JOINING FORCES: Working with the Media on Sex Crime Cases

Washington Post investigative journalist Josh White will discuss how law enforcement can work with the media during ongoing sex crime cases and how such media coverage can help the public. Using the “East Coast Rapist” investigation and other cases he has covered as examples, Josh will talk about the reporting process, strategies for working with the media, and will take questions.

Josh White is an investigative reporter for The Washington Post’s Metro section and serves as a Metro weekend editor. Josh joined the Post in 1998 and for six years covered police and courts in Virginia, ending with the Washington-area sniper case. For the next four years he was a military correspondent, covering the Pentagon, embedding with troops in Iraq, and writing about military criminal justice. Since October 2008, Josh’s investigations have focused on law enforcement and sex offenses, including projects about a former high school teacher’s 30-year trail of abuse, the search for and arrest of the suspected “East Coast Rapist,” and the effects of sexual abuse by a youth director at a Washington-area church.

This session will be held on Tuesday, November 13 from 10:15 until 11:45 am. Josh White is also presenting, “Kevin Ricks: Inappropriate Teachings” along with Dave Abbott and Steven Miller this same day from 1:15 until 2:45 pm.

Click here to register for the 25th Annual JOINING FORCES Conference on Child Abuse and Family Violence.

JOINING FORCES Conference Program

Our JOINING FORCES Conference Program is now available online! Click here to view schedules, workshop descriptions, and speaker biographies all in one stop.

The 25th annual JOINING FORCES Conference on Child Abuse and Family Violence will be held November 12-14, 2012 at the beautiful Davis Conference Center in Layton, Utah. Presented by Prevent Child Abuse Utah, this conference focuses on four tracks: Prevention, Investigation, Prosecution, and Treatment. Hundreds of case workers, therapists, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, prosecutors, parents, educators, and many others attend every year. We would love to have YOU there too! 

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JOINING FORCES will feature a keynote speaker every morning for all attendees, plus a post-conference luncheon for an additional charge:

The conference kicks off Monday, November 12 with the wonderful Dan Powers. Click to read about his address titled, “It’s Not Easy Being Green, or Doing THIS for a Living… Wellness/Survival and the Multi-Disciplinary Team Approach to Child Abuse!”

Tuesday, November 13 features Cordelia Anderson presenting “Dr. Seuss to Pornography” at 8:30 am.

See a case study panel on the tragic death of Shelby Andrews on the morning of Wednesday, November 14.

JOINING FORCES concludes on Wednesday afternoon with a luncheon and keynote address titled “From Victim to Survivor: Moving From Pain to Healing and Empowerment” by Desirae and Deondra Brown of the 5 Browns. Please call us to reserve your seat at the luncheon in advance.

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Click here to register for the conference or visit our website.

Questions or comments? Call us at 801-393-3366 or toll-free at 1-800-CHILDREN.

Follow our blog for daily updates about JOINING FORCES and other agency news and events.

JOINING FORCES: Structured Decision Making: An Overview

This session will review the assessments that comprise the Structured Decision Making system developed for use in Utah. Participants will learn about the assessments used in CPS investigations to inform decisions such as when a child must be removed from the home for their own safety and when ongoing services should be offered to families. The research supporting the SDM system will also be discussed.

This presentation will be given by Shannon Flasch on Monday, November 12 from 1:15 until 2:45 pm. For a schedule of all workshops, click here.

Shannon Flasch, an Associate Director, joined the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) in 2007. The primary focus of her work since that time has been the development and implementation of Structured Decision Making systems in child protection, adult protection, and welfare-to-work. Shannon is particularly interested in partnering with agencies to improve service planning with families and individuals. Prior to joining NCCD, Shannon worked with the William T. Grant Foundation on building a body of knowledge about youth developmental settings. She received her MPA from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University in 2006.

Follow the blog for daily workshop updates and other information about Prevent Child Abuse Utah.

Want to register for JOINING FORCES? Visit our website or give us a call at 801-393-3366 or toll-free 1-800-CHILDREN. We’ll see you in November!

JOINING FORCES: The Prosecution of a Case of Abusive Head Trauma/Shaken Baby Syndrome

This workshop will review a recent Utah prosecution of a fatal case of Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome). The medical issues and controversies that arose at trial will be discussed.

Lori Frasier, MD will be presenting this workshop on Monday, November 12 of the JOINING FORCES Conference from 1:15 – 2:45 pm. She will also be giving a workshop titled, “Beyond Munchausen by Proxy: Medical Child Abuse” with Brian Thorn from 10:15 – 11:45 am that same day.

Dr. Frasier graduated from the University of Utah with bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and received her MD degree from the University of Utah School Medicine. She completed a pediatric residency at the University of Washington/Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, followed by a fellowship in child abuse at the University of Washington.  Dr. Frasier has served on the faculties of the University of Iowa, University of Missouri-Columbia, and currently is a Professor (clinical) at the University of Utah of School of Medicine. Dr. Frasier is board certified in General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics.  She is the director of the fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics at the University of Utah.

Register now for Joining Forces! A full conference schedule is available here.

JOINING FORCES: Sexting! What Do You Mean it’s Porn?

Advancement in technology has brought about new challenges regarding access to and the distribution of sexually explicit material, especially among teens. A growing trend among teens and young adults is sending and/or receiving sexually explicit text messages or images through mobile technology. This workshop will provide attendees the most up to date research available on sexting related behavior. Secondly, this workshop will explore the common trends about sexting and why teens or young adults engage in this behavior. Lastly, a description of the only know diversion program directly related to this behavior will be discussed.

This session is presented by Dr. Adam Schwebach on Wednesday, November 14 of JOINING FORCES from 10:15 – 11:45 am.

Dr. Schwebach is a clinical neuropsychologist and director of the Neuropsychology Center of Utah.  He completed his master’s degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Kentucky University where he specialized in pediatric psychology. Dr. Schwebach completed a doctorate degree in educational psychology from the University of Utah where he specialized in neuropsychology.

Register now for the JOINING FORCES Conference on Child Abuse and Family Violence by visiting PCAU’s website.

For a complete conference agenda, click here.

JOINING FORCES: Vulnerable Adult Abuse

Vulnerable Adult Abuse is one of the most under-reported and misunderstood crimes in our community. It is important for professionals from all walks of life to become more familiar with the signs of Vulnerable Adult Abuse so that we can begin to reverse the trend of under-reporting and under-prosecuting these offenses. This section will introduce attendees to the laws that govern Vulnerable Adult Abuse, with a few brief case-studies to illustrate different points of the Vulnerable Adult Abuse statute.

This session will be presented by Alicia Cook on Monday, November 12 of the JOINING FORCES Conference from 10:15 to 11:45 am.

Ms. Cook graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 2000, and was hired as a prosecutor by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office in January of 2001.  Ms. Cook has been a member of the Narcotics Enforcement Prosecution Team, the Special Victims Team, and the office’s first Domestic Violence Team.  Ms. Cook became the team leader of the office’s first Vulnerable Adult Abuse Team in 2009.  Ms. Cook is currently the team leader of the Special Victims Team.

Register for JOINING FORCES by visiting our website. If you questions about the conference feel free to call our office (801-393-3366 or toll-free 1-800-CHILDREN).

JOINING FORCES: The Impact of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: The Roberts’ Family Story

Caring mother or mentally ill monster? Tracy McHugh abused and tortured her children while suffering with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. A team approach to this complex case led to her arrest and conviction for aggravated child abuse. With a family torn apart, the Roberts’ family took in the victims of this heinous crime. This is their story of mending broken hearts and healing wounded spirits.

This session will be co-presented by Detective Richard Rose and Jessie Roberts on Monday, November 12 of JOINING FORCES from 1:15 – 2:45 pm, and again on Tuesday from 1:15 – 2:45 pm.

Detective Rose graduated from Florida State University in 1991 with degrees in political science and religion.  He completed a master’s degree in counseling with emphasis on marriage and family therapy from Webster University.  He worked as a Child Protection Team Case Coordinator at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women from 1991-1997. While at APH Detective Rose conducted over 800 forensic interviews of children suspected of being abused.

Approximately six years ago, Jessie Roberts’ family doubled overnight when she and her husband took in two children.  One of them was Lizzy, a victim of aggravated child abuse perpetrated by her mother, Tracy McHugh.  Tracy was my sister-in-law and was diagnosed with Munchausen Syndrome.

Richard Rose is also presenting a workshop titled, “Juvenile Sex Offenders, Secrets and Sealed Records” on Monday from 3:00 – 4:30 pm. Click on the title to see a full description.

Don’t miss JOINING FORCES this year, November 12 – 14 at the Davis Conference Center. Visit our website to register today!

JOINING FORCES: Batterers Tactics

Why is he doing this? Where did this come from? He did what??? As officers and investigators, understanding the batterer is critical in helping to solve crimes and serve victims. This workshop will help participants understand how batterers think and shed some light on where and how they may have learned about family violence.

Don’t miss this workshop given by Jon Lumbley of the Dallas Police Department! It will be held on Monday, November 12 from 10:15 – 11:45 am. For his full biography, click here.

Jon Lumbley is also presenting a session titled “Predominate Aggressor” on Tuesday, November 13 from 1:15 – 4:30 pm.

Register for JOINING FORCES today by visiting our website.

JOINING FORCES: Conference Agenda and Speaker Biographies

For your convenience, we have compiled a full list of conference workshops and times. To view, click here. You can also access this from our blog’s homepage on the right-hand side as well.

If you would like to read about all of our wonderful presenters, a complete list of biographies can be found here.

Information about how to register for the conference is available on our website.
Follow our blog for daily workshop descriptions.

JOINING FORCES: What Sex Offenders Can Teach Us about Interviewing

This presentation will review a number of research studies that examined sex offender characteristics and the effectiveness of various interviewer styles on confession rates. Studies examined the relationship between confession rates, as related to offender age, personality, offense history, and experience with the criminal justice system. Studies also examined the impact of victim attributes, relationship between the victim and offender, specific sex acts performed, and the impact of investigator demeanor and interview style.

Studies confirm previously suspected notions about the thoughts and concerns offenders have during police interviews, and the reasons offenders decline to be interviewed, confess, or lie. Offender quotes and video clips will be used to illustrate the various findings. The presentation includes anecdotal comments from 121 adult male sex offenders, and 26 veteran child abuse detectives from 10 law enforcement agencies in Oregon.

This workshop will be presented by Cory Jewell Jensen on Wednesday, November 14 from 10:15 – 11:45 am at the 25th Annual JOINING FORCES Conference on Child Abuse and Family Violence. Click here to read Cory Jewell Jensen’s and the other conference speakers’ biographies.

Cory Jewell Jensen is also presenting sessions titled “They Come with the Territory: Sex Offenders in Youth Serving Organizations” and “Selection, Engagement and Seduction of Children and Adults by Child Molesters.”

VISIT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE UTAH’S WEBSITE TO REGISTER FOR JOINING FORCES TODAY!