Proposed Tweak to Internet Law Could Spur Seismic Shifts in Web as We Know It
A bill related to sex trafficking and Section 230 could have far-reaching consequences for web content, publishers, and apps.
Sex Crimes
Enough Stranger Danger! Children Rarely Abducted by Those They Don't Know
U.S. kids are no more likely to be abducted today than they were decades ago, and much more likely to be returned safely when they are.
Banks Flagging Frequent Pharmacy Trips, Bulk DVD Rentals, and Other Ordinary Activity to Turn Over Tips to Government Snoops
All sorts of normal behavior are now triggering financial surveillance as banks try to comply with confused government policies on human trafficking.
Why We Still Need Statutes of Limitations for Rape
Momentum is gaining to end criminal statutes of limitations for sex crimes. But this betrays both victims and those accused.
The Unjust, Irrational, and Unconstitutional Consequences of Pedophilia Panic
The fear and disgust triggered by this subject help explain why laws dealing with sex offenses involving minors frequently lead to bizarre results.
The Lingering Impact of Justice Kennedy's Trumpesque Claim About Sex Offenders
Courts assume a "frightening and high risk of recidivism," based on an unsupported claim in Psychology Today.
SCOTUS Seems Likely to Overturn Law Banning Sex Offenders From Social Media
"This has become a crucially important channel of political communication," Justice Elena Kagan observes.
Illinois Appeals Court Says Banning Sex Offenders From Parks Is Unconstitutional
The court says the law "bears no reasonable relationship to protecting the public."
Trump's Mythical Crackdown on Sex Trafficking
No, there haven't been an "unprecedented" number of child sex-trafficking rings busted since Donald Trump took office.
College Students Meet to Have Sex, But a Poorly-Timed Touch Gets the Male in Trouble with Title IX
Michigan State University accused Nathan of pushing Melanie, something even Melanie says he didn't do.
Soliciting Sex Could Lead to 10 Years Prison in Connecticut
State also mandates that hotels keep all guest records for six months, train staff on how to spot prostitution.
The State Has Stopped Trying to Wreck a Teenage Boy's Life Because He Sexted His Girlfriend (For Now)
Austin Yabandith won't go to prison or register as a sex offender. But his mistreatment isn't over yet.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Minnesota's Indefinite Detention of Sex Offenders
The program purports to treat people with statutorily defined mental illnesses but has not cured any.
Two Federal Courts Call BS on Banning Sex Offenders From 'Child Safety Zones'
Rulings deem Indiana and North Carolina laws unconstitutionally vague and unjustifiably wide.
Pulp Fiction, Pope Francis Figured In Case of Alleged Foot Fetishist Charged With Child Sex-Trafficking
The Wisconsin case centered on whether paying to kiss teen's foot was a "commercial sex act."
Chicago Cop Arrested for Sex Trafficking and Child Porn, Accused of Paying Teens—Including Braces-Wearing 14-Year-Old—for Sex
A 26-year veteran of the department, William Whitley's record reveals 28 complaints against him, going back to 1991.
Victims Were Kids for One-Third of U.S. Police Officers Who Lost Badges for Sexual Misconduct
Officers frequently "use the power of their badge to prey on the vulnerable," finds AP analysis.
SCOTUS Will Consider Challenge to Ban on Social Media Use by Sex Offenders
A man arrested for using Facebook argues that North Carolina's law violates the First Amendment.
Man Found Not-Guilty of Rape Charges by Two Juries Still Required to Report All New Sex Partners to Police
British 23-year-old Nicholas Crawshaw is subject to a civil "Sex Risk Order" after cops weren't content to let his trials-by-jury stand.
Operation Cross Country X: Everything You Need to Know About the FBI's Annual 'Underage Human Trafficking' Sting In One Chart
Sex workers and their customers made up 72 percent of arrests in this "underage human trafficking" operation. Human traffickers? One percent.
Electoral Politics Is a Horrible Context In Which to Talk About Sexual Consent
People excited to see sexual-consent issues dominating cable news probably won't like where this is going.
Rape, Nude Catfighting, Prostitution… Your Fall Guide to Officer-Involved Sex Crimes in America
Three U.S. police units facing new, multi-officer sexual-misconduct allegations
Judge Dismisses Challenge to Special Sex Offender Passports
The plaintiffs argued that the newly mandated stigma is unconstitutional.
Sex Offenders Say Idaho's Retroactive Registration Requirements Are Unconstitutional
Idaho's law is similar to Michigan's, which a federal appeals court recently deemed punitive.
Oakland Police Follow Up Internal Sex-Crime Investigation by Launching Anonymous Online System for Reporting Prostitution
Oakland aims to shame "johns" with an anonymous online reporting system that triggers police warning letters.
Romeo and Juliet and Sexting: 17-Year-Old Faces Child Porn, Assault Charges for Consensual Sex with Girlfriend
'They said that all they were going to do was delete the photos from the phone, so I blindly signed a paper allowing them to access it.'
Probation for Sex With Another Teenager, 3.5 Years in Prison for Failing to Register
The 9th Circuit upholds retroactive application of Arizona's registration requirement for sex offenders.
How Celeste Guap, California Teen at Center of Oakland-Cop Prostitution Scandal, Wound Up in a Florida Jail
Celeste Guap claims she was flown to Florida for drug treatment by California police. Now she's in jail on a $300,000 bond.
The FBI Distributes Child Pornography to Catch People Who Look at It
By its own logic, the government victimized children thousands of times.
The Perverse Penalties of Leper Lists
A federal appeals court finds little evidence that the burdens imposed by sex offender registries are justified.
6th Circuit Says Mich. Sex Offender Registry Is Punitive and, Not Incidentally, Stupid
Concluding that retroactive application of the law is unconstitutional, the appeals court also questions its rationality.
More Than 1,300 Prostitution Clients Arrests in Latest 'National Johns Suppression Initiative'
The initiative was launched by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, one of America's leading crusaders for the eradication of prostitution.
Mandatory Minimums Aren't the Answer to Sexual Assault
We can't let one bad judgement tempt us signal feminism by sacrificing justice.
Ruling Allows Online Sex Solicitors to Argue 'She Said She Was 16'
The Minnesota Court of Appeals says due process requires allowing a mistake-of-age defense.
Jailing of Rape Victim Could Spur Criminal-Justice Reform in Texas
Outrage over the handling of a Harris County rape case could lead to reform in the state's witness-detention processes.
Teen Girl Sells Sex. Teen Boy Serves as Bodyguard. Teen Boy Gets Arrested by Homeland Security for Child Sex-Trafficking
If convicted, the boy-an 18-year-old homeless refugee from Ghana-faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, with life imprisonment possible.
Nine Years Paid Vacation for New Jersey Cop Accused of Sexually Assaulting Inmate
The city has spent nearly $2 million on leave pay plus legal costs.
Free-Speech Groups Urge Veto on Rhode Island 'Sextortion' Measure
The state's new "revenge porn" measure is "so breathtakingly broad...that it criminalizes activity that involves neither revenge nor porn."
Sexual Violence and the State: 15 U.S. Cops in the News for Sex Crimes This Week
Alleged misconduct ranges from paying for sex to forcible rape, extorting sex through threats of arrest, and sex with underage girls.
Study Says More Than Half of All College Athletes Have a History of 'Rape'
Of course, the claim relies on refusing to draw distinctions between violence, coercion, and persuasion.
New Georgia Law Makes Sure Undercover Cops Can Count as Sex-Trafficked Teens
Why bother looking for actual sex-trafficking victims when cops can just pretend to be them and reap the same rewards?
'Serial Child Molester' Dennis Hastert Gets 15 Months for Something That Shouldn't Be Illegal
The former speaker of the House can no longer be prosecuted for his real crimes.
Sow Rape Culture Hyperbole, Reap Transgender Bathroom Paranoia
People are bombarded with misleading statistics about rape, child abductions, and sex trafficking. Should we blame them for being afraid?
How New Hampshire Plans to Spike Its Sex-Trafficking Stats
No evidence of a real sex-trafficking epidemic? No problem! The state has ways of creating sex traffickers...
Pentagon Duped Congress About Military Sexual-Assault Cases
Reports of negligent civilian authorities in military sexual-assault cases were overblown or unverifiable.
Dennis Hastert Notwithstanding, the Structuring Law Is Unjust
Even people who have committed no other crime can go to jail for trying to maintain their financial privacy.
