Douglas Slain | May 18, 2009
An attorney was disbarred last week by the Florida Supreme Court for letting female clients “take it out in trade.”
Panama City attorney James Harvey Tipler was disbarred for multiple violations and unethical conduct.
According to the North Country Gazette, Tipler traded sex for fee credits and offered discounts for sex referrals:
In one case, the referee [...]
Douglas Slain | May 5, 2009
One of these days someone’s going to line out the potential for a conflict between the right to free speech and the illegality of prostitution on Craigslist.
Really, which is it? There seems to be quite a grey area, where euphemisms and codes make it hard to determine whether a post is a solicitation of prostitution [...]
Douglas Slain | April 23, 2009
The murder of Stockton, Calif., youngster Sandra Cantu is a tragedy no matter how you look at it.
The girl’s body was found on April in a suitcase left in a pond, and more recently the child’s Sunday School teacher, Melissa Huckaby, was charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder.
Details of the allegations against Huckaby are unavailable.
Young [...]
Douglas Slain | April 22, 2009
Ireland is putting some serious funding behind programs designed to encourage sex offenders to get help and reintegrate into communities after release from prison.
Dermot Ahern, Ireland’s Minister of Justice, has announced a new sex offender center at Arbour Hill Prison and two satellite centers.
The facilities are part of a larger policy to prevent recidivism and [...]
Douglas Slain | April 17, 2009
This is a follow up to yesterday’s post on the role of close acquaintances in violent crimes.
Many of us have a sort of profile of the likely sex offender–a shadowy stranger, usually a man, who is a loner with no attachments to the institutions we hold dear.
When a violent killer proves to be one of [...]
Douglas Slain | April 11, 2009
In a perhaps unprecedented situation, a California college student is auctioning off her virginity online.
In a culture salted with the vulgarity of scripted “reality” television and celebrity idolatry, the sale is emblematic of the urge to monetize, regardess of the cost to human decency and moral fiber.
Here’s how it’s shaping up, according to a news [...]
Douglas Slain | April 9, 2009
Fox’s O’Reilly has gotten a lot of press lately for comparing the G20 protesters in London to child molesters. His reference was meant to be an example of how “society’s dredges” use the Internet to find each other.
It is indisputable that the Internet has facilitated people making connections with others in a way unimaginable [...]
Originally [...]
Douglas Slain | April 7, 2009
Endoscopic equipment used for 1) eye, ear, throat exams and for 2) colonoscopies — without being properly sterilized between treatments — has so far led to one known case of HIV infection and 16 known cases of hepatitis.
“Good enough for government work” is not the standard we want here.
Originally posted on sexoffenderissues.org
Douglas Slain | April 7, 2009
A 20 year-old employee caught visiting porn web sites on the job was just given a pass by his employer, the U.S. National Science Foundation, despite his admission of guilt.
The NSF is notorious for its permissive attitude toward porn on the job (acknowledging that nerds have a harder time getting dates than non-nerds) which has [...]
Douglas Slain | April 7, 2009
Another celebrity DUI incident will undoubtedly continue to put drunk driving enforcement under the headlights of public scrutiny.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth was driving his Bentley Continental GT when he struck and killed a construction worker in Miami Beach on March 14. The Browns star had a blood alcohol level of 0.126 percent, well [...]
Douglas Slain | April 6, 2009
Controversy over the issue of civil commitment under the Walsh Act was heightened by a recent U.S. Supreme Court action.
A lengthy review is available at SCOTUS Blog:
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., put on hold on Friday a federal appeals court ruling that the federal government contended would lead to the early release of “the [...]
Douglas Slain | March 31, 2009
While there’s plenty of controversy over the scope and duration of sex offender registration, it usually has to do with adult offenders and conflicts between their rights and those of potential victims.
Now it’s starting to look like children might have to register in some cases.
In situations involving “sexting” or text messaging with sexual content, the [...]
Douglas Slain | March 22, 2009
Three years after adopting strict rules for registering sex offenders, Georgia has found itself with a situation where individuals who are not sex offenders are ending up on the sex offenders registry.
According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution:
Georgia’s sex offender registry has a peculiar twist: There are a growing number of people on the list who did [...]
Douglas Slain | March 19, 2009
Chemical castration is a matter of some debate in the U.S., but actual surgical castration is being considered–and used–in some countries in Europe.
The New York Times recently covered the issue in terms both graphic and disturbing.
The NYT interviewed one man who had requested the procedure after committing a sex-related crime two decades ago:
More than 20 [...]
Douglas Slain | March 10, 2009
The battle rages on about Craigslist’s response to sexual trafficking on the internet classifieds site.
While what is and isn’t legal in terms of sex trafficking is fairly clear, the responsibilities of Craigslist are still in uncharted waters.
Sheriff Thomas Dart of Cook County in Illinois is convinced that Craigslist does not do nearly enough to police [...]
Douglas Slain | March 6, 2009
Legislators in South Korea are working on a plan to toughen up laws governing sex offenders.
One aspect of the proposed changes is dismantling the nation’s statute of limitations, which was recently extended from seven to ten years.
Here’s the report from The Chosun Ilbo:
A group of legislators led by Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Ok-lee is [...]
Douglas Slain | March 2, 2009
After having a few too many last New Year’s Eve, former NBA star and TNT analyst Charles Barkley was arrested for driving under the influence.
Barkley was close to double the legal BAC level allowed in Arizona, where he was arrested, and he has now been sentenced to five days in jail, a $2000 fine, and [...]
Douglas Slain | March 2, 2009
We interrupt our sex offender programming to bring you a storm safety update for Bay Area residents, and especially those in Marin.
Reputed deluges are making caution an absolute must for drivers, as evidenced by this article in the Marin I.J. about a DUI arrest in West Marin. One Robin Patricia Russo, 52, of Petaluma was booked [...]
Douglas Slain | March 2, 2009
Online classified service Craigslist got a warning call from the Michigan Attorney General when the AG announced the state’s seventh Craigslist-related arrest. According to the press release:
Steven Gerard LaJoie, a former teacher and school administrator, was charged with one count of Child Sexually Abusive Activity (a 20-year felony), one count of Using the Internet to [...]
Douglas Slain | February 24, 2009
Investigators that put ten child prostitutes in protective custody last week said the underage sex trade thrives exactly where kids do–malls and MySpace.
In an effort that targeted several cities in western Washington state , “Operation Cross Country III” rescued 48 child prostitutes and arrested 571 people for investigation of state and federal charges involving use [...]
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