Forensic Mental Health Services Forensic Assessments, Consultations, & Training Services Thomas J

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Forensic Mental Health Services Forensic Assessments, Consultations, & Training Services Thomas J Forensic Mental Health Services Forensic Assessments, Consultations, & Training Services Thomas J. Tiefenwerth, Ph.D. In Administration of Justice; Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Licensed Sex Offender Treatment Provider-Supervisor 6106 Wooded Creek Cove Temple, Texas 76502 Office: 1.254.598.2923 FAX: 1.254.598.2924 E-mail: [email protected] Technology-Facilitated Sex Crimes Against Children and Minors: Sexting, Social Networking, Child Pornography, and the Internet Presenter: Thomas J. Tiefenwerth, Ph.D., M.P.S., M.A., M.P.A.; L.P.C., L.S.O.T.P., L.T.C.L.E.O.S.E. Instructor; B.C.C.P., N.C.P., C.C.J.A.S., C.C.J.P., A.A.C., A.A.D.C., A.D.C.-III Diplomate, I.C.A.A.D.C., I.C.C.J.P., C.C.H.P., C.C.J.A.P., I.C.C.J.A.P., C.C.J.A.D. Instructor Date and Time: Thursday and Friday, Jan. 17th & 18th, 2013 CEUs: 16 Hrs. Course Description: This two-day training is designed to familiarize law enforcement and criminal justice professionals with the various types of Internet sex crimes against children. This course explains how the Internet and cyberspace have become the new playground for child sex predators, along with the challenges for law enforcement. There will be a detailed analysis of deviant sexual preferences for children and minors, along with a classification of Internet sex predators. It will compare and contrast the paraphilic-crimes of pedophilia, hebephilia, and child sexual molestation, by their Internet sex predators through relevant case studies. The forensic classifications and motivational influences of the Internet perpetrators of sex crimes against children and minors will be examined, along with their methods of luring youngsters through online cell phones, chat-rooms and social websites. Other topics will include: the classifications of several of the most common forms of Internet criminal sexuality against children and minors; psychological influences and motivations of Internet sex predators; online grooming and seduction techniques utilized by Internet perpetrators; exacerbating influences of different types of psychopathy and behavioral triggers; child pornography; child prostitution; media and unlawful images, sexting and social networking will also be examined. (Caveat: Portions of this training are exceedingly graphic). Course Objectives: Upon successful completion, the student will be able to: 1. Recognize the prevalence and demographic variables of Internet sex crimes against children. 2. List the classifications of Internet perpetrators of pedophilia and child molestation Page 1 of 4 online, along with types of vulnerable child and youth-victims. 3. Discuss the various types of exacerbating influences and psychological motivations of Internet child and minor predator behaviors, as well as grooming techniques and methods of luring child and youth-victims. 4. Examine the significance of the role of child pornography and child prostitution in the perpetration of Internet child and minor sexual offending. Technology-Facilitated Sex Crimes Against Children and Minors: Sexting, Social Networking, Child Pornography, and the Internet Course Outline Schedule Thursday, Jan. 17th 2013 Time Course Topic 8:00 am to 9:45 am Introduction to Internet Sex Crimes Against Children and Minors: Prevalence of the Problem for Law Enforcement 9:45 am to 10:00 am Break 10:00 am to 12:00pm Internet Sex Offender and Child-Victim Demographics : Sexting 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm to 2:45 pm Sextortion Case Studies 2:45 pm to 3:00 pm Break 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm Online Pedophilia and Child Molestation: Grooming, Luring/Enticing, Seduction Techniques Friday, Jan. 18th 2013 Time Course Topic 8:00 am to 9:45 am Hebephilia: Prevalence and Types of Perpetrators (Lolita Syndrome) 9:45 am to 10:00 am Break Page 2 of 4 10:00 am to 12:00pm Technology Facilitated Sex Crimes Against Children and Minors: Internet Predators and Social Networking 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm to 2:45 pm Child Pornography and the Internet: Relationship of Fantasy and Addiction Progression 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Child Prostitution: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Minors on the Internet 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm Final Questions, Evaluations, and Certificates Sponsored by: Abilene Police Department Training Academy Abilene, TX Contact: Ms. Debbie Dudensing, the secretary at the Training Academy, who may be reached at her office number: (325) 325-676-6537 or e-mail: [email protected]. Page 3 of 4 Technology-Facilitated Sex Crimes Against Children and Minors: Sexting, Social Networking, Child Pornography, and the Internet Abilene Police Department Training Academy Abilene, TX-Jan. 17th & 18th, 2013 Registration Form Name: Title: Agency: Address: Telephone: E-mail: Note: For additional information, please contact Dr. Tiefenwerth directly at the telephone number or e-mail listed above. Registration is limited to the first 40 registrations and fees received. The registration fee is $175.00. Cancellations: To ensure your enrollment in this seminar, I must receive your registration at least 5 days prior to the start of the class. Registration may be cancelled without penalty, if I receive a written request within 5 business days prior to the start of the first day of class. Please register early, as this training seminar is quite popular with law enforcement and tends to fill up quickly. The seminar may also be cancelled for insufficient registration. Page 4 of 4 .
Recommended publications
  • Behaviour and Characteristics of Perpetrators of Online-Facilitated Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation a Rapid Evidence Assessment
    Behaviour and Characteristics of Perpetrators of Online-facilitated Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation A Rapid Evidence Assessment Final Report Authors: Jeffrey DeMarco, Sarah Sharrock, Tanya Crowther and Matt Barnard January 2018 Prepared for: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) Disclaimer: This is a rapid evidence assessment prepared at IICSA’s request. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors alone. At NatCen Social Research we believe that social research has the power to make life better. By really understanding the complexity of people’s lives and what they think about the issues that affect them, we give the public a powerful and influential role in shaping decisions and services that can make a difference to everyone. And as an independent, not for profit organisation we’re able to put all our time and energy into delivering social research that works for society. NatCen Social Research 35 Northampton Square London EC1V 0AX T 020 7250 1866 www.natcen.ac.uk A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No.4392418. A Charity registered in England and Wales (1091768) and Scotland (SC038454) This project was carried out in compliance with ISO20252 © Crown copyright 2018 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/version/3. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. This publication is available at www.iicsa.org.uk. Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at [email protected] Contents Glossary of terms .............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Child Molesters: a Behavioral Analysis
    Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis For Law-Enforcement Officers Investigating the Sexual Exploitation of Children by Acquaintance Molesters In cooperation with the CHILD MOLESTERS: A BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS - Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis For Law-Enforcement Officers Investigating the Sexual Exploitation of Children by Acquaintance Molesters Fourth Edition September 2001 Kenneth V. Lanning Former Supervisory Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Copyright © 2001 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. All rights reserved. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), a national clearinghouse and resource center, is funded under Cooperative Agreement #98-MC-CX-K002 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Treasury, nor National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a registered service mark of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CHILD MOLESTERS: A BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS - Dedication This publication is dedicated to child victims of sexual exploitation and the organization that allowed me to devote most of my 30-year career as a Special Agent to fighting crimes against children. To the Federal Bureau of Investigation I also dedicate this publication to my wife and children, without whose support for all these years I could not have maintained my objectivity and balance. To Kathy, Melissa, and Rick ii - CHILD MOLESTERS: A BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS Kenneth V. Lanning, M.S., FBI (Retired) Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • This Paper Is Accepted at Archives of Sexual Behavior Please Visit the Publisher’S Website for Full Citation Details
    Running head: Internalization of stigma in MAPs The internalization of social stigma among minor-attracted persons: Implications for treatment Rebecca Lievesley & Craig A. Harper Nottingham Trent University (UK) Helen Elliott Bishop Grosseteste University (UK) Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Dr. Rebecca Lievesley Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2620 Email: [email protected] This paper is accepted at Archives of Sexual Behavior Please visit the publisher’s website for full citation details. 2 Abstract In this paper, we sought to build on existing stigmatization research by examining the extent to which internalized stigmatization (i.e., the personal adoption and incorporation of social views, operationalized as thought suppression – an avoidant coping strategy – and low psychological wellbeing) among minor-attracted persons (MAPs) may impact upon help- seeking behaviors and their avoidance of children. We adopted a cross-sectional anonymous survey design to recruit a sample of self-identified MAPs (N = 183) from prominent online support fora. We found that increased levels of suppression and lower levels of psychological wellbeing were associated with lower levels of hope about the future, but higher levels of both shame and guilt about having a sexual interest in minors. Thought suppression was not significantly associated with outcomes related to help-seeking behaviors, but did significantly higher rates of actively avoiding children, even after controlling for psychological wellbeing and other emotional variables. Independently, lower levels of self-reported psychological wellbeing was associated with a desire for more support and higher rates of actively avoiding children.
    [Show full text]
  • Adult-Child Sex and the Demands of Virtuous Sexual Morality Agustin
    Adult-Child Sex and the Demands of Virtuous Sexual Morality Agustin Malón1 1Faculty of Human Sciences and Education, University of Zaragoza, 22003, Huesca. Spain. e-mail: [email protected] 2 ABSTRACT This article is the continuation of a previous analysis of the usual arguments ―lack of consent, exploitation and harm― used to evaluate sexual experiences between adults and children from general moral principles. It has been suggested that those arguments were insufficient to condemn all adult-child sexual experiences, and that it would be of interest to study others that come from a specific sexual morality based on a more complex and transcendent conception of human eroticism and sexual conduct. This paper develops three different arguments against adult-child sex from this perspective, a view which, while not rejecting the Kantian and utilitarian approaches, complements and transforms them with a virtue ethic that questions not only the permissibility of certain acts but also their moral desirability under this frame of reference. This helps us to clarify the scientific discourse on adult-child sex and directs us to the importance of attending to the educational dimension of this moral problem. KEY WORDS Children; sexual abuse; sexual morality; pedophilia; sexual consent; sex education INTRODUCTION There are three arguments most commonly used to morally condemn sexual experiences between adults and pre-adolescent children: lack of consent, exploitation and harm (Malón, 2015). These arguments, now fairly predominant and characteristic of a liberal-permissive sexual ideology, are usually based on a sensualist concept of sex as a desire for physical-genital pleasure (Morgan, 2003b), as well as on the idea that the ethical principles necessary to evaluate these conducts are similar to those we use to evaluate any other type of human interaction (Primoratz, 1999).
    [Show full text]
  • Project Safe Childhood
    Project Safe Childhood In This Issue Introduction . .1 By Sally Quillian Yates July 2015 New Developments in SORNA . 2 Volume 63 By Lori McPherson Number 4 Civil Commitment of Sexually Dangerous Persons: Legal United States Challenges to the Adam Walsh Act . .7 Department of Justice Executive Office for By Gretchen C. F. Shappert United States Attorneys Washington, DC 20530 Targeting Sex Trafficking . 22 Monty Wilkinson By Alessandra Serano and Mandy Griffith Director Contributors’ opinions and statements Navigating a Nationwide Investigation: The View from a U.S. should not be considered an Attorney’s Office . .29 endorsement by EOUSA for any policy, program, or service. By Deborah R. Gilg and Michael P. Norris The United States Attorneys’ Bulletin is published pursuant to Project Safe Childhood Wellness Issues and Peer Support . 33 28 CFR § 0.22(b). By Jo E. Lawless and Barbara A. Masterson The United States Attorneys’ Bulletin is published bimonthly by the Executive Office for United States Guardians ad Litem and Victim Counsel in Cases With Child Attorneys, Office of Legal Education, 1620 Pendleton Street, Victims and Witnesses . 39 Columbia, South Carolina 29201. By Katharine L. Manning Managing Editor Victim Issues in PSC Cases in Indian Country . 42 Jim Donovan By Marlys Big Eagle and Marcia Hurd Associate Editor Carmel Matin The Sentencing Battleground: Understanding the Current Internet Address www.usdoj.gov/usao/ Psychology Research and Refuting Defense Psychology and Risk reading_room/foiamanuals. Assessment Reports at Sentencing . 46 html By Dr. Darrel Turner, Meghan Hanks, Joey L. Blanch, and Send article submissions to Managing Editor, Camille E. Sparks United States Attorneys’ Bulletin, National Advocacy Center, Office of Legal Education, Enhanced Sentences for Repeat Sexual Offenders Against Children .
    [Show full text]
  • Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-Consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2019 Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations Nicole Graham The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3333 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] EXAMINING THE USE OF HEBEPHILIA AND PARAPHILIA NON-CONSENT IN SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR (SVP) EVALUATIONS By Nicole Graham A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Clinical Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2019 © 2019 NICOLE GRAHAM All Rights Reserved ii Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations by Nicole Graham This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Clinical Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________ ____________________________________ Date Cynthia Calkins, Ph.D. Chair of the Examining Committee ________________________ ____________________________________ Date Richard Bodnar, Ph.D. Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Elizabeth Jeglic, Ph.D. Rebecca Weiss, Ph.D. Marcus Boccaccini, Ph.D. Sandy Lewis, Ph.D. THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Examining the Use of Hebephilia and Paraphilia Non-consent in Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Evaluations by Nicole Graham Advisor: Cynthia Calkins, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Chronophilia': Entries of Erotic Age Preference Into Descriptive
    Med. Hist. (2015), vol. 59(4), pp. 575–598. c The Author 2015. Published by Cambridge University Press 2015 doi:10.1017/mdh.2015.47 ‘Chronophilia’: Entries of Erotic Age Preference into Descriptive Psychopathology DIEDERIK F. JANSSEN* Independent researcher, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Abstract: A scientific nomenclature of erotic age preferences informed the mid- through late nineteenth century joint appearance of homosexuality and sexual abuse of minors on the medico-legal scene. Yet, even in the twenty-first century, legal, psychiatric and culture-critical dimensions of related terms are rarely cleanly distinguished. Review of primary sources shows the ongoing Western suspension of notions of ‘sick desire’, alongside and beyond the medicalisation of homosexuality, between metaphor, legal interdiction and postulated psychopathology. Virtually all early attention to erotic age preference occurred in the context of emergent attention to erotic gender preference. Age of attraction and age difference centrally animate modern homosexuality’s pre-modern past; its earliest psychiatric nomenclature and typologies (1844–69); its early aetiologies stipulating degrees of sexual differentiation (1890s); its concomitant sub-classification (1896–1914); its earliest psychophysiological tests (1950s); and, finally, its post-psychiatric, social scientific typologies (1980s). Several identifications of ‘paedophilia’ were seen throughout the 1890s but as a trope it gained cultural momentum only during, and as a seemingly intriguing corollary of, the progressive
    [Show full text]
  • Pedophile: a Loaded Term
    14th Annual IITAP Symposium 3/12/2019 THE ORIGINS OF PEDOPHILIA: EXPLORING DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA AND ITS IMPACT ON MINOR ATTRACTION Meg Martinez-Dettamanti LACMHC, CSAT-C, EMDR-Trained The Global Prevention Project ©2019 Namaste Center for Healing 1 PEDOPHILE: A LOADED TERM ©2019 Namaste Center for Healing 2 © 2019 IITAP, LLC (All content reprinted with permission of the presenter) 1 14th Annual IITAP Symposium 3/12/2019 PEDOPHILE: A LOADED TERM “not all individuals who sexually assault children are pedophiles” (Simons, 2014, para 5). ©2019 Namaste Center for Healing 3 ■ According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Pedophilic Disorder is diagnosed when the following criteria are met; – recurrent, intense, and sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors directed toward a prepubescent child over a period of at least 6 months – to have acted on these urges or to be distressed by them – to be at least 16 years old and at least 5 years older than the child victim (not to include an individual in late adolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12 or 13 year-old). (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) Pedophile: A Loaded Term ©2019 Namaste Center for Healing 4 © 2019 IITAP, LLC (All content reprinted with permission of the presenter) 2 14th Annual IITAP Symposium 3/12/2019 “Although from a psychiatric perspective the term Pedophilia is intended to define a recognized clinical entity, in the collective consciousness of contemporary society, the term has become a demonizing pejorative.” ■ Why? – “acted on” = what? – The dilemma of “Pedophilic Sexual Orientation” – “...burdens that are frequently present, even in the absence of any acts of child sexual abuse” (pg.
    [Show full text]
  • Paraphilic Diagnoses in DSM-5
    Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci - Vol. 49 - No 4 (2012) Paraphilic Diagnoses in DSM-5 Richard B. Krueger, MD, and Meg S. Kaplan, PhD Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Department of Psychiatry, and Sexual Behavior Clinic, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, U.S.A. scheduled for publication in May of 2013 (2). Major changes are being proposed for both the specific criteria ABSTRACT and for the overall organizational structure of The Background: The DSM-5 has been under revision since Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 1999 and is scheduled for publication in 2013. This article (1, 3) . The paraphilias are no exception to these changes will review the major proposed modifications of the (4). Significant controversy has surrounded both the Paraphilias. DSM-5 (5) and its proposed revisions for paraphilic diagnoses (6). This article will review the major revi- Method: The information reviewed was obtained from sions proposed for the paraphilic disorders as well as PubMed, PsychInfo, the DSM-5.org website and other some of the significant criticisms. sources and reviewed. Results: Pedohebephilia, Hypersexual Disorder and Paraphilic Coercive Disorder are new proposed diagnoses. METHOD Paraphilias have been assigned their own chapter in DSM- A literature search was conducted on PubMed and 5 and a distinction has been made between Paraphilias PsychoInfo databases from the year 1990 through April and Paraphilic Disorders. Victim numbers have been of 2011. The search used search terms of “paraphilias,” included in diagnosis of paraphilias that involve victims “exhibitionism,” “voyeurism,” “frotteurism,” “sadism,” and remission and severity measures have been added “masochism,” “fetishism,” “transvestic fetishism,” “para- to all paraphilias.
    [Show full text]
  • Janssen on Hubbard and Verstraete, 'Censoring Sex Research: the Debate Over Male Intergenerational Relations'
    H-Histsex Janssen on Hubbard and Verstraete, 'Censoring Sex Research: The Debate over Male Intergenerational Relations' Review published on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 Thomas K. Hubbard, Beert Verstraete, eds. Censoring Sex Research: The Debate over Male Intergenerational Relations. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press, 2013. 368 pp. $99.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-61132-338-2; $36.95 (paper), ISBN 978-1-61132-339-9. Reviewed by Diederik Janssen Published on H-Histsex (December, 2013) Commissioned by Timothy W. Jones Thomas K. Hubbard and Beert Verstraete’s edited volume,Censoring Sex Research, has had a tormented history. The volume responds to the widely bemoaned exclusion of psychologist Bruce Rind’s transdisciplinary contribution on “Greek Homosexualities” to the special issue of The Journal of Homosexuality in 2005 (then published by Haworth) and subsequent dismissal from the journal in 2010 (by its successor publisher Taylor & Francis). The affair echoed an unprecedented denouncement in 1999 by the U.S. Congress of the findings of a meta-review by Rind and others on supposed corollaries of “child sexual abuse” (CSA). Calculated to rouse the ire of conservative watchdogs,[1] a preview abstract to Rind’s 2005 article promised “an evolutionary model that synthesizes the empirical, cross-cultural, and cross-species data” on pederastic relationships, with animal data suggesting that “the seeds for pederasty were planted at the dawn of humanity.”[2] Censoring Sex Research unfolds Rind’s mentorship-bonding/enculturation-alliance hypothesis in an extended lead essay, the product of several augmentations and rounds of commentary. Elaborating on extant biosocial proposals, Rind suggests that, as a “recurring behavioral pattern,” pederasty is “presumably genetic, the result of primate heritage, natural selection, and pederasty’s functional utility in the EEA [Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness]” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Pedophilia As Age Sexual Orientation: Supporting Seto’S (2012) Conceptualization
    Pedophilia as Age Sexual Orientation: Supporting Seto’s (2012) Conceptualization University of British Columbia Okanagan Crystal L. Mundy123 SUBMITTED FOR PEER REVIEW 1 Correspondence should be addressed to Crystal L. Mundy, [email protected]. 2 This research was supported in part by a grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 3 This research appears in part in the author’s (unpublished) dissertation. 2 Abstract Emerging research has examined the experiences of individuals who are sexually attracted to children and adolescents, also termed minor attraction. Minor-attracted person is a self- referential term, used to describe an individual who is sexually attracted to individuals under the age of consent, which varies by legal system. This study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from minor-attracted persons (n = 116). Several analyses were used to assess whether the sample characteristics support Seto’s (2012) conceptualization of pedophilia as a sexual orientation. The three developmental characteristics of gender-based sexual orientation were explored with respect to data. Expected patterns with relation to age of onset, expressions of both sexual and romantic attractions, and stability of such attraction over time were found. As noted by Seto, there are clear clinical, and potential legal, implications associated with the shift in the conceptualization of sexual attraction to children and adolescents. Such attempts to shift have been met with hostility thus far; despite this hostility, the findings indicate that age sexual orientation closely mirrors the developmental trajectory of gender sexual orientation, as outlined by Seto. 3 Pedophilia as Age Sexual Orientation: Supporting Seto’s (2012) Conceptualization Contemporary research has indicated that sexual attraction to children and adolescents may be more reflective of a sexual orientation than a mental health disorder or paraphilic interest.
    [Show full text]
  • 1996 Report to the Congress: Sex Offenses Against Children
    Report to the Congress: Sex Offenses Against Children Findings and Recommendations Regarding Federal Penalties (as directed in the Sex Crimes Against Children Prevention Act of 1995, Section 6, Public Law 104-71) United States Sentencing Commission June 1996 Executive Summary The United States Sentencing Commission submits this report at the request of Congress on a subject of deep concern — sex offenses against children. In The Sex Crimes Against Children Prevention Act of 1995 (SCACPA), Congress addressed the serious problem of child pornography and other sex crimes against children and directed the Commission to increase certain penalties for these crimes. The Commission carried out that directive on April 30, 1996 by submitting to Congress guideline amendments that raised the penalties. The SCACPA also directed the Commission to prepare this report, analyzing the sentences imposed for these offenses, and to recommend additional amendments as appropriate. The Commission shares Congressional concerns about protecting America’s children from sex offenders and has joined in the effort to do so by recommending a number of amendments that would target the most dangerous offenders, raise sentences, and improve the operation of the guidelines. In preparing this report, the Commission analyzed all 1994 and 1995 sentences imposed under each of the relevant statutes—a total of 423 cases—to determine what kinds of sentences the defendants received and whether any modifications were necessary. Although federal sentencing policy potentially serves a variety of functions regardless of the number of cases involved, federal prosecutions of child sex offenses represent a small percentage of the total number of such cases nationwide: the vast majority of which are prosecuted in state courts.
    [Show full text]