Dr. Karen Franklin writes about a New York judge’s rejection of the state’s diagnosis of hebephilia in the case of a 72-year-old registered sex offender.
In a strongly worded rejection of hebephilia, a New York judge has ruledthat the controversial diagnosis cannot be used in legal proceedings because of “overwhelming opposition” to its validity among the psychiatric community.
Judge Daniel Conviser heard testimony from six experts (including this blogger) and reviewed more than 100 scholarly articles before issuing along-awaited opinion this week in the case of “Ralph P.,” a 72-year-old man convicted in 2001 of a sex offense against a 14-year-old boy. The state of New York is seeking to civilly detain Ralph P. on the basis of alleged future dangerousness.
Read more here.