Article here. Excerpt:

'Chief Justice Paula Carey will be appointing her successor, the next Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court. Carey will do so when she assumes her new duties as Chief Justice of the Trial Court. I submitted my letter with recommendations for characteristics for the new Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court, as requested by the Massachusetts Trial Court. Also, the Executive Committee of our Massachusetts Affiliate submitted a letter seeking a candidate who supports shared parenting.

Massachusetts has commendably demonstrated its commitment to diversity in its elected and appointed officials. In this spirit, Massachusetts has the opportunity once again to break new ground.'

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard-at-saveservices.org

WASHINGTON / June 19, 2013 – An upcoming conference will highlight problems of prosecutorial misconduct and bias in the criminal justice system. The conference will be held Saturday, June 22 at 901 15th Street, NW in Washington DC. The conference is sponsored by the non-profit SAVE Center for Prosecutor Integrity.

The conference comes as bipartisan groups in the Senate and House of Representatives have begun to address the dual concerns of over-criminalization and over-prosecution. Several bills addressing the problems are expected to be introduced in upcoming weeks.

The conference schedule features victims of prosecutor misconduct, a former magistrate, and others. Presenters will be available for media interviews.

The conference is free to media representatives. The conference schedule is shown below. Other details can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/dvlp/annual-conference-2013/

Story here.

'A WOMAN has been interviewed by police after admitting making a false allegation of rape.

The 26-year-old claimed she was leaving the ground-floor level of the Wellington Square shopping centre car park in Stockton-on-Tees last week when a man approached her from behind and sexually assaulted her.

Police launched a media appeal for information and arrested, and bailed, a 22-year-old man in connection with the incident. However, the woman then admitted she had made a false allegation.

The man has now been released with no further action to be taken.

Police have passed the file for the case on to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will decide whether to prosecute the woman.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A woman charged with making a false report of rape is facing an important court hearing in Port Huron.

Sara Ylen accused two men of sexual assault at her Lexington home last September, but authorities say an attack didn't happen.

A judge will decide today if there's enough evidence to send the case to trial in St. Clair County.

In a separate case, Ylen is charged with fraud in Sanilac County. She's accused of deceiving an insurance company and the public into believing she had cancer.

The public got to know Ylen in 2003 when she talked to the Port Huron newspaper about being a rape victim. But a man who spent nearly a decade in prison was released last year after doubt was raised about Ylen's credibility.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Durban - A Westville prisoner’s fight for justice is due to end on Wednesday when he finally walks free, three years after his daughter admitted she had lied that he had raped her.

And his daughter, Pinky Dube, 18, will be at the prison gates waiting to welcome him.

“I am very happy my dad is finally being freed. I am really excited,” she said on Monday.

It will be an emotional reunion as Cedric Shezi and his daughter have only seen each other twice since he was convicted of two counts of rape in 2005, receiving a life sentence.
...
He has always maintained his innocence and has twice attempted suicide.'

Article here. Excerpt:

Story here. Excerpt:

'Military leaders are ready to begin tearing down the remaining walls that have prevented women from holding thousands of combat and special operations jobs near the front lines.

Under details of the plans obtained by The Associated Press, women could start training as Army Rangers by mid-2015 and as Navy SEALs a year later.

The military services have mapped out a schedule that also will include reviewing and possibly changing the physical and mental standards that men and women will have to meet in order to qualify for certain infantry, armor, commando and other front-line positions across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Under the plans to be introduced Tuesday, there would be one common standard for men and women for each job.'

Video report here. Description:

'Several Marines who have been convicted of "fraternizing" or "adultery" say that the military's crackdown on sexual assault has led to a culture of reflexive punishment based on accusations without evidence.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach woman who falsely accused football player Brian Banks of rape has been ordered to pay $1.6 million in expenses incurred by the school district where the crime supposedly had occurred, plus $1 million in damages, according to a Long Beach Press-Telegram report.

Wanetta Gibson had been paid $750,000 by the Long Beach Unified School District to partly settle her claim that it helped cause the purported rape with poor security at Long Beach Poly High School, the Press-Telegram reported.

The woman did not appear in court to contest the district's lawsuit, and a judge ruled Friday that Gibson must repay her award, plus the district's court costs, plus $1 million in punitive damages for the false claim.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Following the arrest of Suraj Pancholi on charges of abetting his girlfriend Jiah Khan's suicide, the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a non-funded non profit NGO fighting for men's rights, gender equality and family harmony, has lashed out at the “skewed" abetment to suicide law in India.

In a release, the foundation has argued that in no other country does such a law exist and wants the government to bring in checks and balances to prevent its misuse and points out the following discrepancies:

1. Suraj Pancholi did not point a gun at Jiah's head and force her to commit suicide. Breaking up with a girlfriend is not a crime. Reportedly, Suraj also tried to get Jiah to a psychiatrist after she attempted suicide eight months back. Why did Jiah's mother, Rabiya Khan, not take her to a psychiatrist then?

2. Wives and in-laws are hardly arrested when a husband commits suicide, but a husband and his family are sent to prison and presumed guilty until proven innocent when a girl kills herself.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'By the end of his or her childhood, a British boy or girl is much more likely to have a TV set in the bedroom than a father at home.

Our 45-year national war against traditional family life has been so successful that almost 50% of 15-year-olds no longer live with both their parents. At the same time we have indulged our neglected and abandoned young with electronics, so that 79% of children aged between 5 and 16 have bedroom TVs.

And as we soppily mark ‘Father’s Day’ with cards, socks, sentimentality and meals out, we should remember that in almost all cases the absent parent is the father.

There is no doubt about the facts here. Let me list some of them. The cost of our wild, unprecedented national experiment in fatherlessness is now £49 billion each year, more than the defence budget. This figure, currently costing each taxpayer £1,541 per year, is rising all the time, and has gone up by almost a quarter since 2009.'

PRESS RELEASE

WASHINGTON / June 18, 2013 – A national opinion survey reveals a substantial majority of persons believes the presumption of innocence is fading from the American criminal justice system. Two-thirds – 67% -- of persons participating in a recent survey affirmatively answered the question, “Do you believe the presumption of innocence is being lost in our nation’s legal system?”

The finding comes from a broader probe of Americans’ views of the criminal justice system and the role of prosecutors in the system. The survey is sponsored by the non-profit, non-partisan Center for Prosecutor Integrity.

Worries about the loss of the presumption of innocence are more pronounced among lower income than higher income persons (69% vs. 64%); and among persons 50 years and older compared to younger respondents (69% vs. 60%). Republicans and Democrats have nearly identical rates of concern: 72% vs. 71%, respectively: http://www.saveservices.org/prosecutors/findings/

Legal scholars have expressed concerns that buttress the survey findings:

Link here. Excerpt:

'Minority men face certain health challenges. Black men have a high risk of dying from heart disease. Latino men are diagnosed with AIDS three times as often as white men. But men can do things that can protect their health. Most health plans cover recommended preventive services like screenings at no cost under the health care law.

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia is HHS’ deputy assistant secretary for minority health.

“Screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol and HIV, are some of the main tests that will let you know if you’re still on the path toward great health.”

Taking your health into your own hands also means eating right, being active, and talking about your health with your loved ones.'

Story here. So, any wonder men get the impression their lives simply are not valued as much as women's? Seems like as good idea as this gender-specific, woman-only free test may be, at least during Men's Health Month, they might also want to offer free PSA tests, too. Or do something, anyway. Excerpt:

'AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Last Saturday, The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo’s Breast Center For Excellence teamed up with United Supermarkets to offer free mammograms to women shoppers.

Through a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant, uninsured women over the age of 40 are eligible for a free mammogram as long as they are Texas residents, have a valid photo ID, and can provide income verification or proof of assistance.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'AFP - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's attempt to marginalise the opposition by claiming it would change abortion rights and sideline women has backfired with a poll on Monday showing male voters are deserting her.

Gillard, the country's first female leader, last week reignited a simmering gender war by saying in a speech that government would be dominated by "men in blue ties" should opposition leader Tony Abbott assume office in September elections.

"It's a decision about whether, once again, we will banish women's voice from the core of our political life," said the embattled prime minister in the speech, desperate to shore up waning support.'