The Child Protection eNewsletter
 When 18-year-old David Ludwig allegedly shot the parents of his 14-year-old “girlfriend” early Sunday morning, http://local.lancasteronline.com, http://local.lancasteronline.com, and http://local.lancasteronline.com, the press all focused on how such a tragic event could happen in a small, quiet town in Amish country. http://local.lancasteronline.com, http://local.lancasteronline.com, http://www.cbsnews.com They should be more focused on why a 14-year-old girl “dating” an 18-year-old boy is problematic. Even the few media sources that did, missed the point. (see “Dubious Teen Relationships” at http://www.cbsnews.com) The age of consent in every state in the union is 16, 17 or 18. In Pennsylvania, one of the more lax states, the age of consent is 16 and any sexual activity under the age of 14 is a crime. At 14, it is illegal if there is 4-year age difference. Ludwig is 18. Online postings the 14-year-old made on xanga.com indicate that she knew the relationship was illegal. http://local.lancasteronline.com
ChildTrend’s databank reports “among young people ages 15 to 24 in 2002, 13 percent of females and 5 percent of males reported that their first sexual experience occurred at age 15 or younger with an individual who was three or more years older (‘statutory rape’).” http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org The report goes on to note that “more than one in four children born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 were fathered by someone five or more years older. 6” (the footnote references http://www.guttmacher.org) For information on statutory rape laws and mandatory reporting requirements we suggest you visit http://www.lewin.com.
 Fueled by cell phones and the new video iPod, mini, portable porn viewing is becoming a mega business. MSNBC reports that Apple Computer Inc., maker of the iPod, took 20 days to reach 1 million downloads of video files from its online store; the Web site SuicideGirls, offering free videos of unclothed models, hit the mark in about a week. http://www.msnbc.msn.com Pornography is spreading from the computer desktop to the small screen, to pocket-sized devices such as cell phones, digital music players and portable game players. The phenomenon is being pushed not only by alternative-culture sites such as SuicideGirls but also by old-school skin traders such as Playboy and Penthouse, which this month announced plans to offer movies for viewing on portable devices.
 An Arvada, Colo., mother who provided sex and booze to teenagers because she wanted to be a "cool mom" was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday. http://www.denverpost.com
The judge said Silvia Johnson had used poor judgment in hosting the parties and consorting with the students from Arvada West High School. "You used intoxication as a means to have sex," he said. "You got these underage boys drunk, and you took advantage of them."
A New York judge on Tuesday ordered the release of 12 sex criminals she said were illegally detained when they were sent to a psychiatric hospital on Gov. George Pataki's orders after their prison sentences ended. http://hosted.ap.org (see original story at vol3_iss56)
Michigan police made 846 arrests during a statewide roundup of people accused of violating the requirements of the state's sex offender registry law. http://www.southbendtribune.com The suspects include 355 who face felony charges of failure to report new addresses within 10 days of moving, and 465 who face misdemeanor charges of failure to verify their addresses. In addition, 26 are charged with other violations, including failure to pay fees or to sign registration forms.
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