Deepfake Pornography: New Forms of Image-Based Harm and Sexual Abuse
Makayla MasonDoctoral Student Karen Holt, Ph.D.Assistant Professor School of Criminal JusticeMichigan State University Introduction Recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a review entitled, “A horrifying new AI app swaps women into porn videos with a click” (Hao, 2021). They detailed a new application, which they refused to name so as not to draw…
Two Steps Forward – Toward Eliminating the Registration of Adjudicated Juveniles as Sex Offenders
By Sharon Denniston, Ph.D. Juvenile Advocate and Public Policy Consultant In June 2020 the national Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) published The Registration & Community Notification of Children & Adolescents Adjudicated of a Sexual Crime: Recommendations for Evidence-Based Reform. In this document the organization detailed the research related to juveniles with…
Enhancing Safety by Decluttering the Registry
By Andy Hicks, MS CADC While selecting a topic for the thesis to complete her Master of Social Work degree at Spring Arbor University, one might not imagine Christina Hamman choosing to focus on the sex offender registry and related notification laws. Ms. Hamman spent fifteen years of her life working with groups to prevent…
The Transcendence of Becoming: My Journey as an SOT Therapist
By Nada Younes, SOT Therapist, Wise Mind PLLC Erich Fromm (1941) believed that before knowing others, one must first know themselves; to know oneself as a therapist enables an environment of self-efficacy and motivation for the client to come to know themselves too. Deep breaths. When I was asked to write this reflective narrative on…
Review of Training on the PROFESOR: The Future of Adolescent Assessments
By Ron Grooters, MSW. Dr. James Worling, Ph.D., C. Pysch., presented the Protective + Risk Observations For Estimating Sexual Offense Recidivism (PROFESOR) on January 27, 2021, via virtual training with MI-ATSA and 65 attendees. His presentation focused on assessment and research related to adolescent sexual offense recidivism and his most recent assessment tool the PROFESOR. …
Focus on Strengths to Build Better Lives, Reduce Recidivism, and Make Treatment More Rewarding: A Review of the Fall 2020 Training with Kevin Powell, Ph.D.
By Tom Stewart M.A. LLP If you missed it, the Michigan Chapter of ATSA hosted a virtual training with Kevin Powell, Ph.D. His presentation focused on strengths-based concepts and interventions for sex offense-specific services. A strength-based approach moves the focus away from the deficits of people with sexual behavior problems and focuses on the strengths…
Collaboration is Key: Assessing and Treating Sexual Self-Regulation with Consumers of CMH Services
James Kissinger MA LLP MDOC Sexual Offender Services ManagerCorey Spickler MA LLP MDOC Sexual Offenders Services Program ManagerDr. Toni Crocilla, PsyD LP CSOTP – Executive Director Wise Mind PLLC Criminal behavior is often confused or conflated with serious mental illness (SMI) by professionals working within our judicial system, law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. …
Advocacy Opportunity: Juvenile Sex Offender Registry
Hello Colleagues, HB5679 to change Michigan’s SORA is on the agenda for the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 1st. This bill still does not include changes to remove adjudicated youth from the registry; not even the changes to correct the over-inclusion of juvenile offenses that exceeds the federal requirement which was done erroneously in…
MI-ATSA Announces the Juvenile Subcommittee
By Megan Cagney Peña, MA, LLP The Michigan Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (MI-ATSA) is pleased to announce the formation of the Juvenile Subcommittee. This subcommittee has been born out of recognition of the need to increase training and educational opportunities for those who work with youth and families. Our goal is to help support…
Researching Sexual Violence: Explorations Online
Karen Holt, Ph.D. and Roberta Liggett-O’Malley, M.A.Michigan State UniversitySchool of Criminal Justice The advent of the Internet has transformed the nature of sexual crime. The role of technology in sexual violence has become increasingly salient with the unfettered access to computers, smartphones, and social media. We have recently published two articles, both in the Journal…