August 25 USA: Despite high-profile cases, sex-offense crimes decline Megan Kanka, Jessica Lunsford, Shasta Groene. These girls, all believed to be sexually molested by men and 2 of them killed, have generated headlines, prompted states to stiffen penalties against offenders and caused many parents to fear their child could be next. Yet gut-wrenching as these high-profile cases are, they don't tell the whole story of sex offenders in America. They don't reflect the surprisingly good news: Sex crimes against children have dropped dramatically in the last decade. An online national sex-offender registry was launched in July. And recent research shows doctors can better predict which offenders may strike again. "There's a success story here," says Roxanne Lieb, director of Washington state's Institute for Public Policy. She sees a "trickle-down effect" as famous cases raise public awareness and legislatures toughen public policy. The headline-grabbing cases tend to be anomalies, because kids are rarely abused by strangers, and even less often killed. "It's not the creepy guy who moves in next door you need to be most concerned about, but family, friends - people who have access to your children on a regular basis," says Pamela Schultz, author of Not Monsters: Analyzing the Stories of Child Molesters. She says most kids are abused by people they know. And only a tiny fraction of abuse cases end in murder, says David Finkelhor, director of Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Of the 60,000 to 70,000 arrests each year for sex crimes against children, he says about 40 to 50 involve homicide. Child advocates fear, though, the ability of serial sex offenders to escape detection and hurt more children. "There are still huge gaps in the system," says John Walsh, host of the Fox network's America's Most Wanted, whose son Adam was murdered by a pedophile in 1981. "There's no good tracking" of repeat offenders, he says. All states now require convicted sex offenders to register, but Walsh says oversight and penalties for non-compliance are insufficient. Signs of progress Finkelhor says parents have a right to be outraged by sex crimes but should take heart by what he sees as progress. "There's been some fear on the part of advocates that some enthusiasm (for tougher laws) will go away if people think the situation is getting better," he says. Experts argue it is, citing these developments: - Dramatic drop in cases. Government figures show the rate of sexual assaults against adolescents ages 12 to 17 plunged 79% from 1993 through 2003, and the number of substantiated sex-abuse cases involving kids of all ages fell 39% in the same time period. Finkelhor, who has analyzed the data, sees multiple reasons for the decline: Greater incarceration of offenders, more therapy and use of psychiatric drugs, economic improvement in the 1990s and heightened public concern. - Online sex-offender registry. On July 20, the Justice Department activated its online National Sex Offender Public Registry, which now links the registries of 23 states and the District of Columbia. The registry will help the police and the public track offenders who cross state lines. The department expects its Web site, www.nsopr.gov, will soon link all states once software compatibility issues are resolved. - Improved screening for risk factors. Canadian psychologist Karl Hanson, an internationally recognized expert on sex offenders, says doctors are better able to assess which offenders are at higher risk of reoffending and focus on treating them. Hanson says no single factor determines who will commit another sex crime. "It's a combination," he says. He finds those at highest risk tend to be antisocial and have a sexual deviancy, such as an interest in children and strangers. Some were abused as kids but most kids who have been sexually abused don't become perpetrators. Government data show most sex offenders are male, and the majority of victims are female. The offenders are less likely to be rearrested after prison for any type of crime than other former inmates, although those who are rearrested are more likely to be charged with another sex crime, according to a 2003 study by the Department of Justice. 10 TIPS FOR PREVENTION These are tips for kids to help prevent them from being abused: 1. Check with a parent before accepting gifts or going anywhere with anyone. 2. Hang out in groups. Try not to walk or go out alone. 3. Trust your instincts. 4. Don't feel compelled to keep secrets from parents. 5. If someone touches you inappropriately, say "no" loudly, get away and tell an adult. 6. Dial 911 in emergencies. 7. Know your full name, phone number, address and parents' phone numbers. 8. Never give personal information online or meet online friends in person. 9. Report scary or explicit e-mails. 10. Have names and phone numbers of 5 trusted adults for emergencies. (source: Jacob Wetterling Foundation) - Treatment helps. Group therapy dropped the recidivism rate from 17% to 10%, according to a 2002 study that Hanson co-wrote. He studied 9,454 sex offenders in 43 states. A similar 1999 study found that those participating in relapse-prevention programs had a rearrest rate of 7.2% after five years, compared with 17.6% for those who weren't treated. The study, sponsored by the Justice Department, looked at 11,000 offenders. Doctors typically use cognitive therapy that teaches offenders to avoid risky behavior, such as living or working near children. They sometimes prescribe antidepressants or other drugs. "You can't cure it anymore than you can cure alcoholism, but you can successfully treat it," says Fred Berlin, founder of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins University. Berlin says sex offenders are a diverse group, including pedophiles as well as older teens convicted of having sex with underage teens. He argues some are mentally ill. "Who in their right mind would be sexually attracted to young children?" Gaps remain For bereaved parents, progress in reducing sex crimes may offer little consolation. They see a system too broken to protect their kids. "I will never see Jessie go on her first date. I will never be a grandfather to her children," Mark Lunsford said this spring as he stood with members of Congress who were proposing tougher penalties. His daughter Jessica, 9, was killed in February in Florida by convicted sex offender John Couey, who didn't register that he was living across the street from her. Of the 551,000 sex offenders registered in the USA, about 100,000 are missing or have failed to give a current address, says Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He says compliance varies widely by state. He argues the public, at a minimum, needs to know where repeat offenders are. Joseph Edward Duncan, 42, accused of molesting 8-year-old Shasta Groene and killing three members of her family, was a repeat offender suspected of molesting a boy in Minnesota when a judge released him in April on a $15,000 bail. He fled. A month later, he kidnapped Shasta and her brother, Dylan, police say. The bodies of her mother, another brother and the mother's boyfriend were found bludgeoned in their rural Idaho home. Dylan's body was later found. USA TODAY does not usually identify alleged underage victims of sexual assault, but the search for Shasta was so publicized that her name is widely known. On Tuesday, non-guilty pleas were entered on Duncan's behalf to 6 charges of murder and kidnapping, each of which carries the death penalty. He is also being investigated in the deaths of a 10-year-old California boy in 1997 and two Washington state girls in 1996. Walsh calls Duncan "a poster boy" for gaps in the system, a repeat offender "who knows the system doesn't work." Aside from registering offenders, states must now also provide information to the public on offenders' addresses. Congress passed this requirement, known as Megan's Law, after the 1994 murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a twice-convicted sex offender living on her street in Hamilton Township, N.J. It did not require states to actively notify the public, such as by letter, but they must make the information available. Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law, says many people assume that if a known sex offender moves in next door they will be notified. "That's one of the largest betrayals," she says. "People have been led into this false sense of security." She says 22 states do not require active notification, forcing parents themselves to seek out the information. Critics say the registries also fall short because most sex crimes are not reported and most sex offenders are not caught. "Public notification laws make the public feel better, but they certainly don't target the people who haven't been caught," says Joseph Giovannoni, who has counseled sex offenders for 28 years in Hawaii. Experts say more parents are reporting sex crimes against their children, but they remain a distinct minority. "What we're confronted with is a faceless crime," Ahearn says, arguing many families hope to preserve a sense of normalcy by not going public. Hanson, the psychologist, estimates that 40% of kids molested by strangers report the abuse, but only 10% molested by someone they know do so. "Even low rates are too high," he says. "We still have a long way to go." States get tough A bipartisan bill is pending in Congress to strengthen Megan's Law. Authored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., it would increase penalties on offenders for non-compliance, require them to give more frequent in-person updates of their addresses and improve information sharing among states. Lawmakers are also proposing other bills to lengthen prison sentences and impose electronic-tracking devices. States and communities are not waiting for Congress to act. They are taking a variety of steps: - Banning offenders from school areas. In May, Binghamton, N.Y., banned moderate- and high-risk sex offenders from living or entering an area within a quarter-mile radius of any school, day care center, playground or park. In June, Miami Beach's Mayor David Dermer banned convicted child molesters from moving within 2,500 feet of such areas, effectively barring them from the city. In July, Brick Township, N.J., set a similar 2,500-foot perimeter for certain pedophiles. Under a new policy, Florida bans certain sex offenders from public hurricane shelters, many of which are in schools. It requires them to seek refuge in prison instead. - Electronic monitoring. After the deaths this year of Jessica Lunsford and 13-year-old Sarah Lunde, who was also allegedly molested and killed by a convicted rapist, Florida approved a bill requiring the worst offenders to wear satellite-tracking devices for the rest of their lives. In August alone, Alabama and New Jersey passed laws requiring extensive satellite tracking of high-risk sex offenders. At least 3 other states - Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma - approved electronic monitoring this year, and North Dakota, Georgia and New York are considering similar measures. Last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed lifetime satellite-tracking devices for paroled molesters. His proposal faces an uncertain future. The state Legislature's annual session ends early next month. Questions have been raised about the program's cost. Beginning this month in Iowa, more than 500 convicted sex offenders will be required to wear electronic-monitoring ankle bands. The law was in response to the March abduction and slaying of 10-year-old Jetseta Gage. James Bentley, who once dated her mother, is charged with sexually molesting her over a 3-year period. His older brother Roger is charged with kidnapping and killing her. "Electronic monitoring is really, really important," Walsh says. - Longer prison sentences. Florida's sex-offender law passed this year more than doubles the mandatory sentence for sex crimes against children. Other states are also lengthening prison sentences for sex offenders. "Incarceration seems to have an impact," says John LaFond, author of Preventing Sexual Violence. He says the number of inmates convicted of sex crimes is rising more quickly than that for all other crimes except drugs. The longer sentences contribute to the decline in sex crimes, he says. While states impose stiffer penalties, child advocates also point to a less costly approach: Education on how to prevent abuse. Teresa Jacobs, program manager of the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a Minnesota-based non-profit group, says parents can best protect their kids by staying involved in their lives and knowing how they spend their time. She says kids need to learn to report abuse. Ahearn says parents shouldn't only preach "stranger beware," because strangers commit only about 10% of sex offenses. She cautions them to also look at the people they know: "Anyone who wants to spend more time with your kid than you, watch out." (source: USA Today) LOUISIANA: DA considers death penalty in rape case The Caddo district attorneys office is seriously considering seeking the death penalty if an Ohio man is convicted of raping a 5-year-old girl he and a woman were baby-sitting. Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland said he will decide possibly as soon as next week whether to seek the death penalty for Richard Lee Davis, 33, of Evansport, Ohio. Under Louisiana law, prosecutors can seek the death penalty on a charge of aggravated rape if the victim is under age 12. The other penalty for the crime is a mandatory life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. Davis and girlfriend Melissa Ticer, 21, of Shreveport were booked into Caddo Correctional Center on a charge of aggravated rape after being indicted by a Caddo grand jury. The 2 were supposed to be baby-sitting the child. Davis also faces one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Bond has been set at $200,000 for Ticer and $400,000 for Davis. Davis has a criminal history in Bossier Parish, where he has been convicted of 2nd-degree battery stemming from the sexual abuse of his son, Holland said. According to Bossier Parish court records, Davis also has been convicted of promoting prostitution. Ticer is cooperating with investigators, Holland said. Investigators believe the 5-year-old was drugged and sexually assaulted by the couple while she was unconscious. On several other occasions, the 5-year-old reportedly was sexually assaulted by Davis and Ticer while she was awake. Detectives learned of the alleged rape after a relative of the 5-year-old went to authorities in late January. So far, no new victims have come forward in this case, but the investigation is continuing, Caddo sheriffs Lt. Larry Nunnery said. Meanwhile, a local group is trying to raise public awareness about sexual abuse of children. "A child can be sexually abused by anyone, even a relative or trusted friend. So it's important to talk to your children about their bodies and their right to protect themselves," said Alisa Politz-Roberts, director of the northwest Louisiana office of Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana. The nonprofit offers parenting and public education, prevention programs and advocacy efforts. "Children need to know that no one has the right to touch them in any way that makes them feel uncomfortable," Politz-Roberts said. She also warns parents about the symptoms of sexual abuse, which include overly seductive or aggressive behavior, depression, injury to the genital area, painful urination, bed wetting, an inappropriate knowledge of sex and sudden fear of leaving their parents or their home. "The child should know he or she did nothing wrong and is not to blame for what happened." (source: Shreveport Times) DELAWARE: Death sought in Minquadale slaying----Transient had been living with victim State prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a transient accused of killing a Minquadale man in whose home he'd been living, then attacking a woman living in the home, with whom he had had an affair. Michael R. Neff, 45, was stabbed to death at his home in Minquadale on March 6. Afterward, police said, James D. Cole attacked the woman, then stole her minivan and fled to Pennsylvania, where he was seriously injured in an automobile accident. Cole was charged with 1st-degree murder, two counts of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and a weapons offense. Superior Court Judge Charles Toliver IV ruled in a hearing Wednesday there was sufficient evidence to hold Cole without bail. According to testimony at the hearing, Cole had been smoking crack on the night of the killing, and after fleeing in the minivan, struck a utility pole on Pa. 82 in southern Chester County. Cole survived that accident largely unharmed, but then was struck head-on by a drunken driver, which caused life-threatening injuries and left him in a coma. Cole recovered and was in court Wednesday to hear the state's evidence against him. New Castle County police Detective Thomas J. Abram testified that Cole had been living at the Neff home about three months to keep Neff and his three children company while Neff and the woman were separated. Abram said Michael Neff and the woman had an on-again, off-again relationship and each had obtained protection-from-abuse orders against the other. Under cross-examination from Cole's attorney, Bradley Manning, Abram said that at the time of Michael Neff's death, the woman was under a court order to stay away from the house. She had also had an affair with Cole several months earlier, Abram said, although he doesn't think Michael Neff knew about it. There was no history of violence between Cole and Neff or the woman, Abram said, though Neff himself had been accused of beating her with a vacuum cleaner. On the night of the slaying, Abram said, the woman had decided to return to Neff's home to live. She arranged for Cole to drive with her to her mother's home in Maryland so she could retrieve some of her belongings. Afterward, the pair returned to the Newark area, where they bought crack cocaine. After they smoked some of it, Abram said, Cole tried to have sex with the woman several times. She refused, and he kept smoking the drug, police said. About 1:30 a.m., they returned to Neff's home, where Cole partially undressed and began to watch a pornographic movie in the living room, Abram said. The woman told police Cole refused to help her bring her things in from the minivan, so she went alone. When she returned to the house a few minutes later, she found Cole completely naked and splattered with blood. "I killed the [expletive] and you and the kids are next," Cole told her, according to Abram. The 2 struggled in the bedroom, where Neff lay in a pool of blood, then Cole dragged her back to the living room, the detective said. Afterward, Cole pulled phone lines from the walls, tied the woman's hands and fled with some prescription medication and $50, Abram said. She was able to call 911 with a cell phone about 2:30 a.m. Authorities later determined Michael Neff died from a single stab wound to the neck. A butcher knife from the kitchen was found next to the body and is believed to have been the murder weapon. 3 children between the ages of 5 and 10 were in the home when the slaying and subsequent attack occurred, according to Abram, but they apparently never woke up. (source: The News Journal)
