Volume 5, Issue 19
March 16, 2007
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The Child Protection eNewsletter Entire Texas Youth Commission to resign… The board members of the embattled Texas Youth Commission, which has faced criticism after allegations that young inmates were sexually abused by staff, will resign today, the governor's office said. Read More Here The surprise announcement came after the state Senate voted unanimously to fire and replace the board that oversees the youth prison system. The seven-member board is scheduled to meet today to approve an agency rehabilitation plan. Once it is approved, the board members are expected to resign, Governor Rick Perry's office said in a statement. Perry's office said it had a phone conversation with each member of the board.Several members of the special legislative committee looking into the scandal applauded when they heard the news, then were angered when they learned the board would meet again. "This board needs to cease to exist," said committee co-chairman Senator John Whitmire, a Democrat. "Those folks are tainted. We don't need them approving any future (agency) plan." The Texas Youth Commission incarcerates about 2,700 offenders ages 10 to 21 who are considered the most dangerous, incorrigible or chronic. Late last month, lawmakers questioned agency staff about a 2005 investigation that found evidence officials at the West Texas State School in Pyote had repeated sexual contact with some of the 250 inmates. An internal investigation found prison staff members had complained about the abuse but that no one took action for more than a year. vol5_iss17 and vol5_iss18 Jury recommends death for John Evander Couey…  A jury decided Wednesday that a convicted sex offender should get the death penalty for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was buried alive in trash bags just yards from her home. Read More Here The jury, on a 10-2 vote, brushed aside pleas for mercy and a life sentence from defense lawyers based on claims that John Evander Couey, 48, is mentally retarded and suffers from chronic mental illness. Jurors deliberated for about one hour.The final decision on Couey's fate will be made in several weeks by Circuit Judge Richard Howard, who is not bound by the jury's recommendation but is required to give it "great weight." The Lunsford family showed no emotion when the decision was read, nor did Couey. Outside the courthouse, Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, thanked the jury with tears in his eyes. A day after a jury recommended the death penalty for the man who killed Jessica Lunsford, there were no cries of joy or triumph in Jessica’s hometown of Homosassa. Read More Here There were no new visitors outside her grandparents' house or fresh flowers added to her memorial at Cardinal Street and Sonata Avenue. There was only quiet acknowledgement that justice had been served. People here were relieved and grateful that a jury in Miami had reached the same conclusion that they had reached two years ago: John Couey must be put to death. Connecticut takes aim at MySpace…  Connecticut has become the first state in the nation to introduce legislation that would require MySpace, other social networking sites, and chat rooms to verify the ages of their users. Read More Here Any postings by those under 18 would require parental permission. Failure to comply would result in a fine to the Internet company of $5,000 per incident. The goal is for the law to become a model for national legislation. As many as 20 state attorneys general are now considering similar bills. "The basic idea here is that the parents should be empowered, and they should be put back in control if their children are below a certain age," says Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who's leading the fight for this type of legislation in Connecticut and around the country. "That's why age verification along with parental permission is key."While sites like MySpace and Friendster are designed to let users share ideas with friends and make new friends, critics say it's also a way for potential criminals to make contact. MySpace, with more than 100 million users worldwide, insists it's committed to protecting teens online, and it has set up an array of tools to help, including blocking software. However, MySpace is opposed to the Connecticut bill, saying it is "well-intentioned" but "not the answer." In a statement, MySpace's chief security officer, Hemanshu Nigam, said, "The most effective means to protect teens online is through a combined approach involving features and tools to make our site safer, educating our users and their parents, and working collaboratively with online safety organizations." Everyone in the debate does agree on one thing: Parents must be proactively involved with their kids if they're using the Internet. The Web sites of many attorneys general have tips for keeping children safe online. There are also sites — such as incredibleinternet.com, which was set up by Qwest Communications — designed to help parents navigate the online world. In other news… A needy woman, usually overweight and psychologically unstable, slips into a hospital and abducts a newborn. Hoping to seal a childless relationship with a boyfriend or husband, she returns home to present the baby as her own. Read More Here That, experts say, is the profile that fits most people caught abducting infants from hospitals. A Brazilian bricklayer has confessed to raping and killing a toddler found dead 10 days ago in the baptismal basin of a church in the southern state of Santa Catarina, authorities said Tuesday. Read More Here Oscar Goncalves Rosario confessed to killing 18-month-old Gabrielli Cristina Eichholz, who was found March 3 floating face down in the baptismal basin of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Joinville, a spokeswoman for the Santa Catarina public safety department said. A Portland, Oregon couple arranged to trade marijuana for the chance to have sex with a 5-year-old girl, the authorities said. Read More Here Federal agents arrested Christopher Dudley, 27, and Rhea Hamm, 22, in Woodland, Washington where they were to meet the girl — a fictitious character created by an agent who met Dudley in an Internet chat room. Multiple victims have so far been identified in an investigation of sexual abuse of children at Guardian Family Daycare in Adrian, MI. Read More Here “We have identified numerous victims now, running the gamut of ages from preschool to preteens,” said Adrian Police Chief Terry Collins. “We expect to have many more warrants,” he said. Evidence seized from the daycare center includes videos and images from still cameras, he said. Dateline NBC’s Chris Hansen reflects on three years of his “To Catch A Predator” series online at Read More Here. Hansen has written a book on the series. Read More Here Hansen has interviewed 200 potential sex predators from all walks of life and all ages during the course of the series. An Indianapolis man stabbed his 11-month-old son in the back, threw the boy out the car window with the kitchen knife stuck in his back and then drove away. Read More Here "He was conscious, but the knife was buried all the way to the handle," said Speedway Detective Jim Thiele. The boy, Devon Chandler, was in stable condition at a hospital Thursday. A Clifton, Colorado woman was jailed on suspicion she had her grandchildren perform sexually explicit acts while a man she met on the Internet watched. Read More Here Her arrest stemmed from an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement roundup linked to Matthew Hughes, 26, who was arrested in December on Internet child pornography charges in Canada. Internet chat messages indicated Hughes and the grandmother communicated with each other. Investigators traced the woman through her screen name, according to an arrest affidavit. A 6-year-old boy who vanished a week ago while playing near his trailer-park home was found slain Thursday, and police said they would probably charge a registered sex offender, his parents and another neighbor with murder. Read More Here The partially concealed body of Christopher Michael Barrios was discovered by a state ranger about three miles from the youngster's home, authorities said. *for access to member only sites like the New York Times, use the ID "JohnDoeID" and the password "whatever". On sites asking for an email address, feel free to use "info@childprotectionprogram.org" Unsubscribe |
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