The Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab (Y-Lab) invites you to the next Y-Lab Writing Program Lunch Talk. Similarly to the previous talk, each participant below will present their research and writing project, and attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions.
Tuesday, April 4
12:30-1:30 PM
WCC 3007
Lunch will be provided
An Examination of the Use of Prosecution to Empower Child Sexual Assault Survivors
Discussion with Casandra Ferrante, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
April 4, 2023
12:30-1:30 PM
WCC 3007
Paper Topic: Criminal cases involving child victims of sexual assault are some of the most notoriously difficult types of cases to prosecute. Sexual assault is one of the most egregious crimes committed against children, a group of individuals who are often seen as “powerless” and who depend on the very adults that sometimes, in turn, abuse them. These crimes are not only physically intrusive on the child but also have long-lasting emotional effects, in part due to the typical silencing, secrecy, and shame that comes with the power dynamics that are intertwined with this crime both during its commission and oftentimes after by both the offender, the criminal justice system and society in general.
This paper will explore the complexity of CSA prosecutions by discussing the inherent challenges and harms of these cases, reasons why these cases aren’t often pursued, let alone proceed to trial, and some potential benefits of advancing these cases- mainly focusing on the empowerment of the child’s voice. While the criminal justice system has played a role in the silencing, secrecy, and shame that are imported on victim’s of child sexual assault, there is room and ways for this not to be the case.
Biography: Casandra Ferrante is a J.D. Candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2023). Prior to attending law school, she worked for the YMCA of Greater New York doing community advocacy work and then spent time as a legal secretary at WilmerHale. At HLS, Casandra has pursued child advocacy work with a focus on child abuse and neglect through the Child Advocacy: Child Welfare, Education & Juvenile Justice Clinic where she spent time doing Child Sexual Assault work for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. After graduation she will be a litigation associate at Ropes & Gray and hopes to keep pursuing child advocacy work through pro-bono opportunities.
Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and Notification Laws Do More Harm Than Good
Discussion with Rowan Hong, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
April 4, 2023
12:30-1:30 PM
WCC 3007
Paper Topic: In the United States, children as young as ten are being branded sex offenders. Even when registration requirements are limited in duration, because of the internet, these children are branded for life. Teens who exchange sexts, young and/or disabled children still learning about appropriate boundaries, and 9-year-olds who reenact sexual abuse they have suffered without understanding the significance of their actions are treated the same way as adults sex offenders. Juvenile sex offender registration and notification not only fails to increase public safety but inflicts irreparable harm upon young registrants. This paper will explore the history and impact of juvenile sex offender registration and notification laws. It will conclude with a discussion of evidence-based alternatives to protect and heal children, including those who have done sexual harm.
Biography: Rowan Hong (J.D. Candidate, Class of 2023) is a Youth Advocacy & Policy Lab Fellow, a member of the Y-Lab Writing Group, a former clinical intern for the Children’s Justice Unit at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office via the Harvard Child Advocacy Clinic, a former clinical intern for the Committee for Public Counsel Services Youth Advocacy Division also through the Harvard Child Advocacy Clinic, a current (two-time) clinical intern with the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic/Greater Boston Legal Services (working exclusively on child asylum claims), a teaching fellow for Nancy Kelly and John Willshire Carrera (Emerging Issues in Refugee Protection: The Representation of Child Asylum Seekers), a volunteer English tutor, a terrible poet, and a CSA survivor. She has interned with the Human Trafficking Legal Center and the University of Houston’s Office of Equal Opportunity Services. Rowan will be continuing her work with child asylum seekers with Greater Boston Legal Services after graduation.