It is imperative that educators, parents, and potential victims be aware of sexual predators, the danger they pose in our society, and the resources available to help prevent this growing epidemic. Written from a police perspective, Sexual Predators Amongst Us examines the problem of sexual predation, how the Internet has contributed to its growth, and how we can protect children and the general public from these offenders. The book begins by identifying traits and characteristics associated with sexual predation and explaining how the predator "grooms" his victims by gaining their trust. Chapters cover a range of topics related to sexual predation, including child abuse, incest, pedophilia in the clergy, sex trafficking, female sex offenders, and child pornography. The author explains how the Internet through social networking sites provides ample opportunities for sexual predators to entice their victims. He examines rehabilitation issues, describes legislation that has been passed in response to various tragic cases, and discusses sex offender registration. Maintaining a user-friendly style, the book follows a consistent format, with each chapter containing: Quotes from actual victims and predators Key words associated with the chapter material and their definitions In My Opinion segments, where experts in the fields of health, psychology, law, government, criminal justice, and academia voice their honest and objective opinions regarding sexual predators Profiles of male and female sex offenders to help readers identify common traits The book concludes with recommendations to parents for keeping children safe from online predators. Thought-provoking and direct, it is suitable as a university text as well as a reference for police academies, parents, and schools conducting awareness training courses.

It is imperative that educators, parents, and potential victims be aware of sexual predators, the danger they pose in our society, and the resources available to help prevent this growing epidemic. Written from a police perspective, Sexual Predators Amongst Us examines the problem of sexual predation, how the Internet has contributed to its growth,

This groundbreaking tour de force presents the gripping, true account of one of America's most notorious serial rapists and the tough female journalist assigned to cover his case. Following an exhaustive manhunt and his capture in 2005, Brent Brents sent letters and his journal to Denver Post reporter Amy Herdy-with the condition that she alone tell his story. Here, then, in his raw and uncensored words, Brents reveals shocking details about his childhood abuse and the monstrous acts he later committed. Going way beyond just the facts, he gives us an unprecedented look inside the twisted mind of a sociopath. At the same time, Amy has a personal story to tell. Rocked to the core by Brents' disturbing case, she sets out to understand this ruthless criminal only to be confronted with her own troubled past. Ultimately, she must make a choice that will change her life forever.

"Originally published in 2010 by Millstone Justice Children's Advocacy Organization under the title, The serpents among us"--T.p. verso.

A combination of reprinted articles, most published during the past two years, and original contributions solicited for the anthology, offer a snapshot of the criminal justice understanding of various crimes relating to or involving sex. After a basic overview of sex in the 21st century, they look at nuisance sex behaviors and crime; homosexuality, transvestism, and transsexualism; juvenile sex crimes and behaviors of offenders and victims; dangerous sex crimes; rape; and special issues and concerns.

"The voice that narrates In the Name of the Children: An F.B.I. Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators, which Rinek wrote with the journalist Marilee Strong, sounds warm and humane, qualities missing from much crime writing. Their book is a professional job, filled with illuminating details about the day-to-day operations of the bureau." —New York Times Book Review FBI Special Agent Jeff Rinek had a gift for getting child predators to confess. All he had to do was share a piece of his soul . . . In the Name of the Children gives an unflinching look at what it's like to fight a never-ending battle against an enemy far more insidious than terrorists: the predators, lurking amongst us, who seek to harm our children. During his 30-year career with the FBI, Jeff Rinek worked hundreds of investigations involving crimes against children: from stranger abduction to serial homicide to ritualized sexual abuse. Those who do this kind of work are required to plumb the depths of human depravity, to see things no one should ever have to see—and once seen can never forget. There is no more important—or more brutal—job in law enforcement, and few have been more successful than Rinek at solving these sort of cases. Most famously, Rinek got Cary Stayner to confess to all four of the killings known as the Yosemite Park Murders, an accomplishment made more extraordinary by the fact that the FBI nearly pinned the crimes on the wrong suspects. Rinek's recounting of the confession and what he learned about Stayner provides perhaps the most revelatory look ever inside the psyche of a serial killer and a privileged glimpse into the art of interrogation. In the Name of the Children takes readers into the trenches of real-time investigations where every second counts and any wrong decision or overlooked fact can have tragic repercussions. Rinek offers an insider's perspective of the actual case agents and street detectives who are the boots on the ground in this war at home. By placing us inside the heart and mind of a rigorously honest and remarkably self-reflective investigator, we will see with our own eyes what it takes—and what it costs—to try to keep our children safe and to bring to justice those who prey on society's most vulnerable victims. With each chapter dedicated to a real case he worked, In the Name of the Children also explores the evolution of Rinek as a Special Agent—whose unorthodox, empathy-based approach to interviewing suspects made him extraordinarily successful in obtaining confessions—and the toll it took to have such intimate contact with child molesters and murderers. Beyond exploring the devastating impact of these unthinkable crimes on the victims and their families, this book offers an unprecedented look at how investigators and their loved ones cope while living in the specter of so much suffering.

This report details the harm public registration laws cause for youth sex offenders. The laws, which can apply for decades or even a lifetime and are layered on top of time in prison or juvenile detention, require placing offenders' personal information on online registries, often making them targets for harassment, humiliation, and even violence. The laws also severely restrict where, and with whom, youth sex offenders may live, work, attend school, or even spend time.