Criminal Law

Romeo & Juliet Laws in Florida

Posted on November 02, 2007
Thanks to Molly for pointing out that the St. Petersburg Times has reported that Florida has passed a Romeo & Juliet law. From the St. Petersburg Times:A 28-year-old man has shed his sex offender status under a new "Romeo and Juliet" law intended to allow certain people convicted of teenage sexual activity to separate themselves from the state's registered sex offenders...

A very interesting case on the Confrontation Clause & Child Witneses

Posted on October 31, 2007
The Confrontation Blog has a great and very detailed post on the use of hearsay from child witnesses.  Anyone defending child molestation cases understands that the use of child hearsay in sexual abuse cases including not only criminal cases but child protective proceedings and civil matters...

Genarlow Wilson Freed!

Posted on October 29, 2007
From CNN: ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former Georgia prison inmate Genarlow Wilson says he feels no "negative energy" toward the district attorney who prosecuted him for receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old when he was a teenager himself.Genarlow Wilson and his mother, Juannessa Bennett, address reporters after his release Friday...

Some Glimmers of Hope in Maine's Sex Offender Registry

Posted on October 26, 2007
From the Bangor Daily News:AUGUSTA, Maine - Lawmakers were told Tuesday that about 300 convicted sex offenders are not following the state sex offender registry law, even as the legislators consider changing the structure of the registry. "There are about 100 that have not registered at all," said Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan...

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Sex Offenders and Contact with their Own Children

Posted on October 25, 2007
This story, or a variation of it, is all too common.  Often persons convicted of sex offenses who pose absoluteley no risk to their own children for a variety of reasons (father convicted of sex with unrelated underage teenage girl) then has visits withheld from his infant son...

Appeal of Sentence

Posted on October 18, 2007
From the Bangor Daily News-a little self promotion.  The sentencing in this case raises some real questions.  The judge "sentenced" the defendants on 9/27 by announcing "the numbers" that he had determined in a sentencin memorandum dated 2 days prior to the sentencing hearing...

Romeo & Juliet in New Hampshire

Posted on October 17, 2007
From the Manchester Union Leader:WEARE ? A 17-year-old boy who admitted to having sex with his underage girlfriend has been charged with misdemeanor sexual assault. . . . If convicted of the Class A misdemeanor, Hadley could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine...

Downeast Rape Sentence

Posted on October 05, 2007
From the Bangor Daily News:MACHIAS - A 25-year-old Calais man who raped a 14-year-old girl was sentenced Thursday in Washington County Superior Court to five years in prison. Justice Andrew Horton also placed Jeffrey M. Doucette on four years? probation...

Search for Child Porn Victims

Posted on September 28, 2007
This story is an interesting illustration of how the police search for previously unknown victims in child porn cases.  Here's hoping that they track this one down.  Having viewed my share of child pornography in the course of my professional duties the videos are the most disturbing...

A Potentially Successful Challenge to a Retroactive Sex Offender Registration Law

Posted on September 27, 2007
Wow!  A potential opening to challenge the retroactive nature of Maine's Sex Offender Registration law.  A case was filed anonymously and dismissed in the lower court challenging a recent retroactive measure that would sweep offenders with cases as far back as 1982 into the sex registration net...

Porn Mashup

Posted on September 21, 2007
This is an interesting site http://www.familyfragments.com/2007/09/2-weeks-in-september.asp  that maps the geography of "pornography related" crimes for the last two weeks.  The criteria for making the mashup appear to be an trolling of news articles...

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