Child Abuse Defense News by David S. Marshall

Child Abuse Defense News by David S. Marshall

June 3, 2013

New developments in law, medicine, and psychology affecting child abuse cases. For additional news and information, visit www.ChildAbuseDefense.pro. Washington State to Compensate the Wrongfully Convicted  A Washington state law to compensate innocent persons convicted of crime will take effect in July. The law pays an innocent person $50,000 for each year in prison (doubled if the person was on death row) and $25,000 for each year obliged to register as a sex offender or in community custody (a status akin to parole). It also provides reimbursement for some expenses, such as child support while imprisoned. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall and pushed for three years by the Legislative Advocacy Clinic of Innocence Project Northwest. The human face on the problem that legislators saw just before passage was that of Alan Northrop, who did 17 years for a rape in La Center, near Vancouver. The original Innocence Project, in New York, has put together an overview of law and policy on compensating the wrongly convicted. At least according to one news account, Texas pays the most of any state. Dept. of Justice Updates Protocol on Sexual Assault Medical Exams  The U.S. Department of Justice has issued the second edition of A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations: Adults/Adolescents. This 135-page manual advises health care providers on the conduct of forensic medical exams in cases of reported sexual assault. The new edition was issued "to reflect current technology and practice." The manual provides detailed instruction on all aspects of a forensic medical exam of a patient who has reported sexual assault. Topics that may merit special attention from those representing the accused are documentation, photography, exam and evidence collection procedures, sexual assault evidence collection kit, and evidence integrity.

Child Abuse Defense News is a publication of www.ChildAbuseDefense.pro. For additional information, contact David S. Marshall by phone at (206) 826-1400 or email at dmarshall@DavidSMarshall.com. Know of someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter? If so, feel free to pass it along! For additional information on removing yourself from this list or updating your email address, call (206) 920-3280 or send an email to jscameron@legalwerks.com. Copyright 2013 David S. Marshall