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The story behind the outrage: Why a school bus driver got no jail time for raping 14-year-old girl

Charges and sentencing guidelines for sex crimes vary widely, and with no comprehensive data tracking for sentencing nationwide, it’s hard to say what would amount to a “typical sentence” in a sex assault case, said Jennifer Long, the chief executive officer of AEquitas. The non-profit group supports prosecutors in seeking justice in gender-based violence and human trafficking cases.

Long couldn’t speak to the particulars of the case against Piche, but said, “I’m not surprised that people are outraged by a sentence that doesn’t seem to match the seriousness of a crime like that against a victim.”

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‘Stalking is a homicide in slow motion.’ Did West Chester police fail stalked, slain woman?

Research shows stalking is a lethal risk factor, but one not as well understood among law enforcement as domestic violence or sexual abuse for myriad reasons, including a lack of stalking-related training for officers, said Jennifer Landhuis, the director of the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center.

“We are at with stalking where we were with domestic violence 22 years ago when we started,” Landhuis said.

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What to Expect When Reporting a Sexual Assault to Law Enforcement

Allure spoke to Jennifer Long, the CEO of AEquitas, an NGO that focuses on issues of gender-based violence, stalking, and human trafficking. Long has years of experience as an attorney, and now her focus is providing training and research so that survivors are not retraumatized when they engage with the system. She says advocates can be incredibly helpful and encourages survivors to ask their own questions.

“Talk to community advocates; talk to law enforcement about what will happen and what the process looks like,” she says. “Survivors often don’t feel empowered to ask questions because it is a vulnerable time, but they have the right to be informed, and understanding can reduce the anxiety that comes with the process.”

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Inside One Woman’s Fight to Rewrite the Law on Marital Rape

While marital rape has been a crime in all 50 states since 1993 — a milestone achieved after years of dogged campaigning by women’s rights activists — the overwhelming majority of states still have loopholes on the books that can make it difficult, or even impossible, to prosecute such cases, according to data compiled by AEquitas, a nonprofit in Washington that assists prosecutors in gender-based violence cases. 

AEquitas, which maintains a comprehensive database on marital rape laws, said hurdles to prosecuting sexual misconduct involving spouses or partners existed in 41 of 58 jurisdictions it reviewed. Those include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, United States territories, and federal and military law. 

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Artificial intelligence can help in fight against human trafficking

As part of the recent study, researchers tried to understand how artificial intelligence can help in the fight against human trafficking.

A group of computational researchers, experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and other members of the technology community are joining forces with policy experts, law enforcement officials, activists and survivors to help put the pieces together.

Since 2015, Jennifer Gentile Long, a graduate of Lehigh and chief executive officer of Aequitas — a resource for prosecutors working on cases of human trafficking and gender-based violence– and Lopresti have collaborated on computer-science-based efforts to help AEquitas manage and make use of a large amount of text data in legal documents to support the organization’s work in helping prosecutors build stronger cases.

“It was amazing to see experts in all these fields come together and try to coordinate efforts so that people are working toward solutions, not working haphazardly. They are making a true impact on this crime–identifying victims at points where they are missed, providing opportunities to leave and find safety, identifying perpetrators, and looking at policy in a coordinated effort. And it’s so great to see Lehigh, in a way, sitting at the head of the table,” Long asserted.

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Truth-Detection Devices and Victims of Sexual Violence: A Shortcut to Injustice

An overreliance on truth-detection devices and misunderstandings about the dynamics of sexual violence can correlate with a belief that their use with victims of sexual violence is the best method to conduct complete investigations even though such methods would never be entertained for victims of other types of crimes. This is alarming not only because the results of such tests are unreliable, but the very use of truth-detection devices with victims of sexual violence can do more harm to the victim and frustrate the pursuit of justice. While the utility of truth-detection tests for enticing suspects to agree to be interviewed has long been recognized, there is less appreciation that their use with victims of sexual violence is clearly irreconcilable with trauma-informed interviewing techniques designed to elicit victims’ fullest recollections of events while avoiding further harm. This article provides a brief overview on the his- tory and modern forms of truth-detection devices and discusses how the earliest concerns about their reliability and limitations continue to be valid today. It will discuss why truth-detection devices are inappropriate and how, in many jurisdictions, they are prohibited from being used when interviewing victims of sexual violence. Despite the reliability concerns, it will also be discussed how truth-detection devices remain a potentially useful tool during questioning of suspects.

Truth-Detection Devices and Victims of Sexual Violence- A Shortcut to Injustice
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Reaching a Verdict: Guiding the Jury’s Response to the Evidence

After being thrust into an unfamiliar role in a complex system that is often equally unfamiliar, jurors in sexual assault cases face the daunting task of reaching a just verdict for a crime that is shrouded in misconceptions. In this foreign terrain, prosecutors serve as a trusted guide—pointing out familiar landmarks of personal experience and presenting witnesses and other evidence in a manner that makes them both understandable and relatable. By assisting jurors in forming personal connections to the evidence, the prosecutor can remove obstacles that might otherwise block the jury’s path to a just finding of guilt. 

This presentation will discuss ways to focus the jury’s attention on the evidence in a manner that accurately conveys the reality of sexual assault and assists jurors in rendering a fair and just verdict—beginning with jury selection and continuing through opening statement, presentation of evidence, and summation.  

Who Should View
Allied justice system professionals including but not limited to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, community-based service providers, medical and mental health practitioners, probation and parole officers, judges, etc. are encouraged to view this webinar recording.

CLE Credits
This one-hour webinar recording should qualify prosecutors for one (1.0) hour of continuing legal education credits. Prosecutors are encouraged to contact their state bar association in reference to application requirements and related fees.

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2018 SAKI TTA East Coast Regional Training: Strengthening Your Multidisciplinary Response to Sexual Assault

AEquitas Attorney Advisor Jonathan Kurland presented “Creating a Comprehensive Victim-Centered Prosecution Strategy,” “Establishing Successful Procedures: CODIS Hit Prioritization, No CODIS Hit, Maintaining Engagement” and “Consent Cases: Challenges and Overcoming Them” on behalf of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to an audience of dual sexual assault/domestic violence program staff, lab analysts, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors.