Sandusky Child Rape Research Questions Resource

[Project Willow]

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Human trafficking is a new mini-study for me. My questions are off the top of my head, and I've relied somewhat on wiki's human trafficking notes. Is there already a definitive definition for the word trafficking in RI's archives? If there is one, I didn't recognize it as such.

My activist friends who lobby at the UN once a year define trafficking as simple conveyance for the purpose of exploitation, that is, if you drive your kid 3 blocks in order to sell her in the back room of a local bar, that is trafficking.

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My activist friends who lobby at the UN once a year define trafficking as simple conveyance for the purpose of exploitation, that is, if you drive your kid 3 blocks in order to sell her in the back room of a local bar, that is trafficking.

Oh, my goodness. That's a stunning definition. < now feelings >

Okay. I'm back. I'd like to reference your friends' definition of trafficking as RI-universal, which would then presume inquiries, for example, distance, borders, who, where, when, how, as speculative possibilities in any given case.

[Project Willow]

Allegro,

The UN definition of trafficking, from here: http://nonstatetorture.org/human-trafficking/

The following terms are definitions used by the United Nations global community
that are related to human trafficking. These may be helpful when reading
postings on this site …
1. A CHILD is a human being under the age of 18 years
… UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
2. EXPLOITATION is the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual
exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to
slavery, servitude or the removal of organs
… Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children
3. CHILD PORNOGRAPHY is any representation, by whatever means, of a
child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any
representation of the sexual parts of a child for primary sexual purposes;
and,
CHILD PROSTITUTION is the use of the child in sexual activities for
remuneration or any other form of consideration
… The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2000)
4. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS is recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons, by threat, force, coercion, abuse of
power, position of vulnerability or the giving or receiving of payments or
benefits … for purpose of exploitation
…Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children
5. TRAFFICKERS … recruiters; transporters; those who exercise control
over trafficked persons; those who transfer and/or maintain trafficked
persons in exploitative situations; those involved in related crimes; and
those who profit either directly or indirectly from trafficking, its component
acts and related offences.
… The report of the High Commissioner on Human Rights,
“Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking”
6. TORTURE … The Committee Against Torture has recently considered
specific forms of torture, including trafficking in women, as part of a
gender-sensitive interpretation of the Convention and in particular torture
as it is defined in Article 1: “any act by which severe pain or suffering,
whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such
purposes as …
… The Convention Against Torture (1987, June 26)
7. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (VAW) … any act of gender-based
violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or
psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in
private life … physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within
the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment
and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere,
trafficking in women and forced prostitution.
… The General Assembly
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Article 1 and 2
8. ORGANIZED CRIMINAL GROUP … a structured group of three or more
persons … aim of committing one or more crimes … in order to obtain,
directly, or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.
… UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000)

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^^^ Thank you , Willow.
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29. Presuming one of MBNA's physical locations was directly on the campus of State College, Pennsylvania, what would have been the purposes to have chosen that real estate property?

30. Is it a common assumption that most or all traffickers of, say, drugs or humans use cash for transactions in whatever locale on any continent? In what circumstances would use of a credit card expedite profit? (For instance, transfers of currencies?)

31. Speculation in question: how might an affinity credit card program offered by MBNA benefit alleged perpetrators of sexual exploitation, or benefit men and women un/wittingly involved with alleged perpetrators of sexual exploitation?

32. Speculation in question: would an MBNA founding member, for example, Charles Cawley or MBNA Chair and owner of the Cleveland Browns, Al Lerner, have been privy to alleged perpetrators of sexual exploitation?

33. What are common behavioral patterns of people in religious groups that might demonstrate what could or have become veils behind which molestations, rapes and trafficking of children for profit occur?

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RESOURCE | Cultural Denial and Child Sex Abuse
— Project Willow's post

http://www.whyy.org/91FM/voices.html

Alleged incidents of child sexual abuse brought to light at Penn State are disturbing. University stakeholders have been ousted. The campus remains a live wire of anger and confusion. As our hearts go out to children and families who have come forward with their stories, we find ourselves wondering, why did so many people fail to report what they saw or heard about?

On the next Voices in the Family with Dan Gottlieb: why the cultural hesitation and denial in sexual abuse cases, in general, when the well-being of children is at stake? We'll take a look at the psychology of institutional betrayal as well as prevention of abuse with Jennifer J. Freyd, Michael Stinson, Ken Singer, and Kelly Moore.

Jennifer J. Freyd is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon. She has published extensively on topics that include child abuse, memory, and mental health, as well as ethical issues related to trauma research and conceptualizations. Her current research includes investigation of the impact of institutional betrayal. She is finishing a new book called Betrayal, co-written with Pamela J. Birrell.

Michael Stinson is the Director of Prevention Services at The Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia. He develops community education programs to address the prevention of child sexual abuse. He sits on the Sexual Assault Advisory Committee for the City of Philadelphia and represents JJPI on the Law Enforcement Child Abuse Project (LECAP).

Ken Singer, MSW, treats perpetrators and victims of childhood sexual abuse. He's written Evicting the Perpetrator: A Male Survivor Guide to Recovery from Childhood Sexual Abuse. He's executive director and past-president of NJ ATSA (Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers).

Kelly Moore has written When Men Are Cowards: Sex, Crime and Cover-Up at Penn State College Football for the Huffington Post.

RESOURCE | Betrayal Blindness and Institutional Betrayal
— Project Willow's post

Jennifer J. Freyd, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon
http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/institu ... index.html

What is Betrayal Blindness?

Betrayal blindness is the unawareness, not-knowing, and forgetting exhibited by people towards betrayal. The term "betrayal blindness" was introduced by Freyd (1996), and expanded in Freyd (1999) in the context of Betrayal Trauma Theory. This blindness may extend to betrayals that are not traditionally considered "traumas," such as adultery, inequities in the workplace and society, etc. Victims, perpetrators, and witnesses may display betrayal blindness in order to preserve relationships, institutions, and social systems upon which they depend. (Also, see Eileen Zurbriggen's essay on Betrayal Trauma in the 2004 Election.)

What is Institutional Betrayal?

The term "Institutional Betrayal" refers to wrongdoings perpetrated by an institution upon individuals dependent on that institution, including failure to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings by individuals (e.g. sexual assault) committed within the context of the institution. The term "Institutional Betrayal" as connected with Betrayal Trauma Theory is discussed in more detail in various publications, including in a section starting on page 201 of Platt, Barton, & Freyd (2009) and in recent conference posters by Smith & Freyd (2011a; 2011b) and by Medrano, Martin, and Freyd (2011).

Research Findings and Measurement Instrument: Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire (IBQ)

Carly Smith and Jennifer Freyd have been developing the Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire (IBQ) to measure institutional betrayal regarding sexual assault. The IBQ is designed to measure institutional betrayal that occurs leading up to or following a sexual assault (e.g., [The institution] "... created an environment where sexual assault seemed like no big deal"; "... responded inadequately to reports of sexual assault"). The IBQ also measures identification with the institution and prompts for a description of the institution involved. The IBQ and links to preliminary findings can be found here.

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REFER RI THREADS. Sandusky Child Rape Research Questions Resource | Louis Freeh Penn State Pedo Investigator | The Pedophile File

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RESOURCE | Betrayal Blindness
— bks's post

Thanks for that info on the extensions of Freyd's work into institutional forms of betrayal, PW. NPR listeners [which carries WHYY programming in Philly] would do well to take it to heart.

Lies in a Time of Threat:
Betrayal Blindness and the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election
Eileen L. Zurbriggen∗
University of California, Santa Cruz

Some of the most perplexing exit polls from the 2004 U.S. presidential election indicated overwhelming support for President Bush among voters who said they valued honesty, even though the Bush administration had been sharply criticized for deceiving the public, especially concerning the reasons for invading Iraq. A psychological theory recently developed to help explain memory loss in trauma survivors sheds light on this paradox. Betrayal Trauma Theory states that memory impairment is greatest when a victim is dependent on the perpetrator. The theory also predicts who will be “blind” to signs of deception—those who are emotionally or financially dependent on the person who is lying. Although every American is dependent on the U.S. President to some extent, religious conservatives may be more psychologically dependent than others. Because they believe their core values are under attack, they depend on powerful leaders such as President Bush to defend these values. This psychological dependence may make it difficult for them to notice the administration’s deceptions.

snip

Furthermore, nothing in the present analysis is meant to imply that there are differences in basic psychological processes across political group or ideology. A fundamentalist Christian from Kansas is no more or less susceptible to betrayal blindness than is a liberal feminist Manhattanite. According to BTT, both individuals will be unlikely to notice and remember the lies of a politician on whom they feel dependent. . .

snip

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REFER RI THREADS. Sandusky Child Rape Research Questions Resource | Louis Freeh Penn State Pedo Investigator | The Pedophile File

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RESOURCE

The Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees

Penn State Board of Trustees Membership Selection

Penn State Committee Memberships and Other Assignments, November 9, 2011

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The Second Mile Board of Directors

pdf | The Second Mile Annual Report 2010

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RESOURCE

PA’s Backward Expert-Witness Law Creates Advantage for Jerry Sandusky
— Dec 15, 2011, Philly Blog by Tara Murtha
— link mine; also see blogger comment at the bottom

Though the grand jury report outlining allegations that former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky routinely raped young boys entrusted in his care is damning, when it comes to the trial, Sandusky and his lawyer Joe Amendola have a few home-court advantages here in Pennsylvania.

For one thing, thanks to a bizarre statement buried in standard jury instruction, the trial judge will instruct jurors to factor in how quickly the alleged victims reported the abuse to authorities while gauging the veracity of their claims.

From Section 4.13A of the standard Pennsylvania juror instruction, titled “Failure to Make Prompt Complaint in Certain Sexual Offenses”: “The evidence of [name of victim]’s [failure to complain] [delay in making a complaint] does not necessarily make [his] [her] testimony unreliable, but may remove from it the assurance of reliability accompanying the prompt complaint or outcry that the victim of a crime such as this would ordinarily be expected to make.”

This “prompt complaint” instruction is included despite the fact that there is no proven correlation between delay in reporting assault and an alleged victim’s likelihood to tell the truth. In fact, it is common for a sexual assault victim to not report an assault right away, especially if perpetrated by a trusted authority figure—as is the case with Sandusky, who founded the Second Mile, a charity for at-risk youth.

Pennsylvania jurors are not instructed to weigh promptness of contacting authorities in cases of any other kinds of physical assault, or any other crime for that matter.

The Sandusky defense could also take advantage of the fact that Pennsylvania prohibits expert testimony in sexual-assault cases.

Without an expert to set the jury straight on the sometimes counterintuitive ways a “typical” victim of sexual assault may respond—keeping it a secret; believing an assailant’s emotionally manipulative declarations of love; responding to the assailant’s efforts to continue the relationship—the jury is ill-equipped to place a victim’s testimony into proper context.

Instead of using what we know from decades of research to give jurors context to analyze alleged victims’ testimony, juries are left to make judgments from unfair, and largely incorrect, societal biases.

That jurors will be left to rely on myths or personal judgments regarding how childhood victims tend to act after being assaulted by trusted authority figures is an advantage for all sexual-assault defendants in Pennsylvania, including Sandusky.

“Amendola says four of the alleged victims have had recent friendly encounters with Sandusky,” wrote Sara Ganim, the journalist who broke the story of the investigation back in March, in a recent Patriot-News article about the case.

Amendola also reportedly said he considers Victims Two and Six “good witnesses for Sandusky,” based on the fact that they dined with Sandusky and his wife last summer.

He has repeatedly pointed out that Victim Four had a friendly relationship with the Sanduskys that included introducing Sandusky to his fiancée and newborn baby.

So far, pointing to the men’s interactions with Sandusky after alleged attacks to discredit their stories seems to be the leading defense strategy. That and suggesting alleged victims are in it for the money, as Amendola did to the gasps and scoffs of the crowd gathered after waiving the preliminary hearing this week.

Until the Sandusky trial begins, Amendola, who reportedly impregnated a 16-year-old client in 1996, will presumably continue to question victims’ credibility based on their respective relationships with Sandusky in recent years.

“Common victim behaviors are often incomprehensible to laypeople,” according to a special report on expert testimony in cases of sexual assault and domestic violence published by the National District Attorneys Association. “Laypeople, therefore, often rely on myths or substitute their own wrong judgments.”

Meanwhile, legislation to bring Pennsylvania in line with the rest of the country in allowing expert witnesses to testify in sexual-assault trials is currently sitting in the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery/Bucks counties).

HB1264, co-sponsored by Rep. Cherelle Parker (D-Philadelphia) and Kate Harper (R-Montgomery), sailed through the Pennsylvania House with bipartisan support last June, passing on a 197-0 vote.

It hit the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 26, where it has sat since. In a recent interview, Parker was diplomatic about the stall.

“Senator Greenleaf, who is the majority chair for that committee, is one of the most fair-minded and progressive committee chairman we have in the general assembly,” said Parker. “I am extremely hopeful for this measure that was proffered in a bipartisan manner since its inception.”

Parker points out that the legislation preceded the Penn State scandal—it was drafted after Pennsylvania jurors notoriously acquit Jeffrey Marsalis, aka the alleged Match.com rapist, of most charges. She hopes the Penn State scandal can galvanize passage of the bill.

“The Penn State situation … further sheds light on the sense of urgency needed for the passage of House Bill 1264,” Parker said.

When PW reached Greenleaf on the phone, he expressed concerns.

“We have to fine-tune the legislation,” he said. “We’re looking at how other states address these issues … We want the law to apply to cases we want it to apply and not to apply when it’s not relevant.”

Harper said she was “disturbed” to hear that Greenleaf had concerns about the legislation.

“I’m very surprised to hear he has reservations,” said Harper during a recent phone call. “I … would hope he would share them with Rep. Parker and myself and to see if they could be fixed.”

If the bill does not make it out of the Senate before summer break, it will die. Parker and Harper would then have to begin the process from scratch again next year.

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Commenter Kevin says:
December 16, 2011 at 10:49 am

Pennsylvania will also not permit expert witness testimony about the poor quality of eyewitness evidence (many innocence project DNA evidence exonerations involved eyewitness identification testimony). PA law does not allow expert testimony about the reasons for false confessions.

To allow expert witness testimony really detracts from the jury’s job to decide if a person is telling the truth. What would the expert say, the witness failed to report the crime so he or she must have been raped? Jurors are smart enough to understand why a victim would be so afraid of their attacker, that they may not report the crime. The is especially true when the attacker is a person with authority. Jurors do not need an expert to tell them this.

Do we really want a battle of experts in a trial? I am sure the defendant will also have an expert to rebut the government expert’s testimony.

The law has been settled on this point for a long time and the government still has a great record for winning convictions in these trials. Why fix something that is not broken.

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RESOURCE

pdf | PSU Senate Membership

About the Senate

Senate Staff

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Report
Penn State football program value damaged by scandal
— Reuters | 8:14 p.m. CST, December 22, 2011

Penn State held onto the No. 3 position in Forbes' rankings of the most valuable college football programs this year, but is expected to drop in the future because of a sex abuse scandal, the magazine said on Thursday.

The University of Texas held the top spot with a football program value estimated by Forbes at $129 million over the past football season, followed by the University of Notre Dame at $112 million and Penn State at $100 million, Forbes said. Forbes said Penn State made a profit of $53 million on football in the last season.

"It seems almost certain that Penn State's reign as a top-earning program is coming to an end," Forbes said.

< snip >

Penn State's program could lose $20 million to $30 million in the long term as a result of the scandal, according to Patrick Rishe, a Forbes contributor and Webster University economics professor, the magazine said.

The loss of alumni contributions and game-day income could reach up to $10 million per year and the team also is already losing some major high school recruits who have decided not to play football for Penn State, Forbes said.

Forbes cited Cars.com and other companies pulling their ads from telecasts of Penn State games after the scandal broke, but said other major sponsors have remained.

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Insurer for Sandusky charity argues payouts
— MARK SCOLFORO, AP | Dec 23, 2011 07:38 PM EST

HARRISBURG, Pa. — An insurance company for a charity founded by Jerry Sandusky argued in a federal complaint Friday that it should not have to pay legal expenses or claims for the former Penn State assistant football coach now accused of molesting children.

Federal Insurance Co. said it would be wrong for the company to have to cover Sandusky because he is accused of conduct that did not involve his position as an executive or employee of The Second Mile, a charity for at-risk youth he founded in 1977.

In addition, "Pennsylvania courts have found that a person who sexually abuses a minor should not expect his insurer to cover his misconduct, particularly where the average insured purchasing insurance would cringe at the very suggestion that he was paying for coverage arising out of sexual abuse of a child," lawyers for the New Jersey-based company wrote.

< snip >

Amendola said Sandusky has not sought coverage regarding the criminal case.

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Protect & The National Association to Protect Children

PROTECT RESPONSE TO 12/2/11 STATEMENT
OF PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL LINDA KELLY

December 3, 2011

On December 2nd, Attorney General Linda Kelly issued a 286-word statement in response to pending legislation that would make her a mandated reporter of child sexual predators identified in law enforcement databases as active in Pennsylvania.

The legislation, known as Alicia’s Law, contains a provision called the “Attorney General Mandated Reporter Law.” It would require the Attorney General to notify local law enforcement agencies within 24 hours of an online predator or child pornography trafficker being logged into a law enforcement database used by her office.

Public law enforcement estimates have placed the number of identified Pennsylvania suspects at over 20,000, but the vast majority are never investigated or referred to local police agencies. An estimated 40% or more of these suspects are believed to be hands-on offenders with local child victims. That means that not only is the Attorney General minimizing the dangers of a flourishing child pornography marketplace, but also that thousands of Pennsylvania children are being raped and sexually exploited today in entirely predictable and preventable attacks.

Instead of welcoming legislative urgency and leadership in this crisis, Attorney General Kelly has responded with a defensive, bureaucratic and misleading statement. It is reprinted in its entirety below. Our analysis is in bold.

< snip >

Concluding analysis: The RoundUp database contains evidence on thousands of Pennsylvania suspects who have been seen by law enforcement as they attempt to entice children or traffic in video and photographs of children being raped, abused and even bound, gagged and tortured. These suspects’ approximate locations are known to state authorities (and even mapped), and a simple subpoena will quickly produce their exact locations and identities.

Moreover, the RoundUp database used by Kelly’s office contains detailed evidence that could quickly enable police to zero in on the locations of children who are waiting for rescue. RoundUp contains details on which suspects have “how-to manuals,” grooming material aimed at child victims, sadistic torture video, images emanating from within the state and other indicators of contact offenders, all in Pennsylvania.

Attorney General Kelly could wage war on these predators right now, saving thousands of Pennsylvania children. She could push unworked leads out to local law enforcement agencies today, working with Gov. Tom Corbett to mobilize all the resources of state government to assist in the arrest of these criminals and the rescue of their child victims. As the state's top law enforcement officer, she does not need to wait for the legislature, she can lead.

Until that happens, the good agents in Kelly’s Child Predator Unit will go home every night with the images and sounds of these children in their heads, knowing that they could rescue more children if their own boss and Governor had more of a sense of urgency to save children, instead of to conduct public relations.

Representatives Deasy, Frankel and Sturla and former Congressman Patrick Murphy are now the best hope for rescuing these children. Their proposed legislation is innovative and desperately needed, and Attorney General Kelly’s objections are groundless. We hope and pray that Alicia’s Law moves forward with the greatest sense of urgency possible, and we cheer these Protectors on, with gratitude in our hearts.

In the meantime, if the Attorney General will not use existing resources to locate and rescue children from known predators, Governor Tom Corbett should step forward and lead himself. Every day they don’t, more children will be hurt.

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Accused pedophile Jerry Sandusky waives preliminary hearing;
sets stage for 2012 trial
— The Pennsylvania Record | Joe Campisi
— 12/13/2011 1:49 PM

< snip from top >
< redundant info omitted >

Waiving his right to a preliminary hearing means Sandusky’s case will now proceed to trial at Common Pleas Court.

Court information shows that Sandusky’s next court appearance will be for his Jan. 11 formal arraignment. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for March 22, 2012.

< snip >

Amendola [defendant's attorney], who said he expects the case to go to trial in late 2012, said the decision to waive the hearing, which was arrived at late Monday, was made because he felt there would be nothing to be gained from moving forward with the hearing, according to the Inquirer.

< snip to end >

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REFER RI THREADS. Sandusky Child Rape Research Questions Resource | Louis Freeh Penn State Pedo Investigator | The Pedophile File

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RESOURCE | Omnicom Group agency | Ketchum public relations firm

PSU trustees hire Ketchum public relations firm

Penn State’s board of trustees has hired a multinational public relations agency to help manage communications in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, according to Advertising Age.

That publication reports that the university hired Omnicom Group agency Ketchum effective Nov. 6.

The company helped with the trustees’ Nov. 8 press conference, according to the report. That is when trustees Vice Chairman John Surma announced that Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier were being fired.

— link mine. [REFER.]

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Attorney General Kelly urges consumers to shop carefully for gym & health club memberships
— January 6, 2012

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Linda Kelly today urged consumers to shop carefully for gym and health club memberships and to fully understand their rights regarding membership contracts.

"The start of a new year often inspires consumers to shop for health clubs as they explore ways to improve their general fitness," Kelly said. "Joining a gym can be a positive experience, but it is important for consumers to fully understand their rights and carefully evaluate contracts before they make an expensive long-term commitment."

Kelly explained that consumers have specific rights and protections under the Pennsylvania Health Club Act.

The act requires clubs and gyms to register with the Attorney General's office if they sell long-term contracts. It also provides financial protection for consumers if clubs suddenly close and spells out a consumer's rights to cancel contracts or receive refunds in the event of relocation, injury or other special circumstances.

Kelly noted that every year, the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection receives several hundred complaints from consumers regarding health clubs and gyms, most involving struggles over contract cancellations or consumers seeking refunds when clubs suddenly close.

"Disputes over health club contracts can be a frustrating ordeal," Kelly said, "but understanding your rights and getting answers to some specific questions before you 'sign on the dotted line' can help guide you to a gym and program that best fits your needs."

[MORE.]

NOTE. Review video of Tom Corbett's talk at the bottom of Kelly's page.