Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bacasper]

If a stranger offers to babysit your kids for free, you may wanna think twice about that one. But still, whether it was the ad or for not listing his place of employment, 40 years???

40 years for attempted babysitting

March 24, 2010 9:00 AM
Scott Lawrence

A judge has sentenced a man to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole for violating rules all convicted sex offenders must follow in Texas.

A Jasper County jury took only 30 minutes Wednesday afternoon to decide the punishment for Thomas Louis Van Hook, 56. The jury convicted him of not complying with sex offender registration. Prosecutors say he didn't list his place of employment as required by law.

Jasper County deputies arrested Van Hook in January of 2009.

They say he posted signs on bulletin boards across Jasper County, offering to babysit girls between 11 months and nine years old. The price was $12 for a weekend of babysitting four children, with the first weekend free of charge.

The sheriff said the ad should have been a red flag to parents.

Public records show that in the 1980's Van Hook served time for child indecency. In the 1990's he went to jail for indecency with a child by sexual contact. In 2001 Van Hook was sentenced for indecent exposure.

this and earlier story at link

[caniff]

As far as I'm concerned Texas can leave the union any time it's ready.

[bacasper]

[Fox]

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

Here is a breath of fresh air. Teens cannot be charged with kiddy porn for photos of themselves! I wouldn't be surprised if the fundies get up in arms over this one.

Constitutional Law
3rd Circuit Bars Child Porn Prosecution of Teen in Sexting Photo

Posted Mar 18, 2010 8:25 AM CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss



A federal appeals court has upheld an injunction that bars the child pornography prosecution of a teen girl in Pennsylvania who appeared topless in a photo that ended up on high school students� cell phones.

The opinion by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the first decision by a federal appeals court involving "sexting," according to the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Legal Intelligencer and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The opinion (PDF) found that the teen and her mother had a likelihood of success on the merits of their First and 14th Amendment claims.

The Philadelphia-based appeals court said there was no evidence the girl was involved in distribution of the photo and no probable cause to bring charges, the Legal Intelligencer story says. As a result, the district attorney�s threat to prosecute unless she attended a class and wrote an essay about her misdeed was compelled speech and a violation of the First Amendment, the court concluded.

The opinion also said the prosecutor had violated the 14th Amendment rights of the girl�s mother when he sought to coerce participation in the class, the Legal Intelligencer reports. The original prosecutor in the case, Wyoming County District Attorney George Skumanick Jr., lost his bid for re-election in November.

"An individual district attorney may not coerce parents into permitting him to impose on their children his ideas of morality and gender roles," the court said.

The panel declined to reach the broader issue of whether sexting photos are free speech protected by the First Amendment, according to the Inquirer. Instead, the ruling was based on the threat of retaliation for the girl�s exercise of her constitutional rights not to attend the training program.

The case began in October 2008 when high school officials in Tunkhannock, Pa., north of Scranton, discovered photos of scantily clad and nude female students on several students� cell phones. Skumanick told parents he would prosecute 13 girls and three boys unless they participated in his class; all but three of the girls agreed to participate. The case became moot for two of the girls�12- or 13-year-olds pictured in training bras at a sleepover�after the district attorney opted not to prosecute them.

[bacasper]

Something is very wrong when I am agreeing with Justices Thomas and Scalia.

Court: Sexually dangerous can be kept in prison

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON � The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal officials can indefinitely hold inmates considered "sexually dangerous" after their prison terms are complete.

The high court reversed a lower court decision that said Congress overstepped its authority in allowing indefinite detentions of considered "sexually dangerous."

"The statute is a 'necessary and proper' means of exercising the federal authority that permits Congress to create federal criminal laws, to punish their violation, to imprison violators, to provide appropriately for those imprisoned and to maintain the security of those who are not imprisoned by who may be affected by the federal imprisonment of others," said Justice Stephen Breyer, writing the majority opinion.

President George W. Bush in 2006 signed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which authorized the civil commitment of sexually dangerous federal inmates.

The act, named after the son of "America's Most Wanted" television host John Walsh, was challenged by four men who served prison terms ranging from three to eight years for possession of child pornography or sexual abuse of a minor. Their confinement was supposed to end more than two years ago, but prison officials said there would be a risk of sexually violent conduct or child molestation if they were released.

A fifth man who also was part of the legal challenge was charged with child sex abuse, but declared incompetent to stand trial.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., ruled last year that Congress overstepped its authority when it enacted a law allowing the government to hold indefinitely people who are considered "sexually dangerous."

But "we conclude that the Constitution grants Congress legislative power sufficient to enact" this law, Breyer said.

Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, saying Congress can only pass laws that deal with the federal powers listed in the Constitution.

Nothing in the Constitution "expressly delegates to Congress the power to enact a civil commitment regime for sexually dangerous persons, nor does any other provision in the Constitution vest Congress or the other branches of the federal government with such a power," Thomas said.

Thomas was joined in part on his dissent by Justice Antonin Scalia.

Chief Justice John Roberts last year granted an administration request to block the release of up to 77 inmates at a federal prison in North Carolina. These were people whose prison terms for sex offenses were ending. The justice's order was designed to allow time for the high court to consider the administration's appeal.

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act also establishes a national sex offender registry, increases punishments for some federal crimes against children and strengthens child pornography protections. Those provisions are not being challenged.

State laws allowing civil commitments of sex offenders also are unaffected.

The case is U.S. v. Comstock, 08-1224.

[bacasper]

Oddly Enough

Shred Your Sex Offender Map

Lenore Skenazy, 06.25.10, 6:00 AM ET

Recently I consulted my local Serial Killer Registry and found out I'm living next door to a guy who killed three lunchroom ladies when they refused to give him seconds on the chili!

Oh please. I'm kidding. There's no registry of murderers out there. There's no armed robber registry either. Not even one for drunk drivers. No, the only easily available registry for all Americans to consult is the Sex Offender Registry.

Because ex-sex offenders are so much scarier than murderers?

No, the reason there's now a sex offender registry in every state--most of these lists dating back only to the 1990s--is that sex offenders have become the focus of intense parental fear. Who could blame us moms and dads, when we hear about kiddie kidnappings 24/7 on the news? The problem is not with nervous parents. The problem is with the registries. Turns out, they're worse than useless.

They are making our kids LESS safe. How? Well, there are three big problems with the registry.

1. The first is that we have not decided, as a country, which crimes we really want to see registered. And so, in five states, a man can end up on the registry for having sex with a prostitute. In 13 states, it is a registerable offense to urinate in public, and in 32 states, it's just as bad to be caught streaking. Yes, streaking. That means that when we look at a little map of our neighborhood and it's covered with red �Sex Offender� dots, there's often no way of telling whether the guy down the block is a child rapist or a jerk wearing a headband (and nothing else), bent on re-living the Carter years.

...

2. These lists waste our cops' time. Police are unable to concentrate on the very worst offenders when they have to keep track of ALL offenders, even the ones who once peed on a tree.

...

After all, maybe one of the reasons Jaycee Duggard was allegedly imprisoned for 18 years by a known sex offender was that an overburdened police force couldn't concentrate on creepy Phillip Garrido and the hut behind his house. They were too busy with the 100,000 other Californians on the registry.

This brings us to the third problem: The list keeps growing.

3. Perhaps the gravest danger posed by the Sex Offender Registry is how very easily your own child could end up on it. Consider the case of Ricky.

Ricky was 16 when he met a girl named Amanda at a teen club. She said she was about his age. They hit it off, started dating and ended up having sex, twice. A while later, Amanda ran away from home. When she thought the better of it, she went to the police. They questioned her and found out about Ricky.

Amanda, as it turns out, was only 13. So when the police tracked down Ricky and he admitted they'd had sex, he was arrested. Though Amanda's parents did not want to press charges, the district attorney did. In the end, Ricky took a plea to avoid jail time. Now he is registered as a sex offender. For life. There are thousands and thousands of teens like him on the list.

It is hard to get anything--an education, housing, job, even a pew in church (because offenders are forbidden to step foot anywhere children congregate)--when you're a registered offender.

complete article at link

[bacasper]

...are trying to spread worldwide!

Going global - House advances International Megan's Law

Published: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The "International Megan's Law," a bill that would monitor the travel and movement of high-risk sex offenders both here and abroad, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday.

As proposed by Smith, the international version of the law would set up a system notifying authorities in both the U.S. and abroad when a registered sex offender was seeking to enter the country.

"We dotted every "i' and crossed every "t' to create a program that will significantly protect children overseas and will help create Megan's Laws all over the world," he said yesterday in an interview.

Within 30 days of their intended travel date, sex offenders would be required to notify law enforcement of their intended travel, "allowing experts in a newly created International Sex Offender Travel Center ... to ascertain whether the individual poses a high risk of sexually exploiting children in the destination country," Smith said yesterday while addressing members of the House.

"If the answer is in the affirmative, our law enforcement would be able to notify officials in that country, who could then either monitor the activities of the sex offender when he enters or prevent him from entering altogether," he said.

Offenders who refuse to comply could face up to 10 years in prison.

Other countries, in turn, would be called on to alert the United States when a registered sex offender was planning on traveling to America.

And the law would create registration guidelines at U.S. embassies for sex offenders who are American citizens living abroad, allowing embassies to contact authorities back in America when sex offenders planned to re-enter the country.

According to data originating from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "at least 10,000 convicted pedophiles hop on a plane and travel each year," Smith said.

And last month, the Government Accountability Office released a report stating that at least 4,500 U.S. passports were issued to registered sex offenders in fiscal year 2008.

Smith said he's hopeful the legislation will prompt other countries to adopt their own version of Megan's Law.

While the law exists in some form in all 50 states, the international community has been slow to catch on, he said.

The United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada have all passed their own versions, but while the United States and Canada may share a border, the two countries don't share information regarding sex offenders traveling across that border.

"Child predators thrive on secrecy, a secrecy that allows them to commit heinous crimes against children with impunity and without any meaningful accountability," said Smith.

"Megan's Law -- which its emphasis on notification -- must go global, to protect American children and children worldwide."

Having passed the House, the bill will now head to the Senate.

Contact Erin Duffy at [email protected] or (609) 989-5723.

[bacasper]

[bacasper]

He continues:

* Meet US sex offenders: Criminalizing Child's Play, http://www.solresearch.org/~SOLR/rprt/JSOs.htm#Sct_1_gallery
* personal stories: US children named predators'? Ethical Treatment For All Youths: http://www.ethicaltreatment.org/stories.htm
* http://www.rickyslife.com/
* Matthew Freeman: http://www.annarbor.com/news/a-young-man-struggles-with-the-sex-offender-label/
* 20/20 John Stossel: The Age of Consent: When Young Love Is a Sex Crime - ABC News
* In the Matter of T.T., NJ, at 12 played with a douche found in bathroom with 6 year old brother. A Megan's Law registrant ripped from his home, punished, labeled and registered?
* William Elliott, Maine at 24 shot DEAD, loving relationship, boy 19, a girl 15 ends in murder, because of Megan's "murder" law?

* Inmate, 17, hangs himself at Rikers
BY JOTHAM SEDERSTROM
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, January 6th 2008, 4:00 AM
A Mount Vernon teen hanged himself at Rikers Island after the jail failed to follow a Queens judge's order to place the inmate under suicide watch, lawyers charged Saturday.
David Mercado, 17, was supposed to be placed under round-the-clock protection after a Dec. 17 arrest in Queens on statutory rape charges that said he had sex with a 14-year-old girl. But within 24 hours he hanged himself, attorneys for Mercado's family said.


All American citizens are supposed to have civil rights, constitutional, legal and human rights. No man can be forced to the back of the bus, No criminal should suffer penalty for another man's crime. A citizen is free from their obligations, when their debt to society has been satisfied. Every man deserves a second chance but, in America, if a boy touches a breast, falls in love with someone younger or makes a one time mistake of immature judgment that has any element of being sexual in nature, OUR representatives, demand that once free he must register under their Megan's MURDER Law and is titled a predator, based on a murder, he didn't commit? All laws of justice, rights of liberty, life and any future happiness, any chance of rehabilitation or redemption is removed by the powerful leaders governing this country. A marked man with no right to object, defend or protect himself or his family members from being judged, persecuted and attacked by his own government, vigilantes in society and the thousands of tax exempt anti-sex offender organizations greatly profiting by these man-made, Hate Laws and Hit lists! As they all continue lobbying for their unjust laws, it's the American people who pay the price and kiss their HARD earned taxes, and all our rights, goodbye!
That's our LAW!

When is NJ going to protect our rights according to OUR Laws? I'm 'NOT' just talking about sex offenders.

Good sentiments, if a horrible writing style. I volunteer to teach this guy the correct use of exclamation points, as well as style improvements.

[bacasper]

Never mind traveling internationally. This guy was staying within the states!

30 years minimum? For a victim who didn't even exist? Why are cops creating crimes like this? The world is so crime-free they do it out of boredom? He'd have gotten less time if he committed a real rape.

Yet another boogeyman thought crime!

Why weren't the officers busted for showing sexually explicit photos to the imaginary 11-year-old?

30-to-life for traveling to have sex with imaginary victim

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - A federal jury yesterday found Douglas E. Leightey (59) of Carey, Ohio, guilty of traveling to Pensacola, Florida to engage in a sexual act with a minor, announced United States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh, Northern District of Florida.

Evidence presented at the two-day jury trial in Pensacola established that between December 3, 2009 and April 22, 2010, Leightey engaged in internet chats with undercover officers posing as the parents of an 11-year-old girl. Over the course of more than 26 chats, Leightey made plans with the undercover officers to travel to Pensacola for the purpose of having sex with the fictitious 11-year-old. As part of his efforts to induce the �child� to have sex with him, on April 12, 2010, Leightey sent the undercover agents images of himself engaged in sexually explicit conduct, with the understanding that these would be shown to the �child.� On April 22, 2010, Leightey traveled to Pensacola, where he met the undercover agents at a local restaurant. On his arrival, Leightey told the agents that he was worried he might be walking into an episode of �To Catch A Predator,� and expressed relief that this was not the case. The agents identified themselves as law enforcement and placed Leightey under arrest.

In addition to the travel charges, Leightey was also convicted of use of a computer to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, and attempt to transfer obscene material to a minor.

The defendant faces a minimum sentence of 30 years up to a maximum of life in prison in addition to statutory fines and the possibility of a lifetime period of supervised release following the completion of any prison sentence. Sentencing is set October 12, 2010, before Senior United States District Judge Lacey Collier.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lorena Vollrath-Bueno and Tiffany Eggers. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Pensacola Police Department, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

This case was a brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys� offices and the Criminal Division�s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

*************************************************

The reason the "epidemic" is growing is because of this boondoggle to all these agencies to create these crimes. It took THREE agencies to invent this fiction. I guess that is why the sentence had to be so harsh. They had a lot invested in it. This has got to be one of the WORST uses of my taxes. Outfuckingrageous.

[El Exigente]

[sirius black]

One of the major problems with these sex laws in the U.S. is that its state by state. They are all different. One will notice that a lot of the more onerous ones are within the 'Bible Belt' where sex is 'dirty' by definition to a lot of the bible thumping folks. The laws, for the most part, reflect the cutlure of that state. A few of these states (Georgia was one) until recently had laws against homosexuality between consenting adults still on the books. These states also had 'miscegeny' laws that made sex between blacks and whites illegal and often didn't recognize the children of such unions. Again, it reflects the culture. Just like it does in Saudi Arabia where a married woman can be convicted for merely being in the same car with a man other than her husband and a non family member.
So, I'm afraid that some of these laws and some of these convictions will continue in these states.

My view on sex crimes is that its case by case. An 18 y.o. HS senior with a fresman girlfriend who is 16 can be labled a sex offender for life. That person's job prospects have been reduced to amost nihil.

I also want to address the american prison system. Frankly, I think most state prisons are worthy of being brought up by Amnesty International for violations of human rights. Many of us have no problem seeing some true peodophile, rapists, serial killer, the complete dregs of society being raped and beaten brutally in prison. I understand that. I don't agree. One should be able to serve their time without personal harm. The problem is the guy who is in prison for a non violent act. Writing bad checks. DUI. Personal stash of pot beyond the legal limit. Even suspended license violations in some states. An otherwise middle class individual is placed in a brutal system where they are repeatedly raped and brutalized. Is that fair? Is it unfair to ask that one serve their time without having to be raped? Its known that some newbie is going to be raped. The average american state prison as well as a lot of the federal pens are worse than any stay in a Thai or Cambodia prison. I've known people who have been in both. Trust me.

What some of these advocates of throwing the book at any and all cases of sex violations is that in all liklihood they and someone they care about have had a similar violation technically. In HS or whatever.

[caniff]