Changing Consent
The “yes means yes,” or affirmative consent standard has already made its way through college codes of conduct in the U.S., and even Michigan. But is affirmative consent the next big thing to be changed throughout the American legal system? It seems that the idea of affirmative consent has been sneaking its way in to […]
Out of State Teen Considered Michigan Sex Offender for Consensual Sex
A 19 year-old male from out of state recently appeared before a Michigan court for having consensual sex with a 14 year-old minor female from Michigan. The young man found the girl on the phone app “Hot or Not” and was under the assumption she was 17 years old. The two met once in Michigan […]
Deputy Sentenced for Sexual Assault
At 27 years old, a former jail guard for the St. Clair County Jail will have to register on the Michigan sex offender registry for life and spend the next ten months in county jail. In July 2014, Gemma Cowperwaithe worked at the St. Clair County Jail and a female inmate caught her eye. The […]
Sex on Beach Lands Couple on Sex Offender Registry
A year ago, 20-year-old Elissa Alaverez and 40-year-old Jose Caballero, engaged in public sex on Florida’s Bradenton Beach. Caballero claimed that he was passed out and Alaverez was trying to wake him up by “dancing” on him. However, a video that an onlooker took of the two showed what looked like the the two engaging […]
Drugs in Exchange for Sex According to Cosby Deposition
Bill Cosby is a household name, and one that many are familiar with, however, now anytime his name is mentioned accusations of rape seem to be attached to it. In the past year, around 40 women, including some big names, like former model Janice Dickenson, have accused Cosby of drugging them and raping them. However, […]
Michigan Assistant Principal Charged with Second Degree CSC
In January, an assistant principal at a middle school was accused of touching a female student’s chest. An internal investigation by the school district took place immediately after the incident. During the investigation, the male assistant principal, Kevin Doerfler, was still working for the school district; however, he was working in the school district’s main […]
Medical Child Abuse in Michigan
In the 1980s and 1990s, especially after the McMartin day care child sexual abuse trials, parents were overzealous to suspect that their young children had been sexually abused, as were prosecutors to bring charges of child molestation. Recently, the same panic ensued over shaken baby syndrome, now known as Abusive Head Trauma, and caused the […]
DNA in Criminal Sexual Conduct Cases
Polls and other surveys have proven that when there is DNA evidence involved in a case that juries are more likely than not to convict a defendant. According to researchers at several large universities, jurors find DNA evidence to be 95% accurate, and extremely persuasive. Although juries may be more likely to convict a defendant […]
Michigan Criminal Sexual Conduct and Parole
An article was released this month in the Washington Post, which can be found here, that features some information on parole boards and a specific case from Michigan. Michigan law, specifically MCL 791.233, which governs parole, states: “A prisoner shall not be given liberty on parole until the board has reasonable assurance, after consideration of all of the […]
Macomb County Criminal Sexual Conduct Case
In June, a Mount Clemens high school teacher, who recently resigned, was charged for having sex with one of her 17-year-old male students. Former teacher, Rachael Smith, faces three charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor. News reports indicate the following, which may or not be true. In May, […]