Story Archives of 'Child Sexual Abuse'

Hailed last year as one of the nation’s toughest to protect children - the law is now being tested with a real case – and some are asking whether it went too far – and was passed too quickly. We’ll look at how this law has played out and what may change. Laura's guests are TBA and Will Delker, Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Criminal Justice Bureau of the NH Attorney General’s Office. He helped craft the law and is the point person for the sex offender registry at the AG's office and is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Franklin Pierce Law Center.

The federal government says fewer and fewer children across the country are victims of abuse. This news comes as legislators debate the best way to protect the state's children. We'll talk to an expert in the field who says the declining numbers have less to do with laws, and more to do with economics, education and advances in mental healthcare. Our guest is David Finkelhor, Director of the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. He's also Professor of Sociology at UNH.

While the proposal enjoys broad political support, some are concerned it places too much focus on punishment and too little on local sex offense data or on treatment for offenders.

James McLaughlin is a detective in the Keene Police Department. He searches the Internet and visits chat rooms, looking for pedophiles who use the Web to find their victims. His work has resulted in more than 350 arrests and earned him a reputation in the pedophile underground.

The Manchester Diocese will pay more than 5 million dollars to 62 people.

The Diocese is paying the money to individuals who claim they were sexually abused as children by clergy.

NHPR's David Darman has more.