Psychologist weighs in on B.Purviance behavior and others like him…

Psychologists say there’s a reason men like Purviance are able to weasel their way in to the hearts and minds of young people.

“Many kids waiver in their confidence about who they are and they turn to these chat rooms to start talking about their struggles, which makes them perfect targets for people who are tracking those kinds of chats,” said Dr. Susan Lagrande, who is a child psychologist.

Predators use emotions like conveying trust and understanding as “ins” to take things a step farther with victims.

“Then, they slowly move this young person into considering options that they may otherwise not consider because this is a trusted person that they feel understands and appreciates them. Then they are more willing to move their own values away,” said Dr. Lagrande.

In this case, Purviance got caught. He’ll do nearly six years time in federal prison.

Meanwhile, the girl who was caught up in his scheme is working to put him and what he did behind her.

“Brock will not define who she will be,” said “Jane.”

Purviance was convicted with traveling to Alaska for the purpose of having illegal sex. The victim’s family is particularly concerned that Alaska’s age of consent, at 16, makes Alaska’s children more vulnerable to predatory relationships from adults who want to take advantage of them.

State lawmakers say they are already looking at whether to raise the age of consent.

Experts say parents can never be too vigilant online. Information on how to do that is available at Project Safe Childhood.

Alaskans Vote YES on HB145 to protect our children.  Demand that our Legislatures to move this into law THIS YEAR!!

Definition of a Sexual Predator

Sexual predator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The term sexual predator is used pejoratively to describe a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically predatory manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to “hunt” for his or her sex partners. People who commit sex crimes, such as rape or child sexual abuse, are commonly referred to as sexual predators, particularly in tabloid media or as a power phrase by politicians.

The term is applied according to a person’s moral beliefs, and does not necessarily denote criminal behaviour. For example, an adult male who cruises a bar looking for consensual sex from an adult female could be considered a sexual predator by some.

Some U.S. states have a special status for criminals designated as sexually violent predators, which allows these offenders to be held in prison after their sentence is complete if they are considered to be a risk to the public. They can also be placed on a sexual offender or sexual predator list which is viewable by everyone on the Internet.

According to the NBC news program Dateline, as of January 2006, law enforcement officials estimate that as many as 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given moment. [1] That number has been cited by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in speeches touting the dangers of child predators. [2] However the origins of that figure have been questioned by the Legal Times, [3] and Dateline says it will no longer use it. [4]

Distinction from sex offenders

The term “sexual predator” is often considered distinct from “sex offender“. Many U.S. states also see these differences legally. A sexual offender is a person who has offended another sexually. A sexual predator is often used to refer to a person who habitually seeks out sexual situations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predator