NY state shifts judicial approach to prostitution

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York is creating the nation's first statewide system of courts to help prostitutes escape a life of exploitation and violence and move on to productive lives, the state's chief judge said.

"We have come to recognize that the vast majority of children and adults charged with prostitution offenses are commercially exploited or at risk of exploitation," Judge Jonathan Lippman told attorneys, advocates for women and service providers at a breakfast meeting Wednesday in Manhattan.

"Human trafficking is a crime that inflicts terrible harm on the most vulnerable members of society: victims of abuse, the poor, children, runaways, immigrants," said Lippman, chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. "It is in every sense a form of modern-day slavery. We cannot tolerate this practice in a civilized society, nor can we afford to let victims of trafficking slip between the cracks of our justice system."

While human trafficking includes labor trafficking, nearly 80 percent of victims in New York are trafficked for sex, Lippman said.

Most are U.S. citizens, Lippman said.

"It is not just halfway across the globe. It is around the corner from all of us," he said.

Three pilot courts in Queens, midtown Manhattan and Nassau County in suburban Long Island are up and running. The specialized courts will be operating throughout New York City by mid-October and around the state by the end of October.

The courts will have presiding judges trained in the dynamics of sex trafficking and the services available to victims.

Lippman said the courts will identify appropriate defendants and refer them to services "that will assist them in leading productive lives, rather than sending them right back to the grip of their abusers."

He said the initiative "will stop the pattern of shuffling trafficking victims through our criminal courtrooms without addressing the underlying reasons why they are there in the first place."

The project will be a model for the nation and should improve the lives of countless victims, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

"We have to think differently about how we prosecute prostitution cases and who we prosecute to combat the exploitation and the demand that fuel human trafficking," Rice said.

Treating the victims of sex trafficking as criminals can hamper their ability to secure housing, employment and financial aid for education, said Steven Banks, attorney in chief of the Legal Aid Society of New York City. "Our clients in these cases are the victims of crimes," Banks said. "They've been branded in many cases on their bodies by people treating them as if they are nothing more than property."

NCAA to restore Penn State football scholarships

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Penn State will gradually get back football scholarships taken away over the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the NCAA announced Tuesday, crediting the university for making significant improvements to its athletics programs.

Five scholarships will be restored next year and 15 more will be phased in until the school reaches the limit of 85 in 2016-17, a season earlier than the school had agreed to, college sports' governing body said. The NCAA said the unanimous decision by its executive committee was based on the recommendation of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who has been serving as Penn State's athletics integrity monitor.

"This action provides an opportunity to recognize Penn State's significant momentum, while also providing additional opportunities for student-athletes," said Wake Forest University president Nathan Hatch, chair of the NCAA's Division I board of directors, which endorsed the decision.

The penalties came amid heavy criticism of university leaders' response to complaints about Sandusky. Penn State and the NCAA agreed to the penalties by entering into a consent decree more than a year ago, shortly after Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse. They also require the school to pay a $60 million fine and serve a four-year ban on postseason play. The NCAA also eliminated 112 wins by the football program.

Penn State president Rodney Erickson called the restoration of scholarships particularly welcome news for student-athletes who want to attend Penn State.

"As we promised throughout this process, we are committed to improving all our policies, procedures and actions," Erickson said.

The NCAA said it also may reduce the postseason play ban, depending on the university's future progress. Mitchell said it was premature to say which other sanctions might be changed.

"This was a positive response to positive action, and as to the future, we'll have to make judgments in the future," Mitchell told reporters in a conference call. He said the decision was particularly warranted by the actions of Penn State president Rodney Erickson and other university leaders "in the face of considerable opposition within the Penn State community."

"Over time, their actions led to a circumstance where it became clear to me that their response was positive in the face of difficult circumstances," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he recommended the restoration of scholarships, but the specific elements were decided by the NCAA and Big Ten Conference.

"It is the mechanism most directly targeted to students, student-athletes," Mitchell said. "I felt it was an appropriate place to provide the relief."

Earlier this month, Mitchell issued a report on the first year of his service as monitor, crediting Penn State for notable progress that included implementation of 119 recommendations made last summer by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who directed the school's investigation into the scandal.

The family of former coach Joe Paterno issued a statement calling the decision welcome news. Paterno died from lung cancer in January 2012, weeks after the arrest of Sandusky on abuse charges and two administrators on allegations of a criminal cover-up. A lawsuit by his surviving family members and others against the NCAA is pending in county court near State College.

Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys, including incidents inside Penn State athletics facilities. A state appeals court recently heard oral argument in his quest for a new trial.

The Nittany Lions are 3-1 and do not play this week. In response to the NCAA announcement, coach Bill O'Brien said his staff was pleased for the players, who, he said, have "proven themselves to be a resilient group of young men who are able to look ahead, focus and overcome adversity."