In Wisconsin and throughout the United States, adults are relatively free to engage in consensual sexual activity. As long as the activity is only between adults and everyone consents, it isn’t illegal to engage in fantasy. Yet here and all across the U.S., law...
Sex Crimes
Does registering and banning people actually prevent crime?
Although we're not from New York City, we can agree that there is probably too much public lewdness and unwanted touching going on in the city's subways. Earlier this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to clean up public transit: banning "repeat...
Follow the evidence when evaluating sex offender registries
To many, sex offender registries seem like a good way to prevent people from committing repeat sex offenses, thereby keeping the public safer.Many believe that people who have committed sex offenses in the past are much more likely to commit them in the future....
In New Jersey, sex offenders fight for chance to get off registry
In New Jersey as in most states, there is a sex offender registry that was created by a "Megan's Law." These laws were enacted after a 7-year-old girl, Megan Kanka, was raped and murdered by a man who had been convicted twice of sexual assault. The law requires all...
When people with intellectual disabilities commit sex crimes
When Adam N. was arrested for exposing himself to a neighbor, it was hard to understand it as a sex crime. Adam is 32 but functions at the level of a 10-year-old. His mother says that the neighbor was actually abusing Adam and coerced him to expose himself. Adam pled...
Supreme Court: New charges require new jury trials
Once you've been found guilty of a crime, can the government just assert that you're guilty of new crimes without having to prove it to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt?No. A plurality of the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the basic right to a jury trial when...
Finding Lucy the Labrador leads to reasonable doubt
It's not every day that a dog plays a pivotal role in a criminal case, but an Oregon man is free today after Lucy, an unusual-looking Labrador mix, was located.In April of last year, Joshua Horner was convicted of sexually abusing a minor. He had already received a...
Appeals court: Cross-examination rights extend to public colleges
Colleges and universities are under pressure to respond more effectively to allegations of campus sexual assault. Public pressure, however, is no excuse to set aside constitutional rights, and a federal appellate court has just ruled that public colleges and...
‘The sexting talk’: A tricky but important conversation
Today’s digital world has created some unique concerns for parents of teens. This includes concerns regarding teen sexting.Sexting is rather prevalent among today’s teens. Such conduct can have all kinds of significant negative impacts on a teen and their life.Many...
The very serious nature of sexual assault of a child accusations
Under Wisconsin law, there are certain special classes of sex offenses that cover sex crimes against children. One of these classes is the offense of sexual assault of a child. This offense generally covers the committing of sexual contact or intercourse towards a...