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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 24th

Exclusion policy on early prison release ruled invalid

Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that “a Federal Bureau of Prisons policy excluding murderers, rapists and others with violent crimes on their record from an early-release program is invalid because authorities have failed to explain why those inmates are ineligible.”

Police Investigate the Jaycee Lee Dugard Caste

Police investigating the kidnap of Jaycee Lee Dugard have started digging in the grounds of a house next to the property where she was kept hidden for 18 years.

Women’s services take hit after state cuts

SANTA CRUZ — The Walnut Avenue Women’s Center will be closed on Wednesdays to deal with recent state budget cuts, and leaders say the closure could not come at a worse time.

East Palo Alto outraged at sexual predator’s release

News that a twice-convicted rapist is moving to East Palo Alto has furious residents planning protests against an out-of-town landlord and a Santa Clara County judge.

Friday Legislative Update

Click here to review a summary of what happened last 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.

Week of August 24th

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 Appropriations

SB 588 (Committee on Public Safety) Sex Offender Management Board.

• CALCASA Position: Sponsor
• Status: Do Pass
• Current Location: A-APPR. SUSPENSE FILE

Senate Appropriations

AB 307 (Cook) Sex offenders: working with minors.

• CALCASA Position: Watch
• Status: Senate Rule 28.8
• Current Location: S-Second Reading

AB 1017 (Portantino) Sexual assault crimes.

• CALCASA Position: Support
• Status: Do Pass
• Current Location: S-APPR. SUSPENSE FILE

Week of August 17th

Maj. General Wade and Senator Alquist Receive Leadership Awards

This year’s CALCASA Leadership Conference included several awards, the most prestigious of which were given to the Adjutant General of the California National Guard and a State Senator. CALCASA’s Leadership Awards are given to individuals who have shown leadership in the area of preventing and responding to sexual assault in our community.

Fox40: “GPS Not Total Solution to Prison Overcrowding”

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 GPS monitoring devices as a strategy to reduce prison overcrowding. She said:

NYTs Magazine: Why Women’s Rights are the Cause of Our Time

The New York Times Magazine devoted it’s recent issue to women’s rights.

…women in poor countries suffer are of paramount importance, in an economic and geopolitical sense the opportunity they represent is even greater. “Women hold up half the sky,” in the words of a Chinese saying, yet that’s mostly an aspiration: in a large slice of the world, girls are uneducated and women marginalized, and it’s not an accident that those same countries are disproportionately mired in poverty and riven by fundamentalism and chaos.

There’s a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism. That’s why foreign aid is increasingly directed to women. The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren’t the problem; they’re the solution.

As Calif. prison spending rises, so do concerns

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California devotes 10 percent of its operating budget to locking up criminals in state prisons, one of the highest rates in the nation and an amount that is becoming a drag on the state’s ability to deliver other services.

Friday Legislative Update

Click here to review 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.

The full membership of the Legislature has returned to the Capitol, with both Assembly and Senate floor sessions slated for the early afternoon.

CALCASA will continue to keep you posted on what happens with bills that we are tracking through the state legislature. One way to stay connected is by subscribing to our blog and reading our Friday Legislative Wrap-Up.

By clicking here, you can review our bill tracking list.

Week of August 10th

CALCASA Media Advocacy Guide

CALCASA is pleased to release our Media Advocacy Guide! Our goal is to share how we use media advocacy. For some of you, this will be a nice introduction to working with the media. For others, you may find that this is a simple text for sharing the activities you’re already doing in your agency with new staff, leadership or allies.

The guide includes some lessons we’ve learned and some nice tips for working with the media. We hope you’ll find it useful and we also want to hear what you think. Some members have already provided valuable feedback while we were writing the guide and we thank you for the support!

Click here to download the guide.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Giving Law Enforcement Additional Resources to Monitor and Prosecute Sex Offenders

by Valerie Gotten

Last week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the signing of two bills that will give law enforcement officials additional resources to more effectively monitor and prosecute registered sex offenders and sexually violent predators.

“We must do everything in our power to provide law enforcement with the resources necessary to protect the public,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Public safety is a top priority and with these bills, we will be able to better monitor and prosecute sex offenders and sexually violent predators to the fullest extent of the law – making our streets safer from these dangerous predators.”

Rape: It’s a war crime

Despite changes in international law and declarations by tribunals and the U.N., rampant sexual violence goes unpunished around the globe.

CALCASA ED Joins Council of State Governments Justice Center

A group of state and local leaders from across the nation?including respected state lawmakers and gubernatorial appointees who direct large state agencies, state supreme court chief justices and other court officials, and law enforcement executives and prosecutors met in Burlington, Vt., this week to discuss critical criminal justice policies.

Huffington Post: “Despite Promises, Some Rape Victims Stuck Paying Exam Bills”

Earlier this week, the Huffington Post, posted a story about rape victims who have been required to pay for evidence collection.

Editorial: Faces behind the numbers

Earlier this week, the Ventura Country Star posted an editorial about the recent domestic violence program funding cuts.

CA Prisons Must Cut Inmate Population

Earlier today, “a panel of federal judges ordered the California prison system on Tuesday to reduce its inmate population of 150,000 by 40,000 — roughly 27 percent — within two years. The judges said that reducing prison crowding in California was the only way to change what they called an unconstitutional prison health care system that causes one unnecessary death a week.”

Week of July 27th

State Budget Leaves Victims Vulnerable, Safety Net in Tatters

This week’s budget signing left a critical hole in California’s victim services safety net. With more than $20 million in cuts, California’s domestic violence programs took some of the biggest hits, leaving community agencies to try desperately to pick up the pieces.

Click here to continue reading.

Schwarzenegger signs budget bills, cuts $489 million

Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger “ended the months-long saga over California’s enormous budget deficit, but not before slashing nearly half a billion dollars more from services to the poor, sick and elderly.”

Rep. Matsui Applauds Unanimous Committee Support of Cruise Safety Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-CA) applauded her colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and for their commitment to keep Americans aware and protected while on cruise vacations, and for bringing the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 before the full Committee for mark-up earlier this week.

Click here to continue reading.

CDCR reduces financial aid to Salinas sex offenders

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation “is cutting or reducing aid to about 10 sex offenders this month in Salinas, officials said, due to a policy enacted in May to prevent parolees from living off taxpayer money. As a result, sex offenders will have to find help from friends or family, be able to afford their own housing or become homeless.”

Click here to continue reading.

Week of July 20th

Media Advocacy Guide: Section 4

Over the next month or so we will be releasing new chapters, each covering new concepts or ideas. Our goal is to share some of the process we use in media advocacy. For some of you, this will be a nice introduction to working with the media. For others, you may find that this is a simple text for sharing the activities you’re already doing in your agency with new staff, leadership or allies.

Click here to download the latest chapter and continue reading.

New Policy Permits Asylum for Battered Women

By JULIA PRESTON

The Obama administration has opened the way for foreign women who are victims of severe domestic beatings and sexual abuse to receive asylum in the United States. The action reverses a Bush administration stance in a protracted and passionate legal battle over the possibilities for battered women to become refugees.

Click here to continue reading.

Grieving dad on verge of ‘David-and-Goliath’ victory over cruise industry

It’s a David-and-Goliath victory, no doubt. And one that could force some big changes at cruise lines.

As the Arizona Republic, a sister paper to USA TODAY, notes today in a lengthy front-page story, a Phoenix man whose daughter vanished from an Alaskan cruise in 2004 is on the brink of a long-awaited triumph after he helped push the multibillion-dollar cruise industry to accept new safety regulations.

Click here to continue reading.

Opinion: This Is What Rape Culture Looks Like

I often get asked what the phrase “rape culture” means. And while, honestly, the answer is no further away than wikipedia, it’s sometimes easier to grasp a concept by observing it in the wild.

Ben Roethlisberger is the Super-Bowl-winning QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last summer he was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. While there, he flirted up a female host at Harrahs, the casino hotel where he was staying. Whether or not she voluntarlily flirted with him is unknowable – as a rich, high profile celebrity, he knew that it was her job to flirt with him, and so did she. That’s rape culture. When men make choices about what women do with their sexuality, that strengthens the idea that men can control women’s bodies.

Click here to continue reading.

Week of July 6

States struggle to comply with Adam Walsh Act

The Washington Times reported earlier today that many states are finding it difficult to comply with the Adam Walsh Act.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. granted a 1 year extension earlier this month because no states were able to meet the deadline. Many states are now struggling “with what they can and will do to satisfy the guidelines when they take effect in July 2010.”

Click here to continue reading.

Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-CA) applauded Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) and Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) for their commitment to keep Americans aware and protected while on cruise vacations, and for moving the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 through the Senate Committee. Representative Matsui and Senator Kerry introduced this legislation earlier this year after holding multiple hearings which made apparent the gross inadequacies of current cruise safety provisions.

Click here to continue reading.

Congressional Hearing about Sexual Violence in America’s Correctional System

from the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission

As you may know, on June 23, 2009, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission released its report and proposed standards to the President, Congress, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the public. In the intervening weeks, there has been tremendous interest in the findings and recommendations of the Commission, including editorials in the Washington Post and the New York Times urging that the Commission’s recommendations and standards be implemented.

Click here to continue reading.

Universities failing to prevent on-campus sexual assaults could face reprimand

by Emily Melvold

Universities facing sexual-assault lawsuits may be reprimanded not only for how officials responded but also for how they failed to prevent alleged incidents.

Lawyers from at least seven Big Ten universities — not including the UI — sent representatives to the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

Held in Toronto, one discussion in particular addressed how schools should deal with such issues. Maureen McClain, a panel member and a lawyer with a San Francisco law firm, warned that institutions need to make sure that they have clear procedures in place for dealing with sexual assault and harassment investigations.

Click here to continue reading.

Sac Bee Editorial: Living with the law as written

Earlier today, the Sacramento Bee posted the following editorial about the unintended consequences of Jessica’s Law:

Sometimes bad laws have a way of coming back to bite the people most responsible for enacting them. That’s the case with state Sen. George Runner, the principal sponsor of Proposition 83, the 2006 initiative popularly known as Jessica’s Law, which voters approved overwhelmingly.

Among other things, the law severely restricts where sexual offenders can live after they are released from prison. Under its provisions, those convicted of rape or child molestation or even misdemeanor indecent exposure cannot live within 2,000 feet of a school or a park.

Click here to continue reading.

Friday Legislative Update: Week of July 6th

Click here to review a summary of what happened last week with bills that the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring and supporting. 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.

Week of June 22nd

CALCASA Budget Update

Last week CALCASA held a mid-session legislative/budget update. Some members expressed interest in reading additional materials so we’ve included them here. Click here to download a pdf of CALCASA’s Mid-Session Update.

Here’s a story from the LA Times regarding the County’s decision to stop processing the rape kit backlog.

Here is the Legislative Analysts Office Conference Committee Budget Proposal Summary.

Don’t forget to review CALCASA’s bill tracking list.

Friday Legislative Update

Click here to read a summary of what happened last week with bills that the CALCASA is tracking through the state legislature. The list includes bills that CALCASA is sponsoring and supporting.

Update on Sexual Assault Service Program (SASP) Funding

The Senate Appropriations Committee past its FY 2010 appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, NASA, the National Science Foundation and several independent agencies. Overall, the bill totals $64.9 billion in discretionary spending for FY 2010, an increase of about $7.3 billion over last year and $200 million above the President’s budget request.

Click here to continue reading.

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Releases Report

The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault applauds the release of the first-ever binding national standards aimed at preventing and addressing sexual abuse in U.S. corrections facilities. Developed by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, in close collaboration with Just Detention International, these standards represent a milestone in the effort to end sexual violence in detention. Attorney General Eric Holder now has one year to encode the standards as part of federal regulations.

CALCASA is a signatory of the “Call for Change,” sponsored by Just Detention International.

You can download the report by clicking here.

Strip Search of Student was Illegal, Top Court Says

Last week the Supreme Court ruled that a “school’s strip search of an Arizona teenage girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal. In an 8-1 ruling, the justices said school officials violated the law with their search of Savana Redding in the rural eastern Arizona town of Safford.”

CNN: “Sexual assaults on the high seas come under scrutiny”

Earlier this week, CNN reported on the high rates of sexual assault on cruise ships and the difficulty in reporting and prosecuting sex crimes.

The story also discussed the introduction of the “2009 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, which requires the cruise industry to publicly report crimes and improve safety on board. It mandates peepholes and security latches in cabins. This week, several victims of cruise crimes will meet with senators to discuss the issue.”

Click here to continue reading.

Sacramento Bee: California lawmaker arranges improper deal on parolees

Andy Furillo, a journalist with the Sacramento Bee, reported this morning that Senator Runner “a California lawmaker arranged an improper deal with state corrections officials to stop an influx of parolees into his district 10 months before voters approved ‘Jessica’s Law,’ the 2006 ballot measure he wrote to restrict where paroled sex offenders could live.”

Week of June 1

Stockton Record: “University of the Pacific official’s comments blasted”

Last week a University of the Pacific spokesperson made a statement differentiating “date rape” and “outright rape.” Many advocates for sexual-assault victims expressed their dismay with the spokespersons’ comments. Joelle Gomez, the Director of the Women’s Center of San Joaquin said, “Call it date rape, acquaintance rape. Rape is rape. It shouldn’t be minimized the way it was. It’s a gross and uneducated viewpoint. You don’t differentiate.”

Click here to continue reading.

Victims allege years of sexual misconduct by federal judge

Last week on Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee task force heard testimony about U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent. CNN reported that the Committee heard compelling testimony “as two victims of Kent’s sexual misconduct detailed their personal ordeals that lasted years.”

Kent, a Texas judge, “pleaded guilty in February to one count of obstruction of justice for lying to investigators about the sexual misconduct in his Galveston, Texas, courthouse. It was the first case of sexual abuse against a sitting federal judge. Though he acknowledged in his plea that the events had occurred, the charges covering the sexual misconduct itself were dropped as part of the plea agreement. He had previously insisted the sexual events were consensual.”

Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) Extension

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “applauded the Justice Department’s decision to give a one-year extension to states to comply with the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).”

The Act was signed into law in 2006 and was included as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The Act required states to comply with the provisions by July of this year.

Click here to continue reading.

Week of May 25th

CNN: “Study – Abuse, provocative images increase Internet risks for girls”

(CNN) — A history of childhood abuse and use of a provocative online identity increase the risk that girls will be victimized by someone they meet on the Internet, according to a study appearing in the June issue of Pediatrics.

A study in Pediatrics sought to identify which risk factors are linked to Internet-initiated victimization of girls. While highlighting the dangers that exist for adolescent girls, the study’s authors also offer a word to parents: You can lessen the risks to your children by monitoring their Internet use.

The authors sought to identify risk factors connected to increased rates of Internet-initiated victimization of girls. They also wanted to find out whether abuse victims showed increased vulnerability to online victimization.

Click here to continue reading.

Sac Bee: “Latest budget proposal eliminates CalWORKs, lets out inmates early”

Yesterday Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Department of Finance “proposed closing the state’s main welfare program, releasing nonviolent prisoners one year early and shuttering up to 80 percent of state parks to shrink the state’s $24.3 billion budget deficit.”

Click here to continue reading.

Proposition’s Opponents Say Fight Will Continue

Jesse McKinley reported yesterday that “supporters of same-sex marriage in California wasted little time on Tuesday turning away from their courtroom defeat on Proposition 8, and toward a potential campaign to overturn the measure.”

Click here to continue reading.

Week of May 11th

Schwarzenegger pleads for passage of ballot measures

California’s governor visits three Los Angeles churches to try to convince voters of the need for the measures’ approval in Tuesday’s special election, to help fix the state’s fiscal crisis.

Friday Legislative Update

Below is a summary of what happened last week with bills that the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) is tracking through the state legislature. 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.

Click here to continue reading.

WEAVE says budget cuts would kill rape crisis program

By Cynthia Hubert

Women Escaping a Violent Environment will shutter the area’s only rape crisis program on July 1 if proposed county budget cuts go forward, its director said Friday. Elimination of the program, which operates a crisis line and provides trained advocates to accompany rape victims during medical exams, police interviews and court appearances, would leave Sacramento as one of the few counties in the state without such a service, said WEAVE Director Beth Hassett.

More States Use GPS to Track Abusers

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — When Theresa, a 51-year-old mother of two living near this coastal town, filed for a restraining order against her husband, she thought it would help put an end to the beatings, death threats and stalking that had tormented her family for years.

Week of March 30th

U.S. Department of Defense Partners With Men Can Stop Rape on Sexual Assault Prevention Campaign

from Men Can Stop Rape

In support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and as part of their recent efforts to create a “culture of prevention” to reduce sexual violence, this week the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) is launching a social marketing campaign it developed with internationally recognized expert, Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. (MCSR).

Click here to continue reading.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Californians can join national efforts to “Decide to End Sexual Violence.” The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault is providing information, tips and tools to maximize successful Sexual Assault Awareness Month planning in California, including action steps that community members, activists, and professional industries can take to end sexual violence.

Continue reading by clicking here.

Human Rights Watch Releases New Report: Testing Justice

Human Rights Watch released a new report today about the backlog of rape kits in Los Angeles County. Sarah Tofte, the Human Rights Watch researcher who authored the report, presented the results of her findings to the press and public earlier this morning.

Untested sexual assault kits at the Los Angeles Police Department storage facility. © 2009 Patricia Williams

The 68-page report “reveals that the backlog of untested rape kits in Los Angeles County is larger and more widespread than previously reported. Through dozens of interviews with police officers, public officials, criminalists, rape treatment providers, and rape victims, the report documents the devastating effects of the backlog on victims of sexual abuse.”

Click here to continue reading.

Rep. Matsui Introduces Cruse Safety Bill

Last week, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 “to keep Americans aware and protected while on cruise vacations.”

Rep. Matsui said, “We have now held two House hearings and one Senate hearing on crimes aboard cruise ships, and this legislation will ensure that those who have bravely stepped forward to tell their story will not have done so in vain. For far too long, American families have unknowingly been at risk when they have embarked on what should have been relaxing sea voyages.”

Click here to continue reading.

CALCASA Executive Director Chosen for Council of State Governments Leadership

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center chose their leadership a few weeks ago and selected CALCASA’s Executive Director, Suzanne Brown-McBride, as a board member.

CSG leaders established the Justice Center in 2006 to serve policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It’s mission is to provide practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies, informed by available evidence, to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The Justice Center is a valuable resource for criminal justice policymakers across the country. The board represents a cross-section of policymakers from the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government in states across the country.

More information about the Justice Center is available at its website: www.justicecenter.csg.org

Week of February 18th

2008 Rape Crisis Center Budget Update

California’s budget crisis and the $14 billion shortfall facing the state has made plenty of headlines recently. Now, the Governor has approved $1 billion in mid-year cuts, which will have tremendous effects on many state agencies.

Click here to continue reading.

News Alert: Sex Offender Management Board Releases Initial Report to Governor, Legislature

Last week, the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) members convened and ratified the Board’s Initial Report to the Governor and the Legislature. The report is an assessment of current management practices for adult sex offenders in California communities as well as identifying key research needed for evidence based solutions to issues related to sex offender management.

Click here to continue reading.

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Update

The Congressional Crime Victims’ Rights Caucus sponsored a briefing for congressional staff on the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) last week.

Click here to download the VOCA background materials.

SARATSO selects risk assessment instruments for sex offenders

The SARATSO (State-Authorized Risk Assessment Tool for Sex Offenders Review Committee) Review Committee has selected a SARATSO for male and juvenile sex offenders.

Click here to view the postings.

Neighbors fight halfway house for sex offenders

…According to the Megan’s Law Web site on Wednesday, the 12-unit apartment complex, at 1149 E. First St., is home to 15 registered sex offenders. Their pictures are posted on the site along with a brief description of their crimes, which range from kidnapping and rape by force to lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.

The 29-year-old Turko now says she is afraid to walk down the street alone at night and has trouble sleeping, even though she lives with two male roommates.

Woman Seeks Justice Against Sex Offender

A woman molested by her youth pastor nearly 20 years ago was in Bakersfield on Friday, still trying to find closure and healing.

James Spears pleaded guilty of lewd acts with a child under 14 years old in 1990, and is a registered sex offender. Friday night, his son defended him, calling him a changed man.

Former girls soccer coach sentenced for trading child porn

A former girls soccer coach from Martinez has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for exchanging pornographic pictures of children as young as 3 years old.

Week of February 11

Local programs face major cuts by the federal government
Local programs aimed at helping survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault face major cuts by the federal government. Click here to review the 2008 Rape Crisis Center budget summary.

CALCASA Opposes Parental Alienation Syndrome Awareness Day

Some Father’s Rights (FR) Groups are once again attempting to proclaim April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day. For the third year in a row, the FR’s are sending proclamations to the Governor offices of every state to declare April 25 as parental Alienation Awareness Day.

Click here to continue reading.

Law to boost sex offender monitoring falling short

A new law aimed at protecting children by imposing tough residency restrictions and lifetime electronic monitoring of sex offenders has failed to deliver on its promise and could be making the state less safe.

Molesters dwell in neighborhoods with kids

BAKERSFIELD – Two years ago, California voters overwhelmingly passed Jessica’s Law, restricting where registered sex offenders can live.

But the law may have a side-effect. With much of the community off-limits, the Parole Department has resorted to stacking offenders in cheap Bakersfield motels.

Click here to view the video.

Teacher, Officer Accused Of Sex Crimes With Girl

TURLOCK, Calif. – A police officer and a teacher are both accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl, Turlock police said. Carl Kubicek, a math teacher and football coach at Pitman High School, and Officer Jorge Cruz were arrested, Turlock Police Chief Gary Hampton said.

Week of February 4th

2008 Rape Crisis Center (RCC) Budget Update

CALCASA has put together a 2008 RCC Budget Update, which addresses many of theissues related to California’s State budget crisis as well as the potential cuts to Federal funding streams.

We hope this will help to clarify how California’s recent budget shortfall may (or may not) impact rape crisis centers.

Please feel free to share this update with staff and contact CALCASA if you have questions.

CDC: Quarter of U.S. women suffer domestic violence
Info from feministing

A new survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about a quarter of women in the U.S. have been a victim of intimate partner violence. The CDC also reported that many of these women have other long-term health risks.

Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, says that the report confirms “that living in a dangerous and stressful environment has long-term health impacts…it’s like living in a war zone.”

The survey also showed high rates of sexual and dating violence on college campuses.

Jessica’s Law Implementation

CBS San Deigo recently covered the status of Jessica’s Law implementation. The story aired on Monday and the CBS correspondent noted that while parole is enforcing residency restrictions, probations (under direction from local District Attorney’s office) is electing to hold off until a court decision mandates implementation.

Victim Advocate, Brown-McBride emphasized:

“It’s better to know where an offender lives and that they have a stable residence than to have them wandering around homeless, transient and unsupervised…

The point of these laws is not to just make the community feel safe, to make them feel like they have residency restrictions, therefore they’re safe, GPS to make them feel like they’re safe. But to actually make them safe.”

Whereas, Dumanis is quoted as saying:

“As you know, the law is in flux. It’s confusing at this moment..”

Jessica’s Law is working, it’s working well. There are some issues we need to address, and with anything we need to discuss it, reflect on it and if there are things that need to be changed, then we should change it.”

Click here to continue reading the story.

A Debate About Pedophilia

The Agenda, recently aired a television interview show about pedophilia that features members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA).

The content of the show is well-stated and informed. Click here to watch the debate or listen to the podcast.

Sex Offender Moves In, E-mail Alert Goes Out

Local law enforcement agencies have joined together to launch a new Web-based program that tracks sex offenders in the Sacramento area. The program called Offender Watch tracks sex offenders in real time.

Sex offender blocked from move to LA’s Antelope Valley

A convicted sex offender who spent a decade in a state mental hospital cannot move to the desert Antelope Valley area of Los Angeles County.

A judge ruled Wednesday that Kenneth Rasmusen cannot leave the Goleta area where he was released in November.

Rasmusen molested an 11-year-old boy and sexually assaulted a 3-year-old. He spent 10 years at Atascadero State Hospital until his release.

Week of January 28th

RCC 2008 Budget Update
CALCASA prepared a 2008 Rape Crisis Center Budget Update. Click here to review the update.

A Bee Exclusive: Abuse case casts doubt about board

In 2004, the state attorney general’s office sent an alarming notice to the board that licenses California chiropractors: a Los Angeles practitioner had been accused of rape.

Thomas Dickershaid continued to practice for two more years, until four additional victims – three patients and one job applicant – reported that they had been sexually abused.

Jessica’s Law hits enforcement roadblocks

The realities of Jessica’s Law have hit home for a Gonzales man convicted of sexual battery against his ex-girlfriend at Hartnell College.

The case demonstrates some of the difficult issues confronting local authorities over application of the law. Passed by 70 percent of voters in November 2006, Jessica’s Law requires lifetime electronic monitoring of sex offenders paroled from prison and prohibits all registered sex offenders — even those never sent to prison — from living within 2,000 feet of a “school or park where children regularly gather.”

Sex offender wins a round in court

Jessica’s Law was meant to make it possible for sex offenders like Charles Thomas Small to be kept behind bars longer, but it inadvertently contributed to him being ordered released on parole last year.

Banishment By a Thousand Laws: Residency Restrictions on Sex Offenders
by COREY RAYBURN YUNG

Abstract: Across America, states, localities, and private communities are debating and implementing laws to limit the places of residence of convicted sex offenders. Twenty states and hundreds, if not thousands, of local communities have adopted statutes which severely limit the places where a sex offender may legally live.

In this article, I trace these new laws to historical practices of banishment in Western societies. I argue that the establishment of exclusion zones by states and localities is a form of banishment that I have termed “internal exile.”

Establishing the connection to banishment punishments helps to explain the unique legal, policy, and ethical problems these laws create for America. Ultimately, residency restrictions could fundamentally alter basic principles of the American criminal justice system. While those supporting these laws have the interests of children at heart, the policies they are promoting will be worse for children and society.

Mark Lunsford on hand as Utah enacts ‘Jessica’s Law’

With the father of a murdered 9-year-old Florida girl looking on, the House unanimously approved a measure Thursday that would lock up certain sex offenders for at least 25 years.

The Utah proposal is called “Jessica’s Law” after Jessica Lunsford, who was kidnapped, raped and buried alive in 2005 by a convicted sex offender who lived in her neighborhood.

Op-Ed’s:

Rape in the US Military
By Lucinda Marshall

Anne K. Ream’s recent Op-Ed sheds much needed light on how the U.S. military continues to trivialize rape and sexual assault committed by members of the armed forces. Writing about whether a man who is convicted of rape in a civilian court should still be entitled to a traditional military funeral, Ream points out that although barring full honor burials in such a situation is largely a symbolic act, “the military policy of allowing honors burials for veterans convicted of rape sends a chilling message to victims: Even the most heinous sexual violence does not trump prior military service.

How Likely Are Sex Offenders to Repeat Their Crimes?

In debates over laws monitoring released sex offenders, it’s common to hear claims that they’re sure to commit more sex crimes. “‘What we’re up against is the kind of criminal who, just as soon as he gets out of jail, will immediately commit this crime again at least 90 percent of the time,” a California legislator told the New York Times in 1996. (Other examples of such rhetoric are collected here.) Fox News — like the Wall Street Journal owned by News Corp. — said of child molesters in 2005, “Not only are they almost certain to continue sexually abusing children, but some eventually kill their young victims.”

Week of January 21st

Will states say ‘no’ to Adam Walsh Act?
By John Gramlich

Facing a 2009 deadline to comply with a controversial federal law intended to crack down on sex offenders, states are nearing a crossroads. They either must fall in line with the statute or ignore it and absorb the penalty — a 10-percent cut to their share of funds in a congressional grant program used to fight crime.

UCI Center for Evidence-Based Corrections Releases GPS Report
The University of California, Irvine, recently posted the results of the first analysis of implementation and outcomes for GPS monitoring of high risk sex offender parolees in California.

The report describes characteristics of offenders who participated in the pilot program, implementation experiences, how GPS affects parole agent activities, and how GPS affects parolee behaviors, among other topics.

Click here to download the report.

A new prison healthcare head
Some California lawmakers and corrections officials are breathing a sigh of relief over the ouster of Robert Sillen, the special administrator charged with repairing the healthcare system in the state’s 33 prisons.

Op-Ed’s

Politics and Misogyny by Bob Herbert
With Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s win in New Hampshire, gender issues are suddenly in the news. Where has everybody been?

If there was ever a story that deserved more coverage by the news media, it’s the dark persistence of misogyny in America. Sexism in its myriad destructive forms permeates nearly every aspect of American life. For many men, it’s the true national pastime, much bigger than baseball or football.

Click here to continue reading.

Protect children from sexual violence: Don’t adopt the Adam Walsh Act
As state legislatures begin their 2008 sessions, lawmakers will need to decide whether to comply with the federal Adam Walsh Act on sex offenders or lose federal money for law enforcement. The choice for states is to dramatically increase their registration and community notification requirements for convicted sex offenders by 2009 or lose significant federal law enforcement grant money.

Click here to continue reading.

Week of Jan 14th

Powerless in Prison: Sexual Abuse Against Incarcerated Women
By Nicole Summer, RH Reality Check.

“I am 7 months pregnant [and] I got pregnant here during a sexual assault. I have been sexually assaulted here numerous times! The jailers here are the ones doing it!” — excerpt from a letter from an inmate in a jail in Alabama to Stop Prisoner Rape.

Surviving a sexual assault and then navigating the health care system to receive adequate counseling and reproductive medical attention is daunting enough for those who walk freely on the outside. For women in prison, these hurdles can seem insurmountable. Unfortunately, sexual assault, particularly guard-on-prisoner sexual assault, is a fact of life for many incarcerated women, and the ensuing implications for their reproductive health are many.

Director Cindy Dryer addressed DOJ Campus Institute, Hosted by CALCASA.

Director Cindy Dryer, the newly appointed Director of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women addressed the Department’s 2008 Campus Institute, hosted by CALCASA, on Thursday.

Director Dryer welcomed the new Department of Justice (DOJ) Campus grantees as well as noted the inaugural meeting the Campus Flagship Program, which identified exemplary university systems in Iowa, Oklahoma, Porto Rico and notably the University of California system in California.

Director Dryer reiterated the importance of the Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women on Campus program in the DOJ’s offerings. She also expressed her desire to continue to raise visibility around violence against women issues and spoke about her background as a prosecutor in the sex crimes unit in Texas. Director Dryer indicated that her work as a prosecutor informed and inspired her deep commitment to violence against women issues.

CALCASA was pleased that Director Dryer could attend the Campus Institute and meet the outstanding group of grantees that are involved in the program. CALCASA looks forward to working with Director Dryer.

‘Why does violence look so normal?’
By Jennifer Torres
Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON – When the Women’s Center representative asked who among them knew somebody – a sister, a mother, a friend, a classmate, anybody – who had been a victim of violence, each of the roughly 20 boys in the Weber Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology classroom raised his hand.

“That’s just life, though” one of the high schoolers said.

The Women’s Center of San Joaquin County visited the Weber Institute on Wednesday to present the My Strength campaign, which seeks to help young men prevent sexual violence in their communities. It is a project of the California Department of Health Services and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

The Women Center hopes to launch a local chapter in the effort, starting at Stockton Unified’s Weber Institute. If enough students are interested, the center will facilitate weekly meetings for an all-male youth group to discuss masculinity, gender equality, violence prevention and other topics.

Suzanne Brown-McBride on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer

The News Hour with Jim Lehrer recently aired a segment on sex offender laws. The segment emphasized that, “Twenty-two states have laws that restrict where convicted sex offenders may live and, in some cases, how they interact with the community after they are released from prison. Jeffrey Kaye reports on the laws and the constitutional questions they’ve raised.”

Click here to view the television segment.

State paying more to study predators
By John Simerman, STAFF WRITER

Eager to keep violent sex predators behind bars, state lawmakers and voters in 2006 vastly expanded the pool of inmates who can be forced into mental hospitals when their prison terms end.

The early result: The state spent about $25 million more last year to screen and evaluate thousands of newly eligible inmates, none of whom it appears were committed to a state institution. Part of the reason is a backlog of cases. Local prosecutors say they are filing more court petitions for commitment, but delays mean it often takes more than a year to reach trial.

But a bigger factor, say those who evaluate sex criminals, is that so few of the newly eligible convicts meet the definition of a sexually violent predator (SVP).

MySpace pressured to protect US children

AP - The social networking site MySpace has agreed to take steps to protect youngsters from online sexual predators and bullies, including searching for ways to better verify users’ ages.

It follows mounting pressure from law enforcement and parents.

The popular online hangout will create a task force of industry professionals to improve the safety of users, and other social-networking sites will be invited to participate.

“We must keep telling children that they’re not just typing into a computer. They’re sharing themselves with the world,” North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said.

MySpace, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has more than 200 million registered users worldwide, and Facebook claims more than 61 million active users.

Marine’s family questions handling of case

For months after a pregnant 20-year-old Marine accused a colleague of rape, her family says, she continued to work alongside her attacker and endured harassment at Camp Lejeune.

In the weeks after she disappeared, they believe, the sheriff’s department was slow to act.

As authorities recovered Maria Lauterbach’s remains Saturday from a fire pit where they suspect Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean burned and buried her body, her family asked why authorities didn’t treat her case with greater urgency.

Week of November 19th

$50 Million Settlement in Alaskan Priest Sex Abuse Case
Feminist Daily News Wire
November 19, 2007

The Jesuit order of Roman Catholic priests agreed to a $50 million settlement with 110 Eskimo victims of alleged sexual abuse. Twelve priests and three missionaries were accused of sexually abusing Eskimo children in 15 villages and the city of Nome from 1961 to 1987.

Ken Roosa, the plantiffs’ attorney, said his clients ranged in age from about 5 to 16 when they were abused and that the abuse occurred in remote villages along the coast of Western Alaska and along the Yukon River. “In some villages, it is difficult to find an adult who was not sexually violated by men who used religion and power (to abuse and silence children),” Roosa said, reports the Seattle Times, “For our clients, this settlement represents a long overdue acknowledgment of the truth of their stories of abuse.”

Roosa announced the settlement on Sunday. Attorneys for the Jesuits, however, are not yet confirming the settlement, saying there were “still many issues that need to be finalized,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

Ga. Court Overturns Sex Offender Residency Restrictions Law
Georgia’s top court overturned a state law Wednesday that banned registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, churches and other areas where children congregate.

Jessica’s Law should be safe in California: Georgia’s Supreme Court lifted residency restrictions there for sex offenders
Nov. 25–A recent Georgia Supreme Court ruling has some parents wondering if restrictions keeping sex offenders in California a safe distance from their children may also be in jeopardy. The opinion came down Wednesday in Georgia and lifted the restriction prohibiting the state’s 11,000 sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of certain areas.

Many sex offenders are often homeless
By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY
Thousands of convicted sex offenders are reporting to police that they are homeless, raising concerns that their lack of a permanent address could make them difficult to track, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Sex offenders, who are required to register with police and often barred by law from living near places where children gather, list addresses such as a tent, “near a bike path,” “behind a cemetery” or “woods behind Wal-Mart.”

White House Rejects Overture to Break Budget Impasse
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 — Trying to break a fiscal impasse with the White House, Congressional Democrats on Thursday made a new overture to reduce the spending sought by Congress, but the administration quickly dismissed the move….

The House on Thursday night sustained the president’s veto of a $151 billion bill for domestic programs, failing by two votes to overrride the veto when a majority of Republicans rejected spending increases on labor, health and education initiatives. The vote was 277 to 141.

More women allegedly assaulted by NY designer
NEW YORK, Nov 21- An award-winning fashion designer to the stars who is accused of sexually assaulting 18 young models in California has been charged with assaulting nine more women in New York, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Polygamist leader sentenced to prison
The Associated Press
A judge sentenced polygamous-sect leader Warren Jeffs on Tuesday to two consecutive terms of five years to life in prison for his role in the arranged marriage of teenage cousins.

Jeffs, 51, was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the marriage of a 14-year-old follower and her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. It will be up to the Utah parole board to decide how long Jeffs stays behind bars.

Week of October 29th

ATSA 26th Annual Research and Treatment Conference

Last week, Suzanne Brown-McBride, CALCASA’s Executive Director, addressed the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) 26th Annual Research and Treatment Conference. Brown-McBride received a standing ovation from the more than 1700 conference attendees at her plenary presentation: “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfeast: Making the Reasonable Possible in a Culture of Fear.”

Brown-McBride pointed out that “few issues are more passionately misunderstood than the nature of sexual violence. Coupled with an unprecedented level of public fear about sexual crimes, erroneous and distorted images of victims and offenders have become engrained in media depictions, culture discourse and at every level of policymaking.

Advocates, practitioners and activists are being challenged to develop a new language of moment that is informed by evidence, inspired by survivorship and can envision effective and accessible models of sexual assault intervention and prevention.

The success of our work will depend on emerging models of collaboration and advocacy that are effective in engaging the public, re-claiming the language of community safety and creating the conditions for rational policymaking.”

International Violence Against Women Act

The Feminist Daily News and Amnesty International reported earlier this week:

Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced yesterday the International Violence Against Women Act. The bill was written with the input and expert advice of over 100 NGOs focusing on gender-based violence, human rights, health care, international development and aid, including the Women’s Edge Coalition, the Feminist Majority, Amnesty International, the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, and Human Rights Watch.

The bill includes three major provisions to fight violence against women. First, it would create a central Office for Women’s Global Initiatives to coordinate US policies, programs, and resources that deal with women’s issues. Second, it requires a 5-year comprehensive strategy to fight violence against women in targeted countries and provides $172 million a year to support programs that fight violence against women. Last, the bill mandates training, reporting mechanisms and a system for dealing with women and girls afflicted by violence during humanitarian, conflict and post-conflict operations.

Senator Biden was the chief sponsor of the domestic Violence Against Women Act, which was passed in 1994 and was reauthorized in 2000 and 2006. This landmark legislation has provided billions of dollars for domestic violence shelters and training of law enforcement and judicial officers to improve response to domestic violence.

Court: Rape victims out of state can be detained to testify

“Sexual assault victims who live outside of California can be taken into custody and brought to the state to make sure they appear in court to testify if they are necessary witnesses, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday. A three-judge panel of the state’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego made that decision in a 25-page ruling that overturned the rape convictions of a San Marcos man who was sentenced to 105 years to life in prison for those crimes.

The appeals court reversed Henry Ivan Cogswell’s convictions because the victim in the case, who lived in another state at the time, refused to come to the Vista Superior Court to testify at his trial. Her testimony from a preliminary hearing in the case was presented to the jury instead, but the appeals court ruled that was a mistake.

A section of California law prohibits judges from jailing sexual assault victims for contempt of court if they refuse to testify. Nothing in that law, however, excuses sexual assault victims “from the obligation to appear when lawfully summoned,” Associate Justices Patricia Benke, Judith Haller and Cynthia Aaron decided.”

California lawmakers target sexual misconduct by teachers

The Associated Press reported last week that “California lawmakers say they will explore changes in how the state disciplines teachers accused of sexual misconduct and push for greater public disclosure of such cases.”

The efforts follow an Associated Press investigation last month that found 2,570 educators nationwide whose teaching credentials were revoked, denied, surrendered or sanctioned from 2001-2005 following allegations of sexual misconduct. Experts who track sexual abuse say those cases are representative of a much deeper problem.

The AP’s investigation is prompting lawmakers and governors across the country to examine and strengthen teacher credentialing and confidentiality laws.

In California, the AP confirmed 313 sexual misconduct cases after reviewing more than 2,000 instances in which teachers were punished. The number would have been much larger, but many of the sexual misconduct cases are hidden from public view because they are classified by the state only as “general misconduct.”

Sexual Assault Aired on Big Brother Africa

“The sight of a drunk young woman being assaulted by a Big Brother housemate in what may be the most public rape ever has turned the stomachs of millions of television viewers. The incident, broadcast live by a pay-TV conglomerate across Africa, has prompted denunciations from the continent’s great and good. Viewers have flooded newspapers and internet message boards with emails expressing undiluted outrage.

Many of the emails contain photo clips from the programme that appear to show Richard Bezuidenhout (left), a 24-year-old film student from Tanzania, assaulting Ofunneka Molokwu, a 29-year-old medical assistant from Nigeria. M-Net, which airs the show have intervened. “There is no indication that she was unconscious at the time,” said Joseph Hundah, an executive at M-Net.

However, viewers of the incident, which took place on Saturday afternoon after an extended drinking bout which ended in copious vomiting and apparent blackout for Molokwu, remain adamant about what they saw: Bezuidenhout lay down next to the comatose young woman and penetrated her vagina with his fingers. He carried on despite the pleas of another female housemate for him stop. Under the law in South Africa – where, on average, a woman is sexually assaulted every 40 seconds – such an act constitutes rape.”

Repair flawed sex-offender proposition

The Daily Democrat ran an opinion piece last week on the requirements of Proposition 83.

Our Opinion: Requirements of the law are far too broad to be effective.

In November, voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 83, a measure banning paroled sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or a park where children “regularly gather.” The measure requires offenders to wear GPS ankle bracelets for life. Without a doubt, the 70 percent of the electorate that voted for Proposition 83 wanted to crack down on sex crimes and keep dangerous predators away from children.

However, the law is far too broad, severely limiting the liberty of former offenders. The 2,000-foot limit makes it almost impossible for paroled offenders to find a place to live in an urban area. In too many instances, the law forces people out of stable environments and into apartments and houses in areas far from their jobs.

Click here to continue reading.

Sex offenders declare themselves homeless in Calif., frustrating attempts to track them

Don Thompson, an Associated Press writer, reported last week that “hundreds of California sex offenders who face tough new restrictions on where they can live are declaring themselves homeless — truthfully or not — and that’s making it difficult for the state to track them.

Jessica’s Law, approved by 70 percent of California voters a year ago, bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park where children gather. That leaves few places where offenders can live legally.

Some who have had trouble finding a place to live are avoiding re-arrest by reporting — falsely, in some cases — that they are homeless. Experts say it is hard to monitor sex offenders when they lie about their address or are living day-to-day in cheap hotels, homeless shelters or on the street. It also means they may not be getting the treatment they need.”

“We could potentially be making the world more dangerous rather than less dangerous,” said therapist Gerry Blasingame, past chairman of the California Coalition on Sexual Offending.

Similar laws in Iowa and Florida have driven offenders underground or onto the streets.

Click here to continue reading.

Week of October 22nd

Department of Corrections looks to SOMB regarding Proposition 83 Implementation

Last week, James Tilton, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation delivered a letter to Suzanne Brown-McBride Executive Director of CALCASA and the Chair of the California Sex Offender Management Board requesting the board’s assistance and recommendations related to the implementation of Jessica’s Law (Proposition 83). Specifically the Secretary requested that the board examine:

~Residency restrictions and appropriate offender housing.
~Clarifying distance restrictions from locations where children congregate.
~Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring and offender supervision.
~Maintaining supervision of Jessica’s Law sex offenders once they complete their parole term and are no longer under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
~Sexually violent predator civil commitment.
~Community education and public understanding of Jessica’s Law.

The Board looks forward to working with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to identify sex offender management strategies that are consistent with the mission and vision of the California Sex Offender Management Board:

Vision
The vision of the CA SOMB is to decrease sexual victimization and increase community safety.

Mission
This vision will be accomplished by addressing issues, concerns, and problems related to community management of adult sexual offenders by identifying and developing recommendations to improve policies and practices.

Final VAWA and VOCA Funding Decisions Happening Now!

Below is an urgent action alert from the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) regarding VAWA and VOCA Funding decisions that impact California.

Thanks to YOUR CALLS, the House of Representatives and the Senate both recognized the urgent need for services for victims of domestic and sexual violence and voted to provide funding for the Sexual Assault Services Act as well as increasing VAWA funding and raising the VOCA cap in their Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bills.

The calls you made last week and over the summer about VAWA and VOCA amendments made a tangible difference in the outcomes of those amendments. Amendments in the House passed by landslide margins! We are on a roll but we haven’t won yet! We need the final CJS Appropriations Bills to include the larger of the House or Senate numbers for each grant program.

Click here to take action.

October Media Coverage of Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Lucinda Marshall, from AlterNet, reviewed nine magazine publications this month and compared the amount coverage devoted to breast cancer and domestic violence. This story highlights how difficult it is to get effective coverage of both domestic violence and sexual assault in today’s media. Although the media is perfectly happy covering “public health issues” to varying degrees of accuracy, they rarely if ever address the broad societal costs associated with violence against women. Sexual assault in particular is often relegated to stories focusing on sex offenders and “stranger-danger” coverage made common for their ability to “scare up” ratings.

Sexual Harrassment and Abuse in Public Schools

The Associated Press recently completed a seven month investigation into sexual harassment and abuse in U.S. schools. The AP investigation found that most of the abuse never gets reported. Those cases reported often end with no action. Cases investigated sometimes can’t be proven, and many abusers have several victims.

The AP concluded that there is “a deeply entrenched resistance toward recognizing and fighting abuse.” It starts in school hallways, where fellow teachers look away or feel powerless to help. School administrators make behind-the-scenes deals to avoid lawsuits and other trouble. The investigation also pointed out that lawmakers shy from tough state punishments or any cohesive national policy for fear of disparaging a vital profession.

To read the full article, click here.

FBI Releases its 2006 Crime Statistics

The 2006 FBI crime statistic journal is available to view. The journal, Crime in the United States, is a “statistical compilation of offense and arrest data as reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation. The FBI collected these data via the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.”

For more information, click here.

CSG Justice Center Launches New Reentry Policy Council Website

The Council of State Governments Justice Center recently launched it’s new Reentry Policy Council (RPC) web site. The website is a gateway to learn about reentry policy issues areas like: public safety, housing, physical and mental health, substance abuse, victims, and communities as well as a range of other resources on special projects, government affairs and the media.

Justice Center Guide Calls for Policy Changes to Increase Child Support and Victim Restitution Payments

From the Justice Center

The Council of State Governments Justice Center recently issued a publication on why victims and children often do not receive restitution and support they are owed. Repaying Debts is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive guide that details how policy-makers can increase financial accountability among people leaving correctional facilities, improve rates of child support collection and victim restitution, and make individuals’ transition from prisons and jails to the community safe and successfully.

Video: RSS in Plain English

If you are interested in consolidating your favorite public policy news, (such as CALCASAPublicPolicy.org, hint hint), CommonCraft.com has posted a useful video on the “power of the RSS reader. If you know someone who would love RSS and hasn’t yet tried it, point them here for 3.5 minutes of RSS in Plain English.”

Other stories in the news:

Designer in court on 59 rape charges

Jessica’s Law makes life difficult for parole agents

Cop facing prison in teen sex case

Kings center-forward, Justin Williams suspect in sexual assault

Week of October 15th

Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Bills to Increase Protections for Crime Victims in California
Governor Schwarzenegger announced over the weekend that he signed bills to increase protections for crime victims in California. To read more, click here.

National Center for Victims of Crime Praises Senate Passage of Restitution Legislation
The National Center for Victims of Crime hailed Tuesdays passage of legislation to improve the collection of restitution owed to federal crime victims as part of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill. The legislation would amend provisions of the federal Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996, providing new tools for officials at the U.S. Department of Justice to collect monies owed to crime victims by convicted offenders.

State Advisory Committee (SAC) Appointments Available
The California Commission on the Status of Women is recruiting for two (2) appointments to the State Advisory Committee on Sexual Assault Victim Services Program, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The term will begin immediately upon appointment, no earlier than January 2008, and extends until January 2011.

Legal loopholes keep some teacher misconduct records secret
The Associated Press reported last week that “more than 300 California educators had their teaching licenses revoked or suspended because of sex-related offenses from 2001 through 2005. But you can’t tell that from the state’s enforcement records — at least not those available to the public. While some of the most egregious sex abuse is flagged, state law allows many offenses to remain confidential in education records, even when teachers go to prison and register as sex offenders.”

Calif. court OKs sex offender arrests
By DON THOMPSON
Parole agents can continue sweeps of sex offenders living too close to schools and parks after the state Supreme Court refused to grant a broad injunction halting the arrests.

The court had blocked the state from arresting four parolees who claimed the so-called Jessica’s Law is too vague and unfairly punishes offenders after they are released from prison. But in Monday’s ruling, the court refused to apply that protection to hundreds of other paroled sex offenders, saying they needed to look to lower courts to get their own injunctions.

Parolees’ attorneys said they are not immediately sure if they will ask a lower court for an injunction covering the affected parolees. The state Supreme Court is considering whether the law is constitutional as it applies to the four parolees, meaning attorneys representing additional sex offenders could simply wait for a decision.

Suspected Toddler Rape Fugitive Arrested
The nationwide manhunt for Chester Arthur Stiles ended with a routine traffic stop. Stiles has been the focus of a nationwide manhunt since police identified him as the man who videotaped himself while raping a 3-year-old girl. The tape surfaced last month in the rural Nevada town of Pahrump.

Week of October 1st

Sexual harassment cases

Anita Hill responded to Clarence Thomas’s claims in his recently release memoir in which he recounts his contentious confirmation hearings, in a New York Times opinion piece.

Hill said, “I stand by my testimony…I will not stand by silently and allow him, in his anger, to reinvent me.” Click here to continue reading the opinion piece.

Former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders, was awarded $11.6 million in sexual-harassment suit earlier this week.

She was awarded “punitive damages in her claim against Knicks coach Isiah Thomas for harassing her, and against Madison Square Garden, L.P. and the chairman of Cablevision, the parent company of the Knicks and MSG, for allowing a hostile work environment and firing her when she complained.”

The Feminist Daily News reported earlier this week that the “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Tuesday accused the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) of violating civil-rights law through a pattern of discrimination, harassment and retaliation against black and woman employees.” Its findings came after investigating discrimination complaints from two anonymous women firefighters. The LAFD must now implement drastic reforms or face a possible federal lawsuit.”

Campus Gets $1M to Lead UC Response to Violence Against Women

The University of California, Davis, was awared “nearly $1 million federal grant to help the UC’s 10 campuses improve their response to violence against women.”

UC Davis will lead the effort “to develop a systemwide strategic plan to enhance prevention programs and victim support services. The project will encourage adoption of comprehensive campus guidelines for responding to incidents and referring victims to campus and community resources. In addition, it will help to bring nationally recognized best practices and policies on violence against women to the campuses and to implement others developed at UC.”

Jennifer Beeman, the director of the violence prevention program at UC Davis said:

“We are looking forward to building upon and sharing the expertise we have gained through our long and productive collaboration with the federal Office on Violence Against Women. We want to work with other campuses to create a model intervention within the state of California.”

The project will collaborate with two major organizations. The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) “will bridge the project with rape crisis centers in communities surrounding campuses. The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training will help develop and deliver specialized training for law enforcement agencies on campuses.”

Sandy Ortman, director of special programs for CALCASA, commented on the experience of UC Davis and that the UC system has been encouraging women to report sexual assault incidents:

“UC Davis has the experience, the commitment to the issues — and a chancellor who understands the issues.

“Increased reporting of incidents against women can actually be a good thing. What it means is that you provide helpful, caring and appropriate services so women come forward. It speaks to the level of service being provided.”

VAWA Appropriations Update!

On Thursday, October 4th, the Senate passed the FY 2008 Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill and included an amendment that provides $10 million more to VAWA programs! The amendment provides:

· $5 million to partially restore the cut the Senate CJS Committee had previously proposed to Grants to Encourage Arrest and Enforcement of Protection Orders;
· $4 million for Engaging Men and Youth in Prevention Efforts; and
· $1 million for a National Resource Center on Workplace Responses to Assist Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence.

This year the Senate bill includes $418 million for VAWA programs within the Department of Justice. The House passed a $459 million funding bill. In addition, the Senate and House CJS appropriations bill contain $10 million for the Sexual Assault Services Act (SASP).

Both the House and the Senate will “conference” the two different appropriations bills together and work out their differences, pass the new version in both the House and Senate and then send the bill to the President for his signature. However, earlier this week President Bush vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) and has threatened to veto any spending bill that provides more money than he had requested for a specific agency in his FY 2008 budget plan.

You haven’t missed your chance to make your voice heard. PLEASE take a few moments to contact your Senators and Representatives. Urge them to override a Presidential Veto! Tell your legislator about the financial need for rape crisis centers in your State to provide both prevention programs and direct services for victims.

Activists demand that Japan make reparations to sex slaves

Connie Kang, a Los Angeles Times Staff Writer reported, that activists are preparing for “a historic world conference in Los Angeles on the sexual enslavement of women and girls by the Japanese military.”

On Wednesday, former sex slaves and human rights activists from around the world “demanded that Japan issue an official apology and make reparations to the victims of Japan’s wartime crimes.”

TRADE

A recently released documentary, TRADE, highlights “the dark world of human trafficking, a crime that exists in our own backyards…. In the film, a 13-year-old girl from Mexico City is kidnapped by sex traffickers, smuggled across the Rio Grande border and held prisoner in a “stash house” in New Jersey on a street that looks just like thousands of other streets in suburban USA. The girl represents one of an estimated 18,000 — 20,000 people who are brought to the United States and used for forced labor or sex, according to State Department figures.”

Designer Indicted in Sex Assault Case

The Associated Press
Reported that “celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was indicted on 59 counts of sexual assault in a move prosecutors said Thursday would keep his accusers from having to testify at a preliminary hearing.” Alexander is suspected of meeting women on the Internet then assaulting them when they visited with him about modeling opportunities.

Prosecutors previously charged Alexander with more than 40 felony and misdemeanor counts involving 18 victims that included rape, sexual battery and committing a lewd act on a child. He pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.