yung | School of Law

Panelists at discussion on sexual violence condemn harmful media messages on rape

"Harmful media messages on rape abound, University of Kansas law professor Corey Rayburn Yung told an audience of about 30 people Wednesday at the Watkins Museum of History, going so far as to say that classic cartoon character Pepé Le Pew is a rapist who perpetuates a harmful view of male sexual aggression.

Yung was part of a panel discussion on sexual violence that explored such topics as how the media reports on sexual violence, what friends and family can do for victims and a few local solutions."

When Detectives Dismiss Rape Reports Before Investigating Them

"Across the country, some police departments claim a vast number of rape reports are false. A BuzzFeed News investigation into a year of “unfounded” rapes in Baltimore County reveals that detectives often don’t investigate them at all — even when the man had been arrested for rape before.

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'The problems Baltimore County police have in handling rape cases are are emblematic of what goes on in police departments across the country,' said Corey Rayburn Yung, a law professor at University of Kansas School of Law, who studies policing and rape nationwide."

How Police Still Fail Rape Victims

"Last week, the Department of Justice released a scathing report of the Baltimore City Police Department, concluding that officers were pervasively abusing their power in bluntly racist and gender-biased ways. 'We found that [the police department] has engaged in a pattern or practice of serious violations of the U.S. Constitution and federal law,' wrote Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, 'that has disproportionately harmed Baltimore's African-American community and eroded the public's trust in the police.'

Child Porn Gets Longer Sentences than Rape, Molestation

"Defendants who commit sexual contact crimes, such as rape or molestation against children, often receive lighter sentences than those charged with possessing child pornography, academics agreed. That discrepancy can be attributed to money and quality of evidence, they said.

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Federal crimes for child pornography are relatively new, said Corey Rayburn Yung, a professor at University of Kansas School of Law.

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F.B.I Allowed for More Victimization by Permitting a Child Pornography Website

"Child pornography is not like guns or drugs. It can be infinitely copied and distributed. When the government distributes tangible contraband as part of a sting operation, it cannot hope to contain or limit the dissemination of the illegal goods.

If the allegations against the F.B.I. are true regarding its control of the network for approximately two weeks, it actively participated in the revictimization of those depicted in child pornography with no possibility of controlling distribution. Such conduct is immoral and inexcusable."

A Real Dialogue for a Change

"A panel on 'Grappling with Campus Rape' was part of the 'Hot Topic' program at the American Association of Law Schools annual meeting, held January 6-10 in midtown Manhattan. Indeed, that issue has been the focus of particularly intense polemics in academia. A number of law professors, even some with strong liberal feminist credentials, have spoken out against the campus rape panic and the push for harsher measures that they say trample on students' rights.

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Law Professors Against Title IX: Faculty Worried About Due Process on Campus

"A dozen mostly left-leaning speakers, each allotted 10 minutes to give their thoughts on a controversial topic, Grappling with Campus Rape. The venue was the American Association of Law Schools’ 2016 meeting in New York City in early January.

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KU professor at sexual assault symposium: ‘The hurdles of Title IX litigation are ridiculously high’

"Instead of investigating sexual assaults as Title IX transgressions, maybe universities should adjudicate them under a simpler safety code like other actions that pose a danger to campus?

Universities have effectively disciplined students for problems from cheating to drug possession under the student code of conduct model for years, said Kansas University law professor Corey Rayburn Yung, speaking Friday at the Kansas Law Review Symposium.

'There’s no real reason we have to abandon this framework in place of a far more difficult claim,' Yung said.

Top Minnesota Officials Sort Out Sex Offender Program's Fate

"Minnesota is under federal court pressure to rework its program that locks up sex offenders even after they serve out prison terms, a system the state's political leaders have vigorously defended.

Come Monday, the challenge will be front and center as a cavalcade of lawmakers, program administrators and lawyers meet to discuss potential fixes to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. The court conference is closed to the public. A coalition of media organizations, including The Associated Press, petitioned for access, but the judge denied the request.

Under court supervision, top Minnesota officials begin task of reworking sex offender program