On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Friday, May 18, 2012
Is child sexual abuse a disturbing trend in the Pennsylvania area or is the problem more widespread? Advocates and abuse survivors are taking a look at the issue and feel that with the Jerry Sandusky case, more people are realizing that coming forward will help them bring closure to the situation and the opportunity to punish their abusers.
Since the Sandusky case broke and with the recent press of the Pennsylvania priest on trial, the Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reporting System, reported that Centre County had the most sex crimes reported in 2011. Statistics show that:
- Of the 159 cases that were reported, a little over 50 percent were solved.
- In Elk County, less than 36 cases were reported, but only one in three cases was closed.
- In Cambria County, they had 112 sex crimes reported, but had a high closure rate of 75 percent.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Maybe the recent influx of media stories about sexual predators and abuse struck a chord. Whatever it was, it pushed a 23-year-old woman to come forward to the district attorney's office and report that she had been sexually abused for years inside the police and fire departments of a northeastern Pennsylvania town.
The district attorney did not waste any time and arrested the police chief, a captain and a former volunteer firefighter in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, an area borough with approximately 8,300 residents. The FBI was also brought into the investigation and there may be more arrests once authorities confirm details of the woman's story.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Teacher Sexual Abuse on Friday, May 11, 2012
It seems as if sexual abuse is rampant or it could be because people are recognizing the inappropriate behavior and reporting it. Either way, the word is getting out that sexual abuse of a child is not acceptable.
This week a former Phoenix, Arizona, teacher's aide was sentenced to probation for sexually abusing two 14-year-old male students. Her sentence is three terms of lifetime probation with sex offender terms for three counts of sexual abuse.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse Religious Workers on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Last week we wrote in this blog about waiting for the results of an investigation into 27 Pennsylvania priests who could have had involvement in sexually abusing children. It was announced Friday that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Archbishop Charles Chaput took away the duties of five priests and apologized to their victims.
The investigations began in January 2011 when a grand jury report raised questions about possible sexual abuse against children in the Catholic Church. Chaput took the investigations seriously and said that five of the cases were confirmed and that those priests would be barred from public ministry, which means that they can no longer perform Mass among other things. These five priests can appeal to Rome, and could possibly be defrocked.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse Religious Workers on Friday, May 4, 2012
Archbishop Charles Chaput is expected to announce the results of the latest investigation results of approximately 24 suspended Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priests as to whether they molested children or if they were found innocent.
Chaput will have a lot of scrutiny over his decision because of the criminal trial that is underway with Monsignor William J. Lynn. Lynn, who was a top aide at the archdiocese, is charged with child endangerment for his handling of abuse complaints from 1992-2004. A February 2011 grand jury report found that four priests that were accused of sexual misconduct, were still active in Pennsylvania parishes, despite a zero tolerance policy in the church. The allegations range from sexual abuse to inappropriate behavior by the priests.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
With the recent media attention on the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, many states are reporting an increase of phone calls to child abuse phone lines. This is promising to many who are hoping that the attention that this scandal has brought can prevent future sexual abuse against children.
According to the Children and Families Commissioner of New Jersey, they received approximately 750 calls a day in November when a Pennsylvania grand jury indicted former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Prior to that, the hotline rarely received 400 calls a day in the two months prior to the scandal being announced. In the Penn State scandal, Sandusky faces more than 50 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15 year period. He has denied the claims and is awaiting trial.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Friday, April 27, 2012
With the recent media coverage and more people supporting those that are coming out and admitting that they were sexually abused as a child, we are hearing of cases that date back many years. It was reported this week that a Pennsylvania doctor was found guilty of sexually abusing a teenager in the 1990s.
The doctor, 58, was arrested in 2009 when two brothers, who are now in their 30s, came forwarding saying that they were molested by the man in their teens. At the time, the man was a Boy Scout leader and had earned their trust. The brothers who came forward said that the man gave them alcohol and showed them pornography.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
With sexual abuse stories blanketing our news, many people are wondering what they can do to help stop this. It's tough because the challenge of preventing child sexual abuse is that in many instances it is not reported. In addition, there is a stigma that is associated with sexual abuse and the victims are often threatened by offenders not to report it. Adults who may have suspicions are sometimes reluctant to report anything for fear of being wrong. April is sexual abuse awareness month and advocates in preventing abuse are getting the message out on ways to prevent abuse and the steps needed to report a suspected case of abuse.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. on Friday, April 20, 2012
With the recent charges in the Penn State University scandal and the trial of the high ranking catholic priest, Monsignor William Lynn, Pennsylvania legislators are focusing their attention to ending sexual abuse of children in schools. They want to stop the practice of "Passing the Trash," which means that if an educator engages in sexual abuse or misconduct, they will not be allowed to escape prosecution and will not be allowed to relocate to another school district.
One bill is focused on the state of Pennsylvania and is Senate Bill 1381. On the federal side, there is pressure to enact the Jeremy Bell Act. Both bills would tighten abuse reporting laws and require background checks for all school employees. The Jeremy Bell Act penalizes school employers who make interstate transfers of employees that are sex offenders. It also addresses sexual conduct reporting standards and would require all school employees to pass fingerprint and background checks.
On behalf of Caroselli Beachler McTiernan & Conboy, L.L.C. posted in Sexual Abuse on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
For those that have been sexually abused, it is important that they get the help and support that they need as soon as the abuse is suspected and/or reported. With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, everyone needs to recognize the devastating effects of sexual abuse. It seems like we are hearing a new story of sexual abuse in the media everyday and with someone assaulted every two minutes in the United States, we all need to be aware of this issue.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, nearly two-thirds of sexual abuse is committed by someone the victim knows, which makes this crime harder to come to terms with for the victim. Many things come in to play on how this will impact a victim and it includes how early the abuse began, how long it continued, whether the victim knew the person and if other people intervened when they found out about the assault.
