuel for critics who say the tight living restrictions under Jessica’s Law threaten public safety more than bolster it.”

LAO: Much of federal aid in Schwarzenegger’s budget ‘very unlikely’

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “plan to cobble together a budget with rosy projections and billions in presumed — but “very unlikely” — federal aid means California could face even deeper spending cuts than anticipated, according to a review released Tuesday by the state’s nonpartisan budget analyst.”

Editorial When Will the Clock Strike for the Next Women’s Movement?

…Rape and domestic violence have gotten a good deal of media attention over the last year. Chris Brown infamously attacked his then girlfriend Rihanna, reality television contestant Ryan Jenkins assaulted and ultimately gruesomely murdered his new wife Jasmine Fiore before killing himself, and Roman Polanski reemerged with his 30 year old statutory rape case in tow.

Week of January 11th

Below is a summary of what happened this week with bills that CALCASA is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring, supporting and watching. We included links to each bill, so that you can read the text.

Assembly Public Safety

AB 588 (Portantino) Sexual assault crimes.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status:  1/13/2010 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (January 12).
Current Location: 1/13/2010 A-APPR.

AB 633 (Ammiano) Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: inmates and wards: classification.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 1/13/2010 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (January 12).
Current Location: 1/13/2010 A-APPR.

AB 984 (Nava) Crimes.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 1/12/2010 Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
Current Location:  1/12/2010 A-APPR

AB 505  (Furutani) Sex offenders: housing.
CALCASA Position: Concerns/Watch
Status: 1/13/2010 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 4. Noes 2.) (January 12).
Current Location: 1/13/2010 A-APPR.

Senate Public Safety

SB 46 (Alquist) Sex offenders: commencing trial: time.
CALCASA Position: Sponsor
Status: 1/13/2010 Set, second hearing. Failed passage in committee.
Current Location: 1/13/2010 S-PUB. S.

SB 677 (Yee) Human trafficking: property: seizure.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 1/13/2010 From committee: Do pass, but first be re-referred to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Current Location: 1/13/2010 S-APPR.

John Simerman reported earlier this week that “less than a year after state corrections officials tightened a $22 million spigot of free apartments and motel rooms for paroled sex offenders, the number of parolees who say they are homeless has nearly doubled, adding fuel for critics who say the tight living restrictions under Jessica’s Law threaten public safety more than bolster it.”

Robert Coombs, the Director of Public Affairs, at CALCASA was interviewed for the story and said:

We’re finally at a point where we just have to acknowledge this is actually a problem, and it’s not one for lack of trying. It’s actually a public safety issue..

I don’t care if these guys have a nice lifestyle. But if you look at the research, it actually says if you reduce their stability you increase the risk of re-offense. I think we’ll start to see there really is that link. The way we find that out is through more victims.

A number of officials were interviewed for the story, including Senator George Runner and CDCR Undersecretary Scott Kernan.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “plan to cobble together a budget with rosy projections and billions in presumed — but “very unlikely” — federal aid means California could face even deeper spending cuts than anticipated, according to a review released Tuesday by the state’s nonpartisan budget analyst.”

For more information, read the LAO’s latest report on the California budget.

Schwarzenegger declares budget emergency, proposes deep cuts

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled an $82.9 billion state spending plan today that calls for no tax hikes but envisions pay cuts for state workers, reductions in services to California’s neediest residents – and on the benevolence of the federal government.

3 in 25 juveniles in detention are sexually abused, study finds

About 3 out of every 25 youths in state and privately run juvenile correctional facilities have experienced at least one incident of sexual victimization, according to a federal study released Thursday.

Will Trauma Recovery Center Fall Victim to Budget Nightmare?

Victims of violent crime in the city are about to be victimized again — by city budget cuts. Department of Public Health Director Mitch Katz included the city’s Trauma Recovery Center in the list of programs to be axed in mid-year budget cuts.

First Transgender Appointee Named

Amanda Simpson, the first known openly transgender presidential appointee in the United States, started work today at the US Department of Commerce. She is a senior technical advisor in the Bureau of Industry and Security. Prior to her appointment, Simpson was employed as the Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Arizona. She is a certified flight instructor and test pilot and has degrees in physics, engineering, and business administration.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, left, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg - Image from the Sacramento Bee

Earlier this morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his final State of the State speech.

Some of the topics he discussed included, education, prisons, as well as budget and health care reform.

Specifically, the Governor said he will not cut funding for education in his budget. He proposed “a constitutional guarantee that California will never spend more money on prisons than on higher education.”

For more information read: State of the State – Arnold Schwarzenegger vows to protect schools, rein in prison spending

You can also read the full state of the state address, by clicking here.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is entering his last year in office and will give his final State of the State speech tomorrow morning, at 10am.

Schwarzenegger will be setting “the stage for one more fight with the Legislature over a budget that will total $89 billion this year.”

The financial strains facing California show how local governments are still dealing with the recession that began in 2007 even as the national economy recovers from the worst slump since the 1930s. The latest struggle comes after legislators already erased $60 billion in gaps in the past two years by raising taxes, slashing school spending and borrowing, in a political battle that pushed the state close to insolvency.

For more information read:

• Schwarzenegger Girds for Deficit Fight as Borrowing Costs Soar
• Letter May Telegraph State-of-the-State and Budget Themes

Schwarzenegger sets the bar high for his last year in office

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made it sound easy to fix California when he first ran for governor, but his last six years have proved otherwise.

He took office in 2003 on a promise to “end the crazy deficit spending” and change state government as we knew it.

As Schwarzenegger enters his final year in office, however, California faces massive fiscal problems, while advocates of government reform say a constitutional convention, not an ambitious chief executive, is the best cure for the state’s woes.

California Legislature reconvenes

Both houses of the Legislature reconvene today, and hearings begin anew.

New peril in war zones

BAGHDAD – Capt. Margaret H. White began a relationship with a warrant officer while both were training to be deployed to Iraq. By the time they arrived this year at Camp Taji, north of here, she felt what she called “creepy vibes” and tried to break it off.

Perverting justice

Jessica’s Law prevents paroled sex offenders from residing near schools or parks. That means they can only live one place in S.F.: on the streets.

Delvin Barrett reported earlier this week that “experts are scratching their heads over why crime has ebbed so far during this recession, making it different from other economic downturns of the past half-century.”

Crimes reported to the “Uniform Crime Program are down collectively: violent crime overall decreased 4.4 percent, property crime is down 6.1 percent, and arson fell 8.2 percent.”

Individual crimes are also decreasing across the board:

• Murder (down 10.0 percent);
• Forcible rape (down 3.3 percent);
• Robbery (down 6.5 percent);
• Aggravated assault (down 3.2 percent);
• Burglary (down 2.5 percent);
• Larceny-theft (down 5.3 percent); and
• Motor vehicle theft (down 18.7 percent).

For a more in-depth analysis, download the FBI’s crime report.

Congressional Hearing Held on Rape Kit Backlog

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing yesterday on the national rape kit backlog, the reauthorization of the Debbie Smith Act, and current legislation introduced in the Senate that is intended to incentivize the processing of rape kits.

Funding for Federal Violence Against Women Programs

Via BayNet.com

Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman, Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today announced a critical step forward in putting $418.5 million in funding for programs administered by the Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office in the federal checkbook.

Franken’s amendment survives

Earlier this year, Sen. Franken introduced an amendment (S.2588) to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill that would restrict funding to defense contractors who commit employees to mandatory binding arbitration in the case of sexual assault. The legislation, endorsed by 61 women’s, labor and public interest groups, was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones.

Via BayNet.com

Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman, Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today announced a critical step forward in putting $418.5 million in funding for programs administered by the Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office in the federal checkbook.

These funds are included in the CJS Appropriations Bill, which was approved on Sunday, Dec. 13 by the Senate for a final time as part of Congress’ Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill. It now goes to the President to be signed into law.

“When we fought for the Violence Against Women Act, it was not an unfunded mandate. I led the fight to put these programs in the federal law books, and I will continue to fight to put the funding they need in the federal checkbook,” Chairwoman Mikulski said. “I have absolutely no tolerance for domestic violence. That’s why I strongly support legislation and grant programs that help protect women and their families from continued violence and abuse, and gives them the tools they need to rebuild their lives.”

This funding will support programs authorized through the VAWA, which Senator Mikulski helped pass into law. Six additional VAWA programs are administered by the Office of Justice Programs and funded at the same level as fiscal year 2009.  This brings the total funding in fiscal year 2010 for VAWA programs to a record $444.5 million, a $29.5 million increase over last year.

Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking are crimes of epidemic proportions, exacting terrible costs on individual lives and our communities. Twenty-five percent of U.S. women report that they have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner during their lifetimes, one in six have been the victims of attempted or completed rape. The cost of domestic violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year.

The CJS bill funds multiple competitive grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors; state domestic violence and sexual assault coalition grants; rape prevention programs; national domestic violence hotlines; grants for battered women’s shelters and transitional housing support services; victims of child abuse grants; and funding for counselors of rape victims during trials.

Earlier this year, Sen. Franken introduced an amendment (S.2588) to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill that would restrict funding to defense contractors who commit employees to mandatory binding arbitration in the case of sexual assault. The legislation, endorsed by 61 women’s, labor and public interest groups, was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones.

The Huffington Post reported earlier today:

An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who deny victims of sexual assault the right to bring their case in court has survived attempts to dull its impact and seems poised to become law.

…The final product, in the end, proved remarkably strong. According to a Franken aide, the substance of the language “is unchanged.” Under the amendment the government would not be able to do business with companies that deny court hearings for victims of either assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress or negligent hiring practice. The controversial Title VII provision, which would allow victims of assault to sue the employers of the alleged perpetrator and not just the perpetrator himself or herself, remains in the bill. Meanwhile, the threshold at which companies will be subjected to the legislation is set at those who have contracts totaling $1 million or more.

All told, the legislation would affect all major and many minor contractors, forcing them to choose between allowing litigation for their employees or forfeiting the hundreds of millions in dollars that are doled out annually in contracts by the federal government.

Continue reading here.

DOD Task Force On Sexual Assault Submits Findings and Recommendations

The DoD Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services recently submitted its congressionally-mandated report to the secretary of defense.  The report finds DoD has made progress in improving the response to victims’ needs, but calls for DoD to do more to fully address the spectrum of sexual assault prevention and response.

Pérez chosen to lead state Assembly

Assemblyman John Pérez, “an openly gay Latino Democrat from Los Angeles, made history Thursday when he was unanimously chosen by the Assembly’s Democratic Caucus to succeed Karen Bass as the lower house’s leader.”

‘Sexting’ among teens can lead to problems

Cell phones have not just become a device used to call home. The latest craze nationwide – known as “sexting” – involves 1 in 5 teens ages 13-19 years old sending sexually explicit messages or photos of themselves, or others, to their peers, according to law enforcement officials.

Claremont votes tighter restrictions on registered sex offenders

CLAREMONT – The City Council has passed a sex-offender ordinance the imposes tighter residency restrictions for registered sex offenders. The ordinance goes further than the Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act, referred to as Jessica’s Law, which protects children from sex offenders.

Assemblyman John Pérez, “an openly gay Latino Democrat from Los Angeles, made history Thursday when he was unanimously chosen by the Assembly’s Democratic Caucus to succeed Karen Bass as the lower house’s leader.”

Pérez is a freshman lawmaker. He will be formally voted in as the Assembly leader in January. Pérez is the Assembly’s “first openly gay leader. The Los Angeles-raised UC Berkeley graduate will inherit a mountain of challenges, in particular the state’s staggering projected $20.7 billion deficit through June 2011.”

Continue reading here.

Information from The Department of Defense

The DoD Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services recently submitted its congressionally-mandated report to the secretary of defense.  The report finds DoD has made progress in improving the response to victims’ needs, but calls for DoD to do more to fully address the spectrum of sexual assault prevention and response.

“Our recommendations highlight the need for institutional change to more effectively prevent sexual assault and address related issues.  Doing so is not only ethically and morally correct, but also essential to military readiness – all the more critical at this time,” said Louis Iasiello, task force co-chairman.

The task force made a number of recommendations involving DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, including: temporarily elevating oversight of this office to the jurisdiction of the deputy secretary of defense until the program meets established institutional goals; changing the budgeting process to overcome inconsistent funding among the military services; strengthening the policy and oversight functions of the office; calling for collaboration with the military services and national experts in sexual assault prevention to develop a comprehensive prevention strategy and a plan to routinely evaluate it; and more rigorous oversight of military service training programs.

The task force found DoD has made demonstrable progress in providing assistance to victims of sexual assault by offering restricted reporting, which permits a victim to obtain immediate care and counseling without engaging law enforcement and command authority.

The task force did recommend, however, that Congress should, as a permanent measure, enact a comprehensive military justice privilege for communications between a victim advocate and a victim of sexual assault.

Among the other recommendations:

• Ensure service members who report they were sexually assaulted are afforded the assistance of a nationally certified victim advocate.
• Ensure victims understand their rights, including the opportunity to consult with legal counsel to minimize victim confusion during the investigative process.
• Improve medical care for victims of sexual assault, particularly those in deployed areas.
• Ensure gender-appropriate care for male victims.
• Inform victims and service members of disciplinary actions related to sexual assault.

The task force based its assessment on data collected over a 15-month period at 60 sites around the world.  Task Force members spoke to more than 3,500 people, interviewing active duty and reserve component victims of sexual assault and other military personnel.  During their assessment, they also interviewed general court-martial convening authorities, legal and investigative officials, senior policy officials, sexual assault response coordinators, and victim advocates.

A copy of the full report can be found at by clicking here.  The secretary of defense has 90 days to review, comment on and submit the report to Congress.

Sexual Assault on Campus Shrouded in Secrecy (First in a Series)

Three hours into deliberations by the University of Virginia’s Sexual Assault Board, UVA junior Kathryn Russell sat with her mother in a closet-like room in sprawling Peabody Hall. Down the corridor, two professors and two students were deciding her fate. Russell was replaying in her mind, endlessly, details of her allegations of rape when, she remembers, Shamim Sisson, the board chair, stepped into the room and delivered the order: You can’t talk about the verdict to anyone.

Pastor Offers Sex Offenders A ‘Miracle’: A New Start

More than 20 states, including Florida, limit where convicted sex offenders can live — keeping them away from schools, parks and other places where children congregate.

In Miami, dozens of homeless sex offenders live under a bridge because there are few, if any, options nearby. But 90 miles away, there’s a community dedicated to housing sex offenders.

Most States Have Not Adopted Sex Offender Rules

The Associated Press reported earlier this week that “more than three years after Congress ordered stepped-up monitoring of sex offenders, only one state has adopted the government’s strict new requirements, and some others are weighing whether to ignore the law and just pay a penalty.”

Richmond gang rape suspects plead not guilty

RICHMOND — Six people charged with gang raping a 16-year-old girl outside Richmond High School’s homecoming dance Oct. 24 pleaded not guilty in a packed courtroom Tuesday.

The suspects, including three juveniles charged as adults, remain jailed on high or no bail and are scheduled to return to court Jan. 21 to set a preliminary hearing date.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that “more than three years after Congress ordered stepped-up monitoring of sex offenders, only one state has adopted the government’s strict new requirements, and some others are weighing whether to ignore the law and just pay a penalty.”

Ohio is the only state that’s adopted the federal standards. Implementation of the standards have been stalled due to high costs and legal challenges from registered sex offenders.

The initial deadline for states to comply was in July. Then the deadline was extended to July 2010, although several states have signaled they may still be unable to meet it. States that do not adopt the mandates risk losing millions of dollars in federal grants.

The law was designed to keep closer tabs on sex offenders, including an estimated 100,000 who are not living where they are supposed to be. It would create a national sex offender registry and toughen penalties for those who fail to register.

Last year, a federal judge in Nevada declared the law unconstitutional because it would subject offenders to additional penalties after they have served their time. The Ohio Supreme Court heard similar arguments this month from more than 26,000 sex offenders who were convicted before the law was signed.

Critics have also complained that juvenile offenders would appear on registries in some states. And because the law requires offenders to register in person, it could unfairly burden people in rural areas who would have far to travel.

Also, the California Sex Offender Management Board estimated that adopting the standards would cost the state $38 million.

Read the full story by clicking here.

Statement by Vice President Biden on the 10th Anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

“Violence against women is found in every culture around the world. It is one of our most pervasive global problems, yet it is preventable.  When gang rape is a weapon of war, when women are beaten behind closed doors, or when young girls are trafficked in brothels and fields – we all suffer. This violence robs women and girls of their full potential, causes untold human suffering, and has great social and economic costs.  On this 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, I urge all Americans to join with the international community in calling for an end to these abuses.”

Over 70 percent of SD sex offenders violate law

More than 70 percent of the registered sex offenders in San Diego County are violating a state law by living too close to schools or parks.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports Sunday that 1,266 out of 1,731 offenders’ addresses made public by the state are in violation of Jessica’s Law. The data was analyzed by the nonprofit group the Watchdog Institute. Jessica’s Law, which critics say is poorly worded, was approved by voters in 2006. It bars sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park.

Jessica’s Law too vague to enforce? — Watch Dog Institute

More than 70 percent of registered sex offenders in San Diego County are violating a state law by living too close to schools and parks.  Jessica’s Law, which was approved by California voters in November 2006, toughened sanctions against sex offenders and bars them from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. In San Diego County, 1,266 of 1,731 offenders whose addresses are made public by the state live in those restricted zones, according to an analysis by the Watchdog Institute, a nonprofit investigative journalism unit based at San Diego State University.

Hard to track sex offenders as they harness tech gadgets

The pursuit of Lee Shelton began the moment the sex offender was released from prison.

It ended months later with a U.S. Marshals Service helicopter hovering near a D.C. junior high school as Shelton kissed a 14-year-old boy. In between, authorities used two global positioning system devices to track him, learned he was online at the library and seized a secret laptop with a power source in the trunk of his car. He is back in jail.

Sex offenders more difficult to monitor

It ended months later with a US Marshals Service helicopter hovering near a District of Columbia junior high school as Shelton kissed a 14-year-old boy. In between, authorities used two Global Positioning System devices to help track him, learned he was online at the library and seized a secret laptop with a power source in the trunk of his car. His parole was revoked, and he is back in jail.

Shelton, who was originally convicted of molesting boys at the National Air and Space Museum and on the grounds of the Washington Monument, is one of thousands of sex offenders accused of similar crimes after their release from prison or while on probation. His parole violation illustrates the challenges of monitoring hundreds of thousands of offenders.

STATEMENT BY VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN ON THE 10^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

November 25, 2009

“Violence against women is found in every culture around the world. It is one of our most pervasive global problems, yet it is preventable.  When gang rape is a weapon of war, when women are beaten behind closed doors, or when young girls are trafficked in brothels and fields – we all suffer. This violence robs women and girls of their full potential, causes untold human suffering, and has great social and economic costs.  On this 10^th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, I urge all Americans to join with the international community in calling for an end to these abuses.”

Last week, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Dean Heller (R-NV) “introduced a bill in the House to address the national crisis of untested rape kit backlogs. The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009 is the House version of a Senate bill introduced earlier this month.”

Congresswoman Maloney said in a press release:

Every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted somewhere in the United States. DNA evidence doesn’t forget and it cannot be intimidated…By processing this evidence, we can prevent rapists from attacking more innocent victims and ensure that the survivors and their families receive justice.

If the bill passes “financial incentives would be introduced to process rape kit backlogs quickly, require that jurisdictions receiving Debbie Smith funds use them for rape kit testing, and would mandate that these jurisdictions have a plan to reduce their rape kit backlog by 50 percent in two years.”

The bill also creates a mechanism for collecting national data on rape kit backlogs and addresses the lack of trained medical professionals to process the kits.

CALCASA has an exciting tool that we want you to know about: Twitter.

You’ll notice that on our homepage, there is a sidebar with the headline Twitter Updates @CALCASA. These tiny headlines are called tweets and are a way of seeing the most up-to-date information about breaking news from CALCASA. Sometimes you’ll see a minute-by-minute recap of committee hearings, legislative developments and the latest blog posts as we try to get you the timeliest information possible.

Below is a short explanation of Twitter from Common Craft:

Let us know what you think!

CDC Awards Vital Prevention Funding to National Sexual Violence Resource Center

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape $1.5 million dollars per year for three years to continue funding its National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

The CDC has funded the NSVRC since 2000 to serve as the nation’s principle center for communicating, organizing, creating, and sharing information and resources about all forms of sexual violence and its prevention.

Possible Change to California Witness Law

The Sherrice Iverson Child Victim Protection Act requires “that witnesses report a serious crime against anyone 14-years-old and younger.” But the law does not apply in the Richmond case because the victim is 16.

Budget Deficit Predicted for California

California needs $20.7 billion to balance the next budget, according to a forecast issued by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Kevin Yamamura reported said, “state leaders won’t be able to reap savings from some of the state’s largest spending categories.

City Changes Rape Kit Testing Policy

Laura Strickler reported earlier this week about a city that has changed it’s rape kit testing policy in response to a CBS News investigation. The investigation “found 20,000 untested kits nationwide.”

RSS in Plain English

CALCASA has an exciting tool that we want you to know about: RSS.

Wherever you see the icon with broadcast bars, you’ll know that there is an RSS feed waiting for you to subscribe to. That means you’ll be able to get the latest CALCASA headlines, read the newest posts and stay up to date all in one place.

Suzanne Brown-McBride is the Executive Director of CALCASA as well as the chair of California’s Sex Offender Management Board. Brown-McBride was recently interviewed for “Not in My Backyard,” a radio show, and discussed state policies governing sex offenders.

The documentary features interviews with parole agents, probation officers, a California Department of Corrections official and several homeless high-risk sex offender parolees. It explores the effects of Jessica’s Law and focused on two provisions — residency restrictions and GPS tracking of sex offender parolees.

According to the professionals who supervise and oversee the management of sex offenders, the stress caused by being homeless increases the risk that they’ll commit another crime.

Click here to listen to the full documentary.

Everyone you know is on Facebook — and so is CALCASA. If you already have a Facebook account, you can connect with CALCASA by becoming our fan. Click “Become a Fan” at the top right side of our Facebook page.

By becoming a fan, you’ll receive news about CALCASA in your News Feed. You’ll see pictures of events that CALCASA representatives attended, and you’ll also be able to read news stories in which CALCASA is included.

Just like your Facebook profile, CALCASA informs its fans through status updates. This will keep you in the loop about current projects, events and discussions.

The best part about becoming a fan of CALCASA is that you can participate in the conversation. Not only can you post items on our wall — just like you can with a standard user page — but you can connect with other fans who share a common interest. Maybe there is an event or news story that you think CALCASA may find useful — post the information on our wall! Or if you attended an event with CALCASA, post photos to our Fan Page.

By contributing to CALCASA’s Facebook Page, you become an advocate for CALCASA’s mission, which brings us one step closer to eradicating sexual violence in our communities.

For more information about CALCASA’s Facebook Page, e-mail jessica@calcasa.org.

Download Facebook Pages Product Guide

Information from the New York Times

The Sherrice Iverson Child Victim Protection Act requires “that witnesses report a serious crime against anyone 14-years-old and younger.” But the law does not apply in the Richmond case because the victim is 16.

State Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, represents Contra Costa County and is “exploring how to expand that law to raise the age to 16 or 18, and potentially alter it to include any person physically harmed on a school campus. He was the author of the Sherrice Iverson Child Victim Protection Act in 2000.”

Mr. Torlakson said that staff members are “researching the effectiveness of the original act, working with the California District Attorneys Association, schools and police officers throughout the state.”

State Sen. Leland Yee is also looking into how to change the law to address the age limit issue. Lee said:

My office is still researching a number of legislative remedies and we have not ruled out amending the law to include crimes committed against people of all ages. That said, crime statistics indicate that children under age 18 represent a disproportionate number of sexual and violent crime victims, so providing them additional protections is more than just appropriate, it’s our obligation.

California needs $20.7 billion to balance the next budget, according to a forecast issued by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Kevin Yamamura reported said, “state leaders won’t be able to reap savings from some of the state’s largest spending categories.”

For instance, California lawmakers cannot touch K-12 school funding because “the state is spending close to a minimum amount required by the federal government. The state can’t cut Medi-Cal until January 2011 for the same reason. Those programs make up more than half the state’s $84.6 billion general fund budget. ”

Most likely leaders will pursue cuts in prisons, state parks and social service programs.

Click here to read the LAO report.

Laura Strickler reported earlier this week about a city that has changed it’s rape kit testing policy in response to a CBS News investigation. The investigation “found 20,000 untested kits nationwide.”

The San Antonio Police Department “will now test all rape kits in stranger cases and will also go back and test all untested stranger rape kits in storage.”

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, said:

We don’t want to let any case where someone is sexually assaulted fall through the cracks.

Chief McManus indicated that DNA profiles obtained from untested rape kits will be entered into the national FBI DNA database.

Continue reading here.

CALCASA has an exciting tool that we want you to know about: RSS.

Wherever you see the icon with broadcast bars, you’ll know that there is an RSS feed waiting for you to subscribe to. That means you’ll be able to get the latest CALCASA headlines, read the newest posts and stay up to date all in one place.

If you haven’t been using RSS watch the following Common Craft video to find out what it does, and how you can use RSS to stay connected to CALCASA activities.

For more information on RSS, check out How to Get Started with RSS.

Governor to submit plan to reduce prison crowding

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tonight will give federal judges a road map to reducing state prison overcrowding that involves waiving some state laws so sentencing regulations can be changed and new private prisons built.

The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act

The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act was introduced last week. U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009. The House companion bill will be introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

CBS News: Rape in America

Last night, on the CBS EVENING NEWS Armen Keteyian discussed the “results of a 5 month CBS News investigation into the astounding number of rapes in the United States that go unpunished or even investigated.”

Nearly 90,000 women reported they were raped in the “United States last year and it’s estimated another 75,000 rapes went unreported. However there were only about 22,000 rape arrests meaning there’s only a 25% arrest rate.”

Editorial: California parole officials should stop bureaucratic dance on

At a certain point, the bureaucratic response of public officials is simply not enough. Unless and until our government leaders own up to their mistakes and accept responsibility, they are destined to repeat them. Sometimes that’s just unacceptable.

from Sen. Franken’s office

The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act was introduced last week. U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced the Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009. The House companion bill will be introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

The legislation will work to reduce the national backlog of over 180,000 untested rape kits currently in police storage. It will also address several other problems that work to deny justice to victims of sexual assault – including the denial of free rape kits to survivors of sexual assault and the shortage of trained health professionals capable of administering rape kit exams.

“These backlogs have serious consequences for law enforcement and public safety,” said Sen. Franken. “We just learned of a case where a rapist struck both a pregnant woman and a minor while the rape kit for one of his earlier victims sat unprocessed at a crime lab. It takes about a week to process a DNA evidence sample and there is no reason that every rape kit completed should not be tested in a timely manner.”

“It’s unacceptable that rape kits sit around for months or even years while the perpetrators are still out on the streets potentially harming others. Victims deserve justice in a timely manner and our bill works to ensure that this back log is a thing of the past,” Sen. Grassley said.

“The denial of a rape kit to a woman in any jurisdiction and for any reason is unacceptable,” Sen. Feinstein said.

“I am proud to sponsor this critical legislation that will strengthen the Debbie Smith Act and provide grant incentives to law enforcement to clear their backlog of forensic samples,” said Sen. Hatch. “The inventory of DNA samples waiting processing in our nation is nearly 200,000. This is simply unacceptable to victims of sexual assaults who deserve quick resolution of their cases.  This bill will also provide much-needed assistance to rural and tribal communities in collecting and processing evidence from sexual assaults.

Armen Keteyian reported earlier this week that “thousands of rape kits throughout the nation never make it to crime labs for testing. Even the kits which are sent to the labs can go untested for months or years.”

Watch the full segment here:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Last night, on the CBS EVENING NEWS Armen Keteyian discussed the “results of a 5 month CBS News investigation into the astounding number of rapes in the United States that go unpunished or even investigated.”

Nearly 90,000 women reported they were raped in the “United States last year and it’s estimated another 75,000 rapes went unreported. However there were only about 22,000 rape arrests meaning there’s only a 25% arrest rate.”

You can view the segment here:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Special Report: CDCR’s Supervision of Parolee Phillip Garrido

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that state parole “agents fell down on the job again and again during the 10 years they supervised sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido.”

California Supreme Court Reviews Jessica’s Law

The Associated Press reported earlier this week that the California Supreme Court heard arguments challenging a key section of Jessica’s Law.

Bystander Mentality

The Richmond community is reeling from the gang rape of a 15 year old girl. Many bystanders watched, and didn’t intervene in the brutal crime. We talk about what the community and police are doing in response, and we discuss bystander mentality. What makes people stand idly by when atrocities are committed?

Sex Offender GPS: A Tool, Not a Solution

SACRAMENTO, CA – All 6,782 sex offenders currently on parole in California are being monitored by GPS.  But the case involving Phillip Garrido shows the system is far from foolproof.

“We’ve never claimed (GPS) is going to end all problems with tracking sex offenders,” said Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Gordon Hinkle.  “That’s not how the department looks at its use.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that state parole “agents fell down on the job again and again during the 10 years they supervised sex offender Phillip Craig Garrido.”

From 1999 until he was finally arrested in August, Garrido, 58, was supposed to be subject to regular visits and other checks by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Parole authorities have always insisted they had no evidence Garrido ever violated the conditions placed on him by Nevada, where he was convicted of kidnapping and raping a woman in 1976.

Yesterday, the state Inspector General David Shaw issued a special report about the case. The report said “Garrido committed numerous parole violations and that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation failed to properly supervise Garrido and missed numerous opportunities to discover his victims.”

Download the full report by clicking here.

The Associated Press reported earlier this morning that the California Supreme Court is set to hear arguments challenging a key section of Jessica’s Law.

Jessica’s Law prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. The law mandates that all those paroled after Nov. 8, 2006 — when the law took effect — must comply or face more jail time.

The case to be heard Tuesday claims the requirement violates the constitutional rights of sex offenders. Four registered sex offenders have sued the state, arguing the law makes it impossible to find a place to live.

For more information read: California Supreme Court to Review Jessica’s Law

Crime Victims Bill Goes to Senate

Legislation introduced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee and is headed for the full Senate. The proposed legislation protects funds for programs that assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

House Passes Cruise Ship Safety Legislation

Last week, the House passed cruise safety legislation that would “oblige cruise ships that serve U.S. ports to publicly report shipboard crimes, employ U.S. doctors and install peepholes in cabin doors, among other requirements.”

Lawmaker resubmits bill requiring rape-kit reports

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino reintroduced a bill that “would require police to document their progress in testing evidence from rapes, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation earlier this month.”

Grant documents deepen confusion over UC Davis sex assault statistics

Documents used to justify large grants from the federal government that support the violence prevention program at UC Davis raise additional questions about inconsistencies in the school’s reporting of crime statistics.

Five arrested in alleged gang rape; juveniles being charged as adults

Richmond, California (CNN) — Police investigating the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl have arrested five people, a police spokesman said Wednesday. Three juveniles and two adults are in custody in the rape on Saturday, said the Richmond police spokesman, Lt. Mark Gagan. The three juveniles will be charged as adults, he said.

Calif. lawmakers support Polanski extradition

LOS ANGELES – Fifteen California legislators have signed a letter supporting the extradition of Roman Polanski to Los Angeles to face his decades-old child sex conviction.

State Sen. Gloria Romero, a Los Angeles Democrat, recently wrote the letter to Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley saying the 76-year-old filmmaker should face his past and that “no one is above the law.”

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Anthony Portantino reintroduced a bill that “would require police to document their progress in testing evidence from rapes, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation earlier this month.”

The bill “would require law enforcement agencies, starting in 2010, to report to the state Department of Justice the number of rape kits they received and tested.” CALCASA supported similar legislation earlier this year.

Portantino said “requiring police to accurately track their records on testing rape kits would provide more accountability to the public.”  The Assemblyman plans to present the bill to lawmakers when the regular legislative session begins in January.

Legislation introduced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee and is headed for the full Senate. The proposed legislation protects funds for programs that assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Crapo and Leahy sponsored the Crime Victims Fund Preservation Act to protect essential services to victims under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA).

The VOCA law established a dedicated fund comprised of criminal fines and penalties collected that has become a key source of support for local violence and assault response programs. But Crapo noted those funds have come under fire almost every year as Congress redirects these “dedicated” funds from the intended recipients to other unrelated federal programs. The Crapo-Leahy bill would rededicate these funds back to victim support programs.

Continue reading the press release here.

Last week, the House passed cruise safety legislation that would “oblige cruise ships that serve U.S. ports to publicly report shipboard crimes, employ U.S. doctors and install peepholes in cabin doors, among other requirements.”

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010, written by Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), requires the cruise industry to publicly report crimes and improve safety on board. It mandates peepholes and security latches in cabins.

The cruise industry has faced criticism in recent years for a series of high-profile cases involving missing passengers, sexual attacks and so-called sick ships. Cruise lines have largely been exempt from federal oversight. Most ships are registered in foreign countries, and companies are not required to pay income tax, comply with U.S. labor laws or report shipboard crimes and illness outbreaks to U.S. authorities.

The Times noted, “It’s the first time such a bill has made it to a House vote despite repeated attempts. The measure must still be approved by the Senate.”

Kendall Carver, president of International Cruise Victims said:

“It’s been a long road, and justice is winning out against an industry that really did everything they could to avoid regulations. . . . The victim’s voice has been heard.”

For more information read: House Passes Act that Includes Coast Guard and Cruise Sexual Assault Provisions

Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Restore Funding to State’s Domestic Violence Shelters

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed SBX3 13 by Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) to restore $16.3 million of state funding to support California domestic violence shelters.

“I want to congratulate the many groups that put victims first and came together to find this creative solution that will keep domestic violence shelters throughout the state open,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

CDCR Asks Crime Victims to Register for New Automated Database to Keep them Better Informed about their Offenders

SACRAMENTO – In its effort to keep crime victims informed, the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is asking crime victims to register for a new automated system that will soon provide real-time information about the custody status of their offenders. The new system was made possible by a federal grant.

Rape Victim’s Choice: Risk AIDS or Health Insurance?

By Danielle Ivory

Christina Turner feared that she might have been sexually assaulted after two men slipped her a knockout drug. She thought she was taking proper precautions when her doctor prescribed a month’s worth of anti-AIDS medicine.

Only later did she learn that she had made herself all but uninsurable.

Court rejects governor’s plan to solve prison overcrowding

Schwarzenegger’s plan to solve California’s prison overcrowding crisis, giving the state three weeks to devise an alternative or risk an order that seizes control of how more than 40,000 inmates are released from the prison system over the next two years.

After 20 years, Minnesota still wonders, Where’s Jacob?

On Oct. 22, 1989, Jacob Wetterling vanished – kidnapped in rural St. Joseph, Minn. Twenty years later, his disappearance endures as one of the state’s greatest criminal mysteries. But his family has never given up hope that, one day, he will come home.

U.S. formally asks for Polanski extradition

(CNN) — The United States has formally asked Switzerland to extradite film director Roman Polanski, Swiss authorities said Friday.

The Academy Award-winning director was arrested in Switzerland last month on a U.S. arrest warrant stemming from a 1977 sex case involving a 13-year-old girl. He is fighting extradition.

Opinion

Vetoing Justice for Rape Victims

by Sarah Tofte

Over the weekend, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California vetoed legislation that would have made California the first state in the nation to collect comprehensive data on the physical evidence collected from rape victims that is sitting in police storage facilities.

The bill, AB 1017, which sailed through both houses of the state legislature, had been hailed by advocates as model legislation and an important first step in reckoning with the huge backlog in the United States. But Governor Schwarzenegger, citing the time and money it would take law enforcement agencies to collect the data, decided to oppose a law that would help bring justice to rape victims.

SACRAMENTO – In its effort to keep crime victims informed, the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is asking crime victims to register for a new automated system that will soon provide real-time information about the custody status of their offenders. The new system was made possible by a federal grant.

“This is a significant step forward in helping victims, and making sure their questions and concerns are addressed,” CDCR Secretary Matthew Cate said. “The VINE system will allow victims to be notified with accurate information so that they can protect themselves and participate in the criminal justice process.”

The new statewide automated Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system will provide a 24-hour service and will give registered victims an instant notice by phone or email about their offender’s whereabouts.

“We are hoping to have the VINE system up and running by next year, but we are putting the call out to the victims of this state so they can register before it’s launched,” said Assistant Secretary Sandi Menefee from the Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Service.

The state was awarded federal grant funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the United States Department of Justice. The state was awarded $500,000 in federal grant money with a $500,000 in-kind match provided in the form of redirected CDCR staff resources to manage the system. The grant award will be in effect for two years.

The automated system will also inform victims and next-of-kin of when their offender is scheduled for a parole board hearing if they are serving a life term.

Currently, the state does not have a unified statewide victim notification system.

CDCR is using a paper-based system for victim notification and the process varies among the 33 institutions.

California Penal Code and the addition of Marsy’s Law requires CDCR to notify witnesses, victims and next of kin if a violent offender is released, escapes, dies, or is up for parole.

The Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Service database documents that more than 20,000 victim notifications are made annually to victims of offenders in CDCR custody.

“The VINE system will be a more cost effective way to keep tabs on the thousands of offenders our office deals with on a daily basis,” said Menefee. “Crime victims have been through enough already, this system will make it easier for them to get the information they need.”

CDCR and the California State Sheriff’s Association (CSSA) manage victim notification systems independent of each other. This federal grant allows for an interface for both systems to come together – a seamless transition of an offender going from county jail to state prison.

CDCR operates and manages California’s 33 institutions, oversees a variety of community correctional facilities, and supervises parolees during their re-entry into society. As part of its responsibilities, CDCR also adheres to the following legislative mandates in support of its vision to protect the public from crime and victimization.

If you are a victim of an offender that is serving time in the California state prison system, please call Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services at (877) 256-6877 to register for the upcoming VINE service.

Peace Over Violence released an advocacy paper entitled Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Violence Policy Project at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex.

The report contains a description of the pilot site characteristics, a definition of the policy project, review of successes and challenges, and recommendations to others who are seeking teen dating and sexual violence policy change in school systems.

You can download the report by clicking here.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed SBX3 13 by Senator Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) to restore $16.3 million of state funding to support California domestic violence shelters.

“I want to congratulate the many groups that put victims first and came together to find this creative solution that will keep domestic violence shelters throughout the state open,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

“I am proud to sign this bipartisan legislation that is good news for every Californian whose life is devastated by violence in the home and will help ensure domestic violence victims have a safe place to go. And, I encourage the legislature to continue looking for a permanent funding solution for this important program so domestic violence shelters aren’t faced with the same uncertainty next year.”

By failing to pass a balanced budget that fell $1 billion short of what legislative leaders had agreed to, the legislature forced the Governor to cut funding for programs he never had proposed cutting, including funding for domestic violence shelters. Since the budget was signed the Governor’s Administration has been working to restore funding to this important program and will continue to work for a permanent funding solution.

SBX3 13 provides for a one-time $16.3 million loan from the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund to fund domestic violence shelters statewide for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The loan will be repaid with interest at the rate earned by the Pooled Money Investment Account by June 30, 2013.

Please click here to read the full press release.

from Rep Delahunt’s office

Last week, U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) announced that the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight will hold a hearing on Wednesday October 21 to examine international violence against women. Delahunt said:

Violence against women is on the rise around the world. It is time to examine what the Congress, the Obama Administration and United Nations (UN) can do to stem this growing tide of violence.

The World Health Organization has found that violence against women is widespread and has far-reaching health consequences. A recent reported called on “governments to take concerted action and makes recommendations for the health, education and criminal justice sectors to take the problem seriously.”

At Wednesday’s hearing, the panel expects to hear from Actress Nicole Kidman, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Goodwill Ambassador, Breakthrough Founder and Executive Director, Mallika Dutt, U.S. State Department Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, and Co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

End of Session Legislative Wrap-Up

October 11th marked the last day for Governor Schwarzenegger to sign or veto legislation that had made its way to his desk. After a long session fraught with protracted battles over the budget deficit, water and other divisive issues, many associations and institutions are counting themselves among the lucky few to have survived the process.

Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives

Last week, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced the release of Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives.

Working with the Media: Creating New Contexts

I got a phone call from an angry woman this morning saying that I should be beaten. This is unusual for Saturday mornings and I didn’t quite understand her anger until I read the San Francisco Chronicle story with this punchline:

So when Coombs asks, “How many cases are enough to justify” the database, I have a simple answer.
One.

I have to admit, I was sad to see this (mis)quote at the end of the story. I felt like I was set up. I do hundreds of interviews and I’ve never contacted a writer about being misquoted or having a controversial quote included in a story. In fact, I’ve had much more controversial lines written about me but the difference here is that in most cases a writer will make it clear (intentionally or not) when they are looking for a fall-guy. Continue reading by clicking here.

OpEd: Chicago Police Stonewall on Rape Investigations

Julie was a graduate student at the University of Chicago when, in 2007, she was raped by a man she had been introduced to that night as a friend’s new boyfriend. They were at a bar, and he was “acting weird toward me. He kept touching me and I kept pushing him away.” The man’s behavior attracted the attention of the club’s manager and bouncer, who kicked him out.

I got a phone call from an angry woman this morning saying that I should be beaten. This is unusual for Saturday mornings and I didn’t quite understand her anger until I read the San Francisco Chronicle story with this punchline:

So when Coombs asks, “How many cases are enough to justify” the database, I have a simple answer.
One.

I have to admit, I was sad to see this (mis)quote at the end of the story. I felt like I was set up. I do hundreds of interviews and I’ve never contacted a writer about being misquoted or having a controversial quote included in a story. In fact, I’ve had much more controversial lines written about me but the difference here is that in most cases a writer will make it clear (intentionally or not) when they are looking for a fall-guy.

So why did this case bother me so much? Because it proved the counter-point to a truism I have repeated time and time again when doing media training: “The media doesn’t seek to misquote you, but they get their context from you.” This story proved that sometimes, no matter how much context you give, journalists (columnists in particular) will remain rooted in their chosen understanding of the schemes which you are trying to clarify.

In this particular case, the C.W. Nevius told me up front that he had a close acquaintance who had just gotten out of a violent relationship and that it was a “particularly raw subject” for he and his colleagues. I spent a good part of the morning working with this writer to explain the legislative history of that particular bill (in fact, he didn’t even know of the bill until I told him about it) as well as the various reasons that people supported and opposed the bill. I gave him the contact information for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) who had been vocally opposed to the bill and had some very important concerns, not the least of which was that it would be easy for DV victims to end up on the registry for self-defense and would therefore have to publicly register their address for life, rendering them a target to previous abusers (bill analysis with the formal support / opposition at the bottom). Nevius chose not to include a quote from them or many of the other complexities behind why this piece of legislation might have unintended consequences that must be considered.

I share Nevius’s belief that one victim is one too many. That’s precisely why expressed the concern that our decisions must weigh the likelihood of exacerbating the problem. In fact, we have lessons to be learned from the sex offender registry that sometimes unintended consequences include false sense of security when an individual does not show up on the registry, a reduction in reporting/convictions of perpetrators known to the victim and other complex outcomes that we cannot account for. So when I said “How many cases are enough to justify…” the rest of the statement that Nevius failed to print was “…the potential for creating new victims as a result of the database.”

The point that is all-too-often missed was that half-baked solutions to complex problems often end up shifting the problem. Can we justify policy that would prevent one person’s victimization but be a contributing factor in someone else’s? These are the difficult questions that victim advocates wrestle with in policy work. Unfortunately, it is the combination of partisan posturing in the legislature coupled with our fear of this type of misrepresentation in the media that make it difficult to have an honest debate about these issues.

Luckily, the overwhelming majority of my experiences with the media are straightforward, honest and fair. For now, I’m choosing to believe that C.W. Nevius did not seek to misquote me, but rather my influence on the story was underwhelming in contrast to his personal connection to domestic violence. If that is true, then it is incumbent upon us to continue working with the media (and policy-makers) to help provide context that promotes comprehensive approaches to prevention, not quick fixes with bad outcomes.

Last week, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced the release of Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives.

The publication, developed with the support of the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice, identifies 10 key components found in successful initiatives to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses under probation supervision.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and recent prevalence estimates, there are more than four million people under probation supervision in this country and as many as one in six have serious mental illnesses. The Justice Center’s March 2009 Community Corrections Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice found that people with mental illnesses who are sentenced to traditional forms of supervision often return to jail or prison.

You can download the report for free, by clicking here. Additional resources can be found at www.consensusproject.org.

October 11th marked the last day for Governor Schwarzenegger to sign or veto legislation that had made its way to his desk. After a long session fraught with protracted battles over the budget deficit, water and other divisive issues, many associations and institutions are counting themselves among the lucky few to have survived the process.

For CALCASA, this year has been challenging though we have had tremendous success in light of political and economic turmoil. Eleven pieces of legislation that CALCASA had sponsored or chosen to support were ultimately signed by the Governor.

• SB 588 (Committee on Public Safety) Sex Offender Management Board. SB 588 ensures the continued existence of the state’s SOMB –created to assess the practices in managing adult sex offenders under supervision, identify best practices and make recommendations on how to implement changes – past its January 1, 2010 sunset date.

• SB 325 (Alquist) Sex offenders: assessments. SB 325 expands the breadth of existing sex offender risk assessment practices – strengthening the process to help ensure these assessments are reliable enough to be held up in court challenges.

• SB 432 (Runner) Crime victims: restitution. SB 432 authorizes the court and the counties, whenever a person who has been ordered to pay restitution to a victim to provide the victims contact information to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, along with the restitution order. This will enable the department to distribute restitution collected on the victim”s behalf.

• SB 447 (Yee) Criminal records: custodian. SB 447 requires the Department of Justice to establish, implement, and maintain a confirmation program to process fingerprint-based criminal record background clearances for such professionals designated as the custodian of record.

• SB 314 (Calderon) Crime victims. SB 314 works to ensure the solvency of the Victims Restitution Fund by giving higher priority to cases where penalties are owed in order to speed collection.

• SB 583 (Hollingsworth) Sex offenders. SB 583 requires the Department of Justice to record each address at which a registered sex offender resides with a unique identifier and the nature of the dwelling.

• SB 668 (Hollingsworth) Sex offenders. SB 668 requires that the registration, preregistration, or reregistration be signed under penalty of perjury.

• SB 669 (Hollingsworth) Sexually violent predators. SB 669 requires that, at the hearing on the issue of whether the committed person should be conditionally released or unconditionally discharged, where the person’s failure to participate in or complete the State Department of Mental Health Sex Offender Commitment Program may, if proved, be considered evidence that his or her condition has not changed.

• AB 17 (Swanson) Human trafficking. AB 17 increases fines on these crimes to $20,000 per count. Additionally, abduction or procurement of a minor would be categorized as a criminal profiteering activity, which could force those convicted of human trafficking to forfeit assets connected to those crimes.

• AB 73 (Hayashi) Marriage licenses: vital records: fees: domestic violence. AB 73 authorizes the Alameda Country Board of Supervisors to use a certain percentage of fees, from marriage licenses and vital records, for domestic violence programs.

• AB 595 (Adams) Placement of children: criminal background checks. AB 595 prohibits placement of foster children with individuals convicted of certain crimes, including sex crimes.

Any bill with an associated cost to the state was under significant scrutiny and most never made it out of committee for that reason. With that in mind, the inclusion of so many CALCASA sponsored and supported bills is a testament to the important work our members are doing and the support you’ve shown in the process. We are thankful to all of our members of the Grassroots Online Advocacy Center. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so now so you can help make a difference in California and US policy.

For a complete list of legislation tracked by CALCASA this year, you can review the 2009 Bill Tracking page.

info from OVW

Last week, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released two new publications. One of the publications, Female Victims of Violence, discussed “current finding on nonfatal and fatal violent crimes committed against females.”

The second publication, Crimes Against People with Disabilities, is the “first national study that presents findings about nonfatal violent and property crime experienced by persons with disabilities.”

CSG Justice Center Launches National Reentry Resource Center

From The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center

Earlier this week, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced its launch of the National Reentry Resource Center—an unprecedented initiative to advance the safe and successful return of individuals from prisons and jails to their communities. Among those served by the resource center will be states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, nonprofit organizations and adult and juvenile corrections institutions.

House Votes to Expand Hate Crimes Definition
By CARL HULSE

The House voted Thursday to expand the definition of violent federal hate crimes to those committed because of a victim’s sexual orientation, a step that would extend new protection to lesbian, gay and transgender people.

…The new measure would broaden the definition to include those committed because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It was approved by the House right before a weekend when gay rights will be a focus in Washington, with a march to the Capitol and a speech by President Obama to the Human Rights Campaign.

Franken Amendment Passes

Yesterday, the amendment offered by U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to stop funding defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in court passed the United States Senate by a vote of 68 – 30.

Last Thursday, Sen. Franken introduced an amendment (S.2588) to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill that would restrict funding to defense contractors who commit employees to mandatory binding arbitration in the case of sexual assault. The legislation, endorsed by 61 women’s, labor and public interest groups, was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones, who watched the vote from the Senate gallery today.

Obama nominates N.H. judge to Justice post

from the Office on Violence Against Women

Last week, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Judge Susan B. Carbon to be the next Director of the Office on Violence Against Women.

Susan Carbon, first appointed to the bench in 1991, has been a Supervisory Judge of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Family Division since 1996.  Judge Carbon has made many contributions to our collective work, including serving as faculty for the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.

USA Today: DNA cited as reports of rape tumble

By Donna Leinwand

Reported rapes have fallen to the lowest level in 20 years at a time when DNA evidence helps lock up more rapists, and victims are more willing to work with police and prosecutors, victims advocates and crime experts say.

The FBI estimates 89,000 women reported being raped in 2008 — 29 women for every 100,000 people. That’s down from a high of 109,062 reported rapes in 1992 — 43 women for every 100,000 people. Data for 2009 are not yet available.

The Legislature passed many of CALCASA’s priority support bills before the end-of-session deadline.

CALCASA Public Policy is advocating for the Governor to sign a number of bills that have been passed by the legislature and are awaiting his signature. The Governor must sign any new laws by Sunday.

The Governor will not take “action on more than 700 other pending bills, and legislators fear he may veto many of those if the water package doesn’t come through.”

Below is a round-up of recent stories relating to the water deal and pending bills:

• Governor: Give me Delta deal first, then I’ll sign bills — With a midnight Sunday deadline looming, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is refusing to act on hundreds of bills awaiting his signature — a bid to spur legislative leaders into finally overhauling the environmentally fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Denis C. Theriault in the San Francisco Chronicle — 10/9/09
• Schwarzenegger goes public with blanket veto threat – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened publicly Thursday what he has hinted privately for days: He will veto many of the 700-plus bills on his desk unless a water deal is struck this week. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee — 10/9/09
• Big Five tries to close on elusive statewide water deal: Legislative leaders and senior staff met with the governor for more than two hours Wednesday, after a similar meeting the day before ended amid a heated exchange between Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Senate Republican leader Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly — 10/7/09
• Skelton: Schwarzenegger’s heavy-handed threat is justified: The governor vows to kill hundreds of bills unless lawmakers deliver a measure on water. The issue justifies the tough stance. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times — 10/7/09
• Delta’s future hinges on money as Sacramento legislators debate water-policy bills: The first effort in a generation to fix California’s all-important water policy appears to be stalled by the only commodity that seems more valuable: money. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee — 10/8/09

From The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center

Earlier this week, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced its launch of the National Reentry Resource Center—an unprecedented initiative to advance the safe and successful return of individuals from prisons and jails to their communities. Among those served by the resource center will be states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, nonprofit organizations and adult and juvenile corrections institutions.

The CSG Justice Center was selected through a competitive grant process by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, to develop and direct the resource center in collaboration with the Urban Institute, American Probation and Parole Association, Association of State Correctional Administrators, and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University, and an advisory board of 25 national organizations serving the reentry field.

Authorized by the Second Chance Act of 2007 (P. L. 110-199), the resource center will provide communities across the country with the best thinking on complex reentry issues, comprehensive resources and myriad forms of support that can help reduce recidivism and strengthen neighborhoods and families. It will provide needed training and technical assistance to Second Chance Act grant recipients and provide a single point of contact for the many individuals and organizations that are committed to reentry issues.

The National Reentry Resource Center will continue the CSG Justice Center’s commitment to collaboration and will draw on the experience and expertise of its many valued partner organizations, as well as its own work in the field.

For more information, visit the resource center’s Website at www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org, where reentry research, publications and tools will be continually added and updated. To learn more about the Second Chance Act grants, see the U.S. Justice Department release.

Information from Sen. Franken’s office

Yesterday, the amendment offered by U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to stop funding defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in court passed the United States Senate by a vote of 68 – 30.

Last Thursday, Sen. Franken introduced an amendment (S.2588) to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill that would restrict funding to defense contractors who commit employees to mandatory binding arbitration in the case of sexual assault. The legislation, endorsed by 61 women’s, labor and public interest groups, was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones, who watched the vote from the Senate gallery today.Senator Franken said:

I’m proud of what we accomplished today. Victims of sexual assault deserve their day in court and no corporation should be able to deny them that right. Jamie’s courage in telling her story will help women all over this country and I’m honored to have been a part of that.

“I am highly honored that Senator Franken and his wife have created this amendment to ensure that others do not have to endure the suffering that I have,” said Jones. “This amendment makes all the hard times that I have gone through, when going public with such a personal tragedy, worth every tear shed from telling and retelling my horrific experience. I know this amendment will save so many in the future.”

Specifically, Sen. Franken’s amendment:

• Does not require contractors to change or modify existing employment contracts.  It only bars funds to contractors who continue to use these mandatory arbitration clauses in their employment contracts.
• Narrowly targets the most egregious violations and applies to defense contracts, many of which are administered abroad, where women are the most vulnerable and least likely to have support resources.  The amendment will apply to many contractors that have already demonstrated their incompetence in efficiently carrying out defense contracts, and have further demonstrated their unwillingness and their inability to protect women from sexual assault.
• Applies to claims arising out of sexual assault, like assault & battery (including rape), intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision, as well as Title VII civil rights claims, which were specifically designed to protect vulnerable groups in the workplace.

from the Office on Violence Against Women

Last week, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Judge Susan B. Carbon to be the next Director of the Office on Violence Against Women.

Susan Carbon, first appointed to the bench in 1991, has been a Supervisory Judge of the New Hampshire Judicial Branch Family Division since 1996.  Judge Carbon has made many contributions to our collective work, including serving as faculty for the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.

Last week, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that would ban the practice of committing employees to arbitration in the case of assault. The legislation was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones and is currently pending in the Senate.

Jones was a 19-yr-old employee of defense contractor KBR stationed in Iraq who was gang raped by her co-workers and imprisoned in a shipping container when she tried to report the crime. Her father and congressman worked together to secure her safe return to the United States, but once she was home, she learned a fine-print clause in her KBR contract banned her from taking her case to court, instead forcing her into an “arbitration” process that would be run by KBR itself.

“Arbitration is conducted behind closed doors, doesn’t allow you a jury of your peers, and fails to establish precedent,” said Sen. Franken. “Many of our nation’s most cherished civil rights were established by individuals bringing claims in court. Arbitration has its place in our system, but handling claims of sexual assault and egregious violations of civil rights is not its place.”

The amendment seeks to narrowly target the most egregious violations and applies to defense contracts, many of which are administered abroad, where women are the most vulnerable and least likely to have support resources. The amendment will apply to many contractors that have already demonstrated their incompetence in efficiently carrying out defense contracts, and have further demonstrated their unwillingness and their inability to protect women from sexual assault.

Several organizations have endorsed Sen. Franken’s amendment, including Minnesota NOW, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV), the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Sexual Violence Center, Legal Momentum, National Employment Lawyers Association, the Leadership Council on Civil Rights, the Consumers Union, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and US PIRG.

“This amendment reflects a critically important step in safeguarding the rights of those who have experienced discrimination in the form of sexual violence, harassment and stalking,” said Donna Dunn, Executive Director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “We know that justice for victims of violence often seems elusive. It is very important that each person have the right to assess and choose the options that they believe best fit their needs. This amendment is a giant step in that direction.”

“No survivor of sexual assault should be denied the ability to seek justice,” said Terri Poore, Policy Chair of NAESV. “Asking a victim to enter into arbitration with someone who raped her or a company that wouldn’t protect her is outrageous and sends a clear message that such violence is simply not taken seriously.”

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and across the country, advocates are joining health care providers, business leaders, policy makers, faith-based groups, college students and others at events and activities designed to educate the public about domestic and sexual violence.

NYTs: California Struggles with Paroled Sex Offenders

Solomon Moore, a journalist with the New York Times, wrote an article about monitoring paroled sex offenders in California. The piece also discussed the number of sex offenders on parole, the amount of resources spent monitoring sex offenders and legislation that will reduce caseloads for parole agents.

Homeless Ga. sex offenders seek new place to live
By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer

Georgia probation officers tried to line up temporary housing on Tuesday for nine homeless sex offenders who were kicked out of a makeshift tent city behind a suburban Atlanta office park where state officials had directed them to live.

from the Family Violence Prevention Fund

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) and across the country, advocates are joining health care providers, business leaders, policy makers, faith-based groups, college students and others at events and activities designed to educate the public about domestic and sexual violence.

Activities include national campaigns, events like the Family Violence Prevention Fund’s National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence on October 8 to 10 in New Orleans, and state and local activities of all kinds.

Across the nation, experts and those who work with victims of domestic, dating and sexual violence are planning Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) events that educate the public, inspire action, and tell victims about the help and services that are available. While the activities come in all shapes and sizes, the goals are often the same: to raise awareness about the prevalence and cost of domestic and sexual violence, the need for prevention, and the services that are available to victims and their families.

Image from the NYTs

Solomon Moore, a journalist with the New York Times, wrote an article about monitoring paroled sex offenders in California. The piece also discussed the number of sex offenders on parole, the amount of resources spent monitoring sex offenders and legislation that will reduce caseloads for parole agents.

California is the only state that places all released prisoners on parole, no matter the seriousness of their crime. Even at a time of historically low violent crime, critics argue that overloading parole agents compromises public safety.

Legislation passed this month will reduce the “average” caseloads for parole agents to 45, from 70, and nonviolent, less serious offenders will no longer be returned to prison for administrative infractions like missing counseling appointments, ditching parole agent visits or failing drug tests. Agents handling some of the most violent offenders, like Mr. Littleton’s parolees, will also see their caseloads reduced.

Continue reading by clicking here.

Legislature sends CALCASA bills to the governor’s desk

The Legislature passed many of CALCASA’s priority support bills before the end-of-session deadline.

The following is a summary of CALCASA supported bills that have been chaptered. California Statutes are the Chaptered Bills. A bill is “chaptered” by the Secretary of State after it has passed through both houses of the Legislature and has been signed by the Governor.

Mental Health Courts: A Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice

from the Council of State Governments Justice Center

The Council of State Governments Justice Center released a new report called, Mental Health Courts: A Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice. This guide summarizes the research on mental health court design, function and efficacy.

Understanding National Rape Statistics

Understanding National Rape Statistics, by Dean Kilpatrick and Jenna McCauley (September 2009), is now available at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

Lifting Ban on Counseling for Prisoner Rape Survivors

from Just Detention International

Rape is devastating – no matter where the assault occurs. It is also a crime – regardless of whether the victim is detained or lives in the community. Survivors of such crimes need and deserve support services, such as crisis counseling. Unfortunately, in the U.S. today, countless prisoners who are sexually assaulted while incarcerated are excluded from these life-saving services. Why?

California Struggles With Paroled Sex Offenders

By SOLOMON MOORE

Darrell Littleton, a California parole agent, checks on “his guys,” parolees in the Escondido area.

One got drunk and exposed himself to a jogger in a public park. Another was a fire captain until he molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter, went to prison and lost his wife, his job and his home. Now the man sleeps behind a drive-through restaurant.

The Legislature passed many of CALCASA’s priority support bills before the end-of-session deadline.

The following is a summary of CALCASA supported bills that have been chaptered. California Statutes are the Chaptered Bills. A bill is “chaptered” by the Secretary of State after it has passed through both houses of the Legislature and has been signed by the Governor.

• SB 432 (Runner) Crime victims: restitution
• SB 583 (Hollingsworth) Sex offenders
• SB 447 (Yee) Criminal records: custodian
• SB 668 (Hollingsworth) Sex offenders
• SB 669 (Hollingsworth) Sexually violent predators

In light of the tremendous budget deficit, this is a great show for CALCASA and we hope to see continued successes at the Capitol. CALCASA Public Policy is advocating for the Governor to sign a number of bills that have been passed by the legislature and are awaiting his signature. Those bills include:

• SB 588 (Committee on Public Safety) Sex Offender Management Board.
• AB 1017 (Portantino) Sexual assault crimes.
• SB 325 (Alquist) Sex offenders: assessments.
• SB 314 (Calderon) Crime victims.
• AB 382 (Ammiano) Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: inmates and wards: classification.
• AB 988 (Brownley) Human trafficking: training content.

A big thanks to all of the CALCASA members who have sent letters or subscribed to the Grassroots Online Advocacy Center. Many of these bills would not have been as successful without the hundreds of letters we have seen from you.

For a complete list of legislation tracked by CALCASA this year, you can review the 2009 Bill Tracking page.

from the Council of State Governments Justice Center

The Council of State Governments Justice Center released a new report called, Mental Health Courts: A Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice. This guide summarizes the research on mental health court design, function and efficacy. It examines available studies and translates the findings to help policymakers and practitioners understand their design and function, as well as their success.

This project was conducted by the Council of State Governments Justice Center with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

You can download a copy of the report on the Consensus Project courts website or by clicking here.

Understanding National Rape Statistics, by Dean Kilpatrick and Jenna McCauley (September 2009), is now available at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

This Applied Research paper provides an overview of how estimates of sexual violence in the United States are produced, with particular emphasis on sources of rape statistics at the national level.

• Click here to download the PDF version.
• Click here to view the paper in HTML.

from Just Detention International

Rape is devastating – no matter where the assault occurs. It is also a crime – regardless of whether the victim is detained or lives in the community. Survivors of such crimes need and deserve support services, such as crisis counseling. Unfortunately, in the U.S. today, countless prisoners who are sexually assaulted while incarcerated are excluded from these life-saving services. Why?

A federal funding restriction prohibits the use of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) money to assist rape survivors who are locked up.  Just Detention International (JDI) believes that this VOCA funding restriction must be lifted as a matter of urgency.   No one deserves to be raped. Instead of limiting services, the government should encourage community-based organizations, such a rape crisis centers, to support anyone who has been sexually assaulted, including people in detention.

Please read more in JDI’s new fact sheet: Prisoner rape survivors need crime victim assistance services.

from ECPAT-USA

The ongoing global economic crisis could have far reaching social effects for children worldwide.  As many face financial hardship, the risk of trafficking children for sexual purposes increases.

To address these concerns in North America, The Body Shop USA, ECPAT USA, and the Somaly Mam Foundation, are joining hands to raise awareness and resources to help keep the world’s children free from trafficking.

Please lend a hand.  Here’s how:

Visit The Body Shop USA location near you or online and purchase their Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream. The Body Shop USA will donate a percentage of each purchase to ECPAT. We are so grateful to companies like the Body Shop for recognizing the importance of protecting children from sexual exploitation and for supporting our efforts.

Here are other ways you can help:

1. Donate directly to ECPAT-USA.  We need your help to continue our programs to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and make sure that every child enjoys his or her right to grow up free.  Click the “donate” button at www.ecpatusa.org.
2. Educate yourself and tell your friends. The more people who understand the issue, the more hands will be joined in ending trafficking. Learn more about the issues by visiting the ECPAT-USA website: www.ecpatusa.org
3. Purchase a Tassatag and put it on your luggage. Tassatags are bright, heavy, hand-woven cotton luggage tags that help you spot your luggage more easily while reclaiming children’s lives.  It is practical, environmentally sensitive, fair trade and with it you can make a difference:  www.tassatag.org.
4. When you travel, use a company that has signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.  When you use a Code of Conduct company you are patronizing a company that has voluntarily agreed to help prevent child sex tourism.  Click here to view the full list of signatories.

The Best Question from the Last Two Weeks

The tragedy of the Jaycee Dugard case has (rightly) resulted in quite a bit of media attention and interest.  At this early stage, reliable facts are just starting to emerge – despite the volume of coverage and conversation.  The paucity of new information, however, hasn’t stopped more than a few media outlets from asking a whole host of questions that I suspect no one knows the answer to, such as

Why would someone do this?

I don’t think that the media poses these questions out of malice, or ill intent. I think that journalists are trying to respond to the intense public interest (and outrage) that a crime like this one could happen in one of our California communities. I also think that some of the relentlessness of the coverage is also the product of the 24-hour news cycle that demands new information on a constant basis.

Continue reading the article here.

California to Submit Population Management Plan that Prioritizes Public Safety and Relieves overcrowding

Last week, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) announced it will “file a comprehensive plan with the federal three judge panel that reforms the prison system over several years and eventually could exceed the panel’s order to bring the operational capacity to 137.5 percent of combined design capacity of the state’s 33 prisons.”

California’s domestic violence shelters prepare for funding fight

By Sean Maher

California’s domestic violence shelters, hit with a huge budget loss when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cut all their state funding in July, pledged Tuesday to continue pressing for that money to be restored after a bill that would have done just that failed in the state Senate.

Six of the state’s 94 domestic violence shelters have closed since Schwarzenegger used a line-item veto July 28 to cut the $16.3 million California provided across the system, said Camille Hayes, a spokeswoman for The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence.

Opinion

What we can learn from the Dugard case

Sarah Tofte

…During the 18 years Jaycee was missing, in the aftermath of a series of horrendous crimes against children, California legislators and their counterparts across the nation addressed the problem of sexual violence primarily by establishing and expanding registration and community notification requirements for convicted sex offenders.

Courts, policymakers and the public operated on the assumption that sex-offender laws worked and were worth the money, even if they meant diverting resources from prevention efforts. Lawmakers have poured a tremendous amount of resources into these programs with strong public support.

by Michael Rushford

California has had no shortage of notorious criminals over the years. Often their crimes have exposed weaknesses in state and local law enforcement policy.

The Onion Field murder, which involved the 1963 kidnapping of two Los Angeles police officers and the killing of one, led to changes in police procedures during traffic stops. The slaughter of seven people in 1969 by followers of Charles Manson helped marshal public support for the death penalty and inspired reforms in legal procedures.

Sarah Tofte wrote an interesting article on the Jaycee Dugard case and discussed how “America’s sex offender registries hurt efforts to stop repeat sex crimes.”

Americans have been doing some soul-searching about our approach to monitoring convicted sex offenders since the recent discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard. Dugard was kidnapped in California at age 11 and held captive for 18 years in Phillip Garrido’s garden. He managed to hide his secret prisoner from the police even though he was a convicted rapist and his name appeared on the public sex offender registry.

The tragedy of the Jaycee Dugard case has (rightly) resulted in quite a bit of media attention and interest.  At this early stage, reliable facts are just starting to emerge – despite the volume of coverage and conversation.  The paucity of new information, however, hasn’t stopped more than a few media outlets from asking a whole host of questions that I suspect no one knows the answer to, such as

Why would someone do this?

I don’t think that the media poses these questions out of malice, or ill intent.  I think that journalists are trying to respond to the intense public interest (and outrage) that a crime like this one could happen in one of our California communities.  I also think that some of the relentlessness of the coverage is also the product of the 24-hour news cycle that demands new information on a constant basis.

More than a few of these calls have come to CALCASA over the last two weeks, and while we don’t comment on the particulars of any active case we did feel that there was an opportunity to talk about some of the larger issues and dilemmas that a tragedy of this scope presents.  After a few of these interviews one question from a radio journalist stood out in my mind as being the best, and most important, question that I responded to last week.  As we were wrapping up the interview he asked me

Am I asking the right questions?

I can honestly say that this question caused me to pause and consider.  Was he, and by extension the media, asking the questions that I thought were the most important? Was there a better or more clear way to contextualize this crime within the context of what we know about sexual assault broadly?  Did this interview frame this incident in a manner that would usefully increase public understanding? Were we, as victim advocates, making the points we wanted to make?  His question created an opportunity for me to add some information and perspective that changed the direction of his line of questions, and gave him some additional things to consider as he follows this story.

Media advocacy 101 tells you to think about your framing questions and  talking points before any interview – and that’s great advice.  It was also refreshing to have a journalist ask before I could prompt..

Today, as I was driving home from the office I heard a great radio  interview on American Public Media’s Marketplace with the founders of “Half the Sky” – here is how they describe their work:

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world’s women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

NAESV Policy Day

Last week, CALCASA staff members participated in a policy day hosted by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV).

CALCASA staff went to Capitol Hill and met with many California delegates and staff including…

Modesto Bee: “Chowchilla distinctive for sex assaults”

By Jonah Owen Lamb

One of the nation’s largest prisons for women, the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, is among the worst prisons in America for sexual assaults. The portrayal came from a survey of 10 percent of the country’s prisons.

The survey found that more than 10 percent of the Chow- chilla prison’s 2,867 inmates reported some sort of sexual victimization. No other California prison surveyed matched those numbers, according to the survey.

High court won’t extend California prison deadline

from the Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Friday turned down California’s request to delay a federal court order related to state prison overcrowding.

The justices refused to extend a deadline beyond Sept. 18 for telling a special three-judge panel how California will reduce its inmate population by 40,000, roughly a quarter, over two years.

The judges called for the reduction so the state can improve medical and mental health care for inmates in its 33 adult prisons. The federal courts have found the care so poor that it violates inmates’ constitutional rights.

Judge sets $30 million bail for Phillip Garrido

By Sam Stanton and Denny Walsh

Phillip Garrido was ordered held on $30 million bail today by an El Dorado County judge who said Garrido posed too great a flight risk and was a danger to the community.

The ruling came at a bail hearing for Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido, who are accused in the 1991 abduction of 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard. Nancy Garrido was ordered held without bail.

A message from Catherine Pierce, OVW’s Acting Director

Fifteen years ago, we saw the result of the hard work of dedicated advocates throughout the nation, when landmark legislation, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), was signed into law on September 13, 1994.

Today, President Barack Obama commemorated the 15th anniversary of this historic law in a Presidential Proclamation:

“Far too many women in our communities and neighborhoods, and across the world, continue to suffer from violence.  Inspired by the promise and achievement of the Violence Against Women Act, our Nation stands united in its determination to end these crimes and help those in need.  NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. I call upon men and women of all ages, communities, organizations, and all levels of government, to work in collaboration to end violence against women.”

Without a doubt, VAWA would never have happened without the steadfast commitment and work of the countless advocates, coalitions and community partners who worked tirelessly for this landmark legislation, and without the dedication of our Vice President, then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch.

The VAWA recognized the severity of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking and provided federal funding to help communities in their efforts to address the needs of survivors and hold offenders accountable.  In marking this historic moment, I encourage you to reflect on where we were before, before the VAWA, and where we are now.

Thirty years ago, when a law enforcement officer responded to domestic abuse, it was considered a “family matter.”  Spousal rape was not a crime.  Many States did not have domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, or hotlines.

Thirty years ago, programs for culturally and linguistically specific groups were unheard of.  Disabled women and women in later in life were not thought to be vulnerable to abuse.  We had little understanding of the dynamics of teen relationships and the potential for sexual assault and intimate partner violence.  We did not recognize the co-occurrence of child maltreatment, and sexual and domestic violence nor did we understand the devastating impact of early victimization and exposure to violence.

But thirty years ago, a diverse group of advocates organized to change the way our nation thought about and responded to violence against women.  It became safer for survivors to talk to one another and speak about their struggles with the justice system.  Survivors and advocates talked to legislators, educated policy makers, and changed the way our nation viewed and responded to violence against women.  They stressed the necessity for treating domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking as crimes, for federal legislation that would support local efforts throughout the country, and vastly change the way we as a nation responded to survivors and offenders.

It took another 15 years to enact the VAWA, but since then countless lives have been saved, the voices of survivors have been heard, and families have been protected. Practitioners in the criminal justice system better understand the complex responses needed to address domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

Today we invite partners on the front lines of the movement —advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary, and survivors—to join us in commemorating, not only 15 years of the Violence Against Women Act, but also the many years of partnership that brings us to where we are today.

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of the VAWA, OVW announces the beginning of a year-long effort to raise public awareness, to build stronger coalitions among federal, state, local and tribal communities, and to redouble our efforts to end domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking for men, women and children across the country.

I call upon all of you to continue to innovate and collaborate with the same resolute spirit of the movement we witnessed fifteen and thirty years ago.  Together we will keep women and girls safe, and find lasting community-based solutions to end violence against women and girls.

You may view additional information about OVW’s plans to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act on our website. The Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women mark this anniversary with a renewed sense of dedication.  Please join us.

Cindy and Kavin

Yesterday, CALCASA staff members participated in a policy day hosted by the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV).

CALCASA staff went to Capitol Hill and met with many California delegates and staff including:

• Senator Barbara Boxer
• Congresswoman Judy Chu
• Congresswoman Dorris Matsui
• Conbressman Howard Berman
• Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren

CALCASA staff shared information with legislators about issues of importance to rape crisis centers and the victims they serve. Two key pieces of legislation CALCASA is currently highlighting include HR 3402 and S. 1340. Both bills would significantly increase funding for crime victims by raising an artificial cap placed on grants from the Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA).

CALCASA also talked to legislative staff about the importance of Sexual Assault Service Program (SASP) funding.

Background on VOCA

Enacted in 1984, VOCA created the Crime Victims Fund as a non-taxpayer funding resources for services that help crime victims cope with trauma and the aftermath of crime. More than 4,400 local agencies from all 50 states, and several US territories, depend on the VOCA Fund assistance grants to serve nearly 4 million crime victims each year.

In California, VOCA funds the California Victims Compensation Fund, which provides funding directly to victims of all types of crime including sexual violence.

Week of August 31st

California State Assembly Votes to let Sex Offender Management Board Continue

SB 588, one of CALCASA’s sponsored bills passed the California State Assembly today. The final vote was 65-0.

This bill eliminates the sunset date on California’s Sex Offender Management Board, which would otherwise disappear beginning December 31st this year. The passage of this bill will ensure that this vital board of experts addressing sex offender policy on a statewide basis will be able to do so on an ongoing basis.

The final word on this bill lies with Governor Schwarzenegger, when he chooses to sign or veto the bill. The bill has already received strong support from the administration, so this is a very good sign.

The California Report: “Governing Sex Offenders”

Suzanne Brown-McBride is the Executive Director of CALCASA as well as the chair of California’s Sex Offender Management Board. Brown-McBride was recently interviewed for a story about Jaycee Lee Dugard and discussed state policies governing sex offenders.

Listen to the interview here:

WSJ: “Sex-Registry Flaws Stand Out”

In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal discussed the California Sex Offender Management Board and the Jaycee Dugard case.

The article also discussed the number of sex offenders on parole in California, the state’s sex-offender registry, risk classification, and the amount of resources spent monitoring sex offenders.

Friday Legislative Update: Week of August 31st

Below is a summary of what happened this week with bills that CALCASA is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring, supporting and watching. We included links to each bill, so that you can read the text. All bills over $150,000 are sent to suspense and reconsidered later in the legislative session

Another view: What we did wrong, and right

By Suzanne Brown-McBride

Over the past 18 years, Jaycee Dugard suffered through an unimaginable ordeal, the details of which are just starting to become clear. While specific missteps or missed opportunities to intervene earlier and more effectively might be identified over time, one significant public safety problem is already clear:

Phillip Garrido was able to offend, largely unnoticed, due to a fractured approach to sex offender management. This approach didn’t include active communication and collaboration among law enforcement and public safety agencies, clinical offender management resources and community members.

Week of August 31th

Below is a summary of what happened this week with bills that CALCASA is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring, supporting and watching. We included links to each bill, so that you can read the text. All bills over $150,000 are sent to suspense and reconsidered later in the legislative session.

ASSEMBLY – SENATE THIRD READING FILE

SB 588 (Committee on Public Safety) Sex Offender Management Board.
CALCASA Position: Sponsor
9/3/2009 From SENATE: Passed Assembly to ENROLLMENT.
Current Location: S-Enrollment

SB 197 (Pavley) Domestic violence proceedings: conditional examination of witnesses.
CALCASA Position: Watch
Status: 9/3/2009 In Senate. To unfinished business.
Current Location: 9/3/2009 S-UNFINISHED BUSINESS

SB 557 (Yee) Human trafficking: property: nuisance.
CALCASA Position: Watch
Status:9/2/2009 In Senate. To unfinished business.
Current Location: 9/2/2009 S-UNFINISHED BUSINESS

SB 188 (Runner) Temporary restraining orders: private postsecondary institutions.
CALCASA Position: QUESTIONS
Status: 8/27/2009 From Consent Calendar to third reading.
Current Location: 8/27/2009 A-THIRD READING

ASSEMBLY – UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

AB 1270 (Torrico) Victim’s compensation: procedure.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 9/2/2009 Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment.
Current Location: 9/2/2009 A-ENROLLMENT

SENATE – ASSEMBLY BILLS-SECOND READING FILE

AB 1017 (Portantino) Sexual assault crimes.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 9/3/2009 In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 5 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
Current Location: 9/3/2009 A-CONCURRENCE

AB 307 (Cook) Sex offenders: working with minors.
CALCASA Position: Watch
Status: 9/3/2009 Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed and to Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0.)
Current Location: 9/3/2009 A-CONCURRENCE

SENATE – ASSEMBLY BILLS-THIRD READING FILE

AB 73 (Hayashi) Marriage licenses: vital records: fees: domestic violence.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 9/3/2009 Assembly Rule 77 suspended. Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment.
Current Location: 9/3/2009 A-ENROLLMENT

AB 382 (Ammiano) Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: inmates and wards: classification.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 9/3/2009 Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 23. Noes 14.)
Current Location: 9/3/2009 A-CONCURRENCE

AB 988 (Brownley) Human trafficking: training content.
CALCASA Position: Support
Status: 9/3/2009 In Assembly. To enrollment.
Current Location: 9/3/2009 A-ENROLLMENT

AB 807 (Fuentes) Restitution centers.
CALCASA Position: QUESTIONS
Status: 9/3/2009 Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 26. Noes 7.)
Current Location: 9/3/2009 Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 26. Noes 7.)

SB 588, one of CALCASA’s sponsored bills passed the California State Assembly today. The final vote was 65-0.

This bill eliminates the sunset date on California’s Sex Offender Management Board, which would otherwise disappear beginning December 31st this year. The passage of this bill will ensure that this vital board of experts addressing sex offender policy on a statewide basis will be able to do so on an ongoing basis.

The final word on this bill lies with Governor Schwarzenegger, when he chooses to sign or veto the bill. The bill has already received strong support from the administration, so this is a very good sign.