(June 4, 2018) -- Readily available and aggressively marketed online, pornography has become a default sex educator for many young people. Its influence is shaping sexual expectations and norms, with serious implications for young people's capacity to understand and negotiate consent, mutual respect, and gender equality. There is growing concern internationally that porn's influence is contributing to cultural conditions that cultivate sexual assault.
Maree Crabbe, coordinator of an Australian violence prevention project and co-producer of the documentary films "Love and Sex in an Age of Pornography‚" and "The Porn Factor," will present on these issues and sexual violence prevention during the 12th Annual Colorado Sex Offender Management Board Conference, July 11-13 in Breckenridge. The conference's theme is "Making a Difference, Working Together to Prevent Sexual Violence."
Crabbe will be one of two keynote speakers at the conference. The second keynote speaker will be Patty Wetterling, whose 11-year-old son was abducted by a masked gunman, his remains not discovered until 27 years later on a farm in Paynesville, MN. Wetterling is a nationally recognized educator on the issues of child abduction and sexual exploitation of children, she co-founded a national support group for families of missing children and co-authored with four other families the book "When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide."
During her presentation at noon on Wednesday, July 11, Wetterling will share her personal story of the investigation following her son's abduction in 1989, as well as lessons learned from working with hundreds of searching families across the nation. She will offer suggestions as to what was helpful, what could have been better and how to best keep long-term missing cases alive and active.
Crabbe will present "Making Violence Sexy? Pornography, young people and sexual abuse prevention" at noon on Thursday, July 12. Later that afternoon, the conference will feature a screening of "The Porn Factor," which Crabbe directed and produced. The film will be followed by a presentation and talk-back with Crabbe.
The Colorado Division of Justice (DCJ) within the Department of Public Safety hosts the annual SOMB conference as an opportunity to share the latest research, best practices, tools, and resources with professionals who work in fields related to sex offender management. The three-day conference features nearly two-dozen sessions. Topics range from guidance on how to apply treatment standards to cultural insights on working with certain demographic groups. View the full agenda here.
"We are really excited and honored be able to bring such internationally respected experts to Colorado," said Marina Borysov, who coordinates the annual Sex Offender Management Board Conference on behalf of DCJ. "Their unique perspectives will round out three days full of outstanding educational content presented by experts in the field of sex offender management, violence prevention and victim services."
The conference draws treatment providers, evaluators, victim therapists, victim advocates, school personnel, community supervision officers, child welfare workers, district attorneys, public defenders, polygraph examiners, judges, magistrates and law enforcement officers. Registration costs $190 for the full three days or $120 per day.
For more information or to register, visit the SOMB website.
Media are welcome to attend, and Wetterling and Crabbe will have availability for interviews. Please contact Patricia Billinger in advance at 303-239-4415 to make arrangements.
Maree Crabbe
Patty Wetterling
ABOUT US
The Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) brings together diverse agencies that share a common vision: making Colorado communities safer and more resilient. The Department includes the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Colorado State Patrol, Division of Criminal Justice, Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), Colorado School Safety Resource Center, and Colorado Integrated Criminal Justice Information System.
The Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) consists of seven offices and units that work to improve the safety of the community, the quality of services to crime victims, and the effectiveness of services to offenders. DCJ provides assistance to state and local agencies in the criminal justice system by analyzing policy, conducting criminal justice research, managing programs and administering grants.
In 1992, the Colorado General Assembly passed legislation that created a Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) in the Division of Criminal Justice. The SOMB was charged to develop standards and guidelines for the evaluation, treatment, and behavioral monitoring of sex offenders. The board consists of individuals representing a breadth of law enforcement, community and criminal justice agencies. The SOMB develops standards and guidelines that provide a systematic basis for evaluation, treatment, and behavioral monitoring of adults and juveniles who have committed sex offenses.