Women Volunteers Target Online Ads Selling Sex With Children

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Some unlikely Atlanta women are spending hours on the Internet looking for child prostitutes, but not for personal gratification. They’re volunteers who are monitoring websites that advertise children under categories such as “escorts” as part of a new front in the war against sexual trafficking. “We have found every quarter an exponential increase in the number of girls being exploited,” said Deborah Richardson, executive vice president of the National Center for Civil & Human Rights. “One reason is the internet. Anyone can sit at home and order a young girl for sex as easily as ordering a pizza.” And just as a customer can specify pizza toppings, children can be ordered online by skin color, hair color and age, she said.

“Scared Straight” Programs Suspended in California and Maryland

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Two states suspended Scared Straight programs on Friday.  California and Maryland prison officials, who welcomed producers of Beyond Scared Straight into their high security facilities, are now backing away from the show and the confrontational diversion program for troubled teens.  South Carolina is also reviewing the issue, according to mercurynews.com. The U.S. Department of Justice is warning state officials that scared straight techniques don’t deter young people from crime, and may make them more likely to offend in the future.  An op-ed piece published in the Baltimore Sun this week and written by two Justice Department officials says the agency discourages funding for scared straight-type programs, and states that operate them risk losing their federal funding under provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Episodes of Beyond Scared Straight were created inside prisons in California, Maryland and South Carolina for the show that debuted in January on the A&E network. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services began a review of its diversion programs after inmates were shown touching and grabbing kids in the episode.

Hundreds Lobby to End Child Prostitution in Georgia

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It was a sea of black and purple in every direction on the steps of the state capitol Tuesday morning. An estimated 800 people showed up to join in the third annual “lobby day”

event to raise their voices — and overall awareness—about the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Georgia. “When we first started this we were told that 10 people showing up at the state capitol was a groundswell; now we’re rocking it,” says CSEC activist Cheryl DeLuca Johnson. “The first time we did this we had 50 people come out; then the next year we had 100. Last year it was about 500.

Seven Teens Arrested in ‘Wolf Pack’ Bullying Case

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A disturbing and violent case of bullying has outraged the Philadelphia area.  The victim is a 13 year old boy who was attacked by seven classmates, ages 13 to 17, on the way home from school.  One of the alleged attackers recorded the incident on his cell phone on January 11, laughing through the incident that went on for half an hour, according to Philly.com. The video shows the boy screaming for help, as he is being dragged across the ground and jammed into a tree. He falls and tries to run away. Then his attackers chase him down and hang him by his coat from a 7-foot fence. Watch this account from CBS3 in Philadelphia:

Police in Upper Darby, Pa.

Scared Straight! Graduate Plays Starring Role in Cold Case Crime

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Angelo Speziale may be the most infamous graduate of Scared Straight! As a scrawny 16-year-old, he appeared in the original Scared Straight! documentary filmed at New Jersey’s Rahway State Prison in 1978.  Now he’s back--serving 25-to-life in Rahway for the 1982 rape and murder of a teenage girl who lived next door to him. Proponents of “Scared Straight” claim the program literally scares kids away from a life of crime.  In a follow-up show called Scared Straight: 20 Years Later, Speziale echoed this, claiming the experience changed him.  Apparently not enough.  He was arrested for shoplifting in 2005 and a DNA sample linked him to the 30-year-old cold case murder for which he was convicted in 2010.  A New Jersey law enforcement source confirms Angelo Speziale is the same person who appeared in both documentaries.

Correctional Officer Assaulted, Small Fires Set by Inmates at Eastman YDC

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Five law enforcement agencies rushed to the Eastman Youth Development Campus on Sunday night, after a call for help from the staff.  The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office says a correctional officer was attacked by several inmates who tried to beat him with a broomstick.  Inmates in one dorm set several small fires using bed linens and trash, and 60 others refused to return to their cells.  It took more than an hour to get control of what the Sheriff’s Office is calling a riot. Officers from Dodge County, Wilcox County, Abbeville Police, Eastman Police and Fire, and Middle Georgia College all helped YDC staff get the inmates back in their cells before leaving at 9pm. Eastman has the highest level of security for juvenile offenders in the state, with 330 beds for young men, 17 to 20 years old, who are committed for serious crimes.  Last May, a bigger uprising led to an escape at Eastman. The Department of Juvenile Justice released only this brief statement about Sunday’s incident and would not answer questions:
On Sunday, January 30, 2011, a disturbance took place at Eastman Youth Development Campus.  Initially some youth refused to comply with verbal commands given by juvenile correctional officers.  Subsequently, local law enforcement was called in to assist in returning the youth to their housing units. The situation was brought under control and no youth were injured.  One juvenile correctional officer received minor injuries during the incident, but did not require outside medical attention.

Hiding in Plain Sight: First Time Survey of Georgia’s Homeless Young People

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If you were expecting Dickens, forget it. Homeless kids in Georgia do not have a special look.  They’re hiding right in front of you. That’s the first thing we learned from Mary, who looks like any other teenager in Atlanta.  Her hair is tied up with a pink ribbon on top of her head and several subtle piercings adorn her face and ears.  Dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, she is quick to flash her big, bright smile.  Mary is one of an unknown number of homeless young people living in Atlanta. Mary’s experience is not very different from that of many homeless teens.  After a stormy relationship with her mother, she was kicked out of her parents’ house on her 18th birthday three weeks ago. “I didn’t get along with my mom, but my dad was okay.  We got along,” she said.

Juvenile Court Judges Blast “Beyond Scared Straight”

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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is calling on the A&E network to present the facts about the new show called “Beyond Scared Straight.”   The judges are joining a chorus of experts who warn that Scared Straight tactics do not work on at-risk kids, and may actually harm them. The  show debuted on the A&E cable network in January. It is the fourth incarnation of a theatrical film and television series that takes children inside adult prisons in an attempt to scare them away from a life of crime. JJIE.org has interviewed national experts and reviewed at least ten research studies that say Scared Straight programs are ineffective and a waste of money. Here’s the full statement from the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges:
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is concerned that the A&E program "Beyond Scared Straight" misrepresents the effectiveness of such interventions with youthful offenders.

Georgia Man Ordered to Pay Restitution to Child Pornography Victim

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Children featured in pornographic pictures are asking for financial restitution, and they’re getting it.  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled Friday that a Georgia man caught with child pornography must pay a girl shown in an incest video, even though he did not shoot the pictures or attack the child. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Ricky Lee McDaniel must pay $12,700 to the child who was 10 years old when her own father raped her and recorded the attack.  In a written statement the girl said that every day she knows “someone is watching the most terrifying moments of my life and taking grotesque pleasure in them”
U.S. Attorney Sally Yates calls McDaniel a “secondary abuser” who should help pay for the victim’s treatment and counseling, adding that children are re-victimized every time someone views their images. 
The New York Times profiles a similar case in Connecticut. A young woman who was molested by her uncle is asking for a total of $3.4 million in damages to be collected from everyone caught with an image of her. Her pictures have been circulating online for the last 10 years and turn up often in child porn cases.

ABA Meets in Atlanta in February, Targets Juvenile Court Issues

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When the American Bar Association meets in Atlanta the hot topics will include restorative justice and alternatives to detention for kids.  The Midyear meeting runs February 9 – 14 at the Marriott Marquis. One event takes place at Frank McClarin High School in College Park, where judges and lawyers will talk to 300 high school students about fair and impartial courts. They’ll use the assault charge against MTV’s Teen Mom to launch the discussion. Sharon Hill of Georgia Appleseed and Judge Steve Teske from Clayton County Juvenile Court will talk about new initiatives to keep kids in school and out of court. The ABA will consider two resolutions related to at-risk kids.