'Audrie's Law' Toughening Juvenile Sex Crime Statutes Signed by Gov. Brown

By Bay City News Service:

Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday signed legislation known as Audrie’s Law reforming juvenile sex crime laws and named after 15-year-old sexual assault victim Audrie Pott, according to a state senator’s spokesman.

The governor’s approval enacts Senate Bill 838, sponsored by State Sen. Jim Beall, D-Campbell, and its language shaped by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Beall’s spokesman Rodney Foo said.

The law, which had been amended in the Assembly before being passed by the State Legislature in Sacramento and sent to the governor on Aug. 28, was drafted in the memory of Audrie, who hanged herself days after three teen boys sexually assaulted her at a party in Saratoga in 2012.

The boys assaulted her as she lay unconscious from drinking alcohol, then took photos of her partly nude body and distributed them electronically to some students at Saratoga High School where they and Audrie went to school, which humiliated her among her classmates, Foo said.

The three boys were tried in closed juvenile court proceedings in San Jose and sentenced to terms of from 30 to 45 days in juvenile hall for sexual assault, according to Foo.

The new law would give judges the option to allow the public to view proceedings of juveniles being prosecuted on sexual assault charges involving victims who were unconscious or developmentally disabled.

Another provision of the new statute requires that minors convicted of sexual assault on an unconscious or developmentally disabled victim must complete sex offender treatment programs available in their county of residence, Foo said.

Further, the law requires that juveniles convicted of rape, sodomy or oral copulation may no longer have the option of paying a fine or completing community service or a treatment program to get their charges dismissed, according to the spokesman.

Previous Patch coverage:

• Teens Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault That Resulted in Girl’s Suicide After Photos Posted on Facebook.
• Mother of Audrie Pott Filed a Restraining Order.
• Parents of Assault Victim Audrie Pott File Wrongful Death Lawsuit.
• Audrie Pott’s Parents Reach Partial Settlement; Second Victim Revealed.
• School Supe Issues Statement About Audrie Pott Case.
• New Law Cracks Down on Teen Cyberbullying.
• Man Files Lawsuit Saying He Is Audrie Pott’s Biological Father, Seeks Nod As Heir.
• Lawyer for Audrie Pott’s Parents Lashes Out at Man Claiming to be Biological Father.
• Mother Of Teen Suicide Victim Audrie Pott Urges Assembly Committee To Pass Tough New Law On Juvenile Sex Offenders.
• Man Heads To Court Thursday To Argue He Is Biological Father Of Audrie Pott.
• Judge Tentatively Rules Against Man Claiming To Be Audrie Pott’s Bio Dad

What do you think about the new law? Tell us in the comment section below.

Wondering how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.