Child Sex Abuse
Young veteran actor cites pedophile problem in Hollywood
“People with parasitic interests will see you as their prey.” So says Elijah Wood, who generally commands a bit of attention when he speaks. And the reason for that is obvious, given that Wood, now 35 years old, has already had a decades-long acting career on television and in movies. Most notably, of course, he…
Read MoreCalifornia minister charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse
We know that all our readers would fervently welcome the day when acts of child sexual abuse would simply cease to exist in California, nationally and across the rest of the world. The victimization of young people — from toddlers and adolescents to teens and beyond — by adult sexual perpetrators is a stark and…
Read MoreAnother dimension: when it’s a judge who is sexually abusing
We have often noted in our Los Angeles personal injury blog devoted to advocacy on behalf of sexual abuse victims (especially children) that no demographic is exempt when it comes to sexual predators. That is, the sexual abuse of children and other people is sadly, a flatly egalitarian practice. Our past posts have spotlighted criminal…
Read MoreHolding mandatory reporters accountable for failure to report suspected abuse, neglect, P.2
In our last post, we began looking at the California Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and its requirements. As we noted, there are various forms of abuse and neglect which must be reported under the act by certain categories of individuals identified as legally mandated reporters. Such individuals are required to report when, in their…
Read MoreHolding mandatory reporters accountable for failure to report suspected abuse, neglect, P.1
For victims of child abuse, seeking compensation from those responsible for or who contributed to the abuse is critical to achieving a just resolution to their case. For the victim, of course, this may entail filing a civil suit and seeking damages to compensate for costs and suffering result from the abuse. It is also…
Read MoreNew tech assists to help fight child sexual abuse, Part 2
Technology that is unavailable to the public that can transform blurred images into sharply focused material. Fingerprints that can actually be pulled from a photo and enhanced to the point where positive identification of an individual can be made. So-called “Photo DNA” technology that enables criminal investigators poring over computers to review data 100 times…
Read MoreNew tech tools emerge in fight against child sexual abuse
A certain aspect of child sexual abuse eradication efforts is progressively emerging into public light in a manner that is most assuredly heartening to all but the most perverted and dangerous people living in the United States and foreign countries. At the same time, though, and even as dramatically exciting announcements are being made that…
Read MoreCritics ask: Why a time bar in California on sex crimes?
Statutes of limitation are so-called “repose” laws, meaning that they impose some cut off point in the future attaching to a criminal investigation for matters of fundamental fairness. Evidence grows old. Memories fade. Witnesses die. Prosecuting a case after, say, 40 years of an alleged crime occurring yields a heightened possibility for error and a…
Read MoreSharing problem-teacher data among states: Why so difficult?
Readers of our blog focused upon child sexual abuse — its identification and prevention, as well as just outcomes for victims and due punishment for perpetrators — might reasonably believe that there is a strong federal program in place that helps systematically catalog problem teachers across the country and ensure that relevant information is shared…
Read MoreCriminal and civil cases in the realm of child sex abuse, Part 2
Whose interests are being served? That is a fundamentally important question to consider in any comparative examination of criminal and civil court cases, respectively. As we implied in our immediately preceding blog post, it is conceivable that the best interests of a child victimized by sexual assault are not advanced at all — in fact,…
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