Bon Air inmate accused of rape, Held in juvenile center, he is charged

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Bon Air inmate accused of rape
Held in juvenile center, he is charged in alleged attack on another inmate

Monday, Aug 20, 2007 - 12:08 AM

http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-08-20-0098.html

By FRANK GREEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

An inmate at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center is accused of
raping a juvenile also being held there, the second recent
sexual-assault allegation in a state youth facility.

Authorities said Richard Crowder, 19, is facing charges of rape, sodomy
and carnal knowledge of a 16-year-old in the alleged July 9 attack at
Bon Air, in Chesterfield County.

Two 17-year-old inmates of the Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center in
Powhatan County have been charged with restraining and then sexually
assaulting an 18-year-old cellmate there on July 23.

Nationally, state-run youth correctional facilities reported much higher
rates of alleged sexual abuse and violence than adult prisons, said
Allen J. Beck, with the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. In 2004, the
per-capita rate of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate sex allegations
across the country was about 10 times higher in juvenile facilities.

However, Beck said state laws strictly require the reporting and
investigation of all such allegations, which might go unreported in an
adult facility where reporting requirements are not as rigorous.

Virginia juvenile correctional facilities hold about 1,000 youths and
young adults.

According to a 2004 federal report, state juvenile authorities reported
eight substantiated allegations of abusive or nonconsensual sexual acts
involving youths and or staff in Virginia. Figures for 2005 and 2006
will be reported later this year, Beck said.

Barry Green, director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice,
said the alleged assaults at Bon Air and Beaumont are unusual. There
have been no other charges of sexual assaults rising to the level of a
felony in the state's seven juvenile correctional centers in the past
year, he said.

"These are two very different cases, very different allegations. The
security issues are different," Green said.

He said that in any case of serious allegations, the department
investigates possible security problems that could include whether a
ward was placed in a vulnerable situation; whether there is a blind spot
that needs to be watched; or whether there are staffing problems.

The state police are called to investigate such accusations, and the
local child-protective services office is notified if the alleged
victims are juveniles, he said.

Crowder was transferred from Beaumont to Bon Air this year.

Powhatan County Commonwealth's Attorney Robert B. Beasley Jr. said that
Crowder was convicted in Powhatan General District Court in November of
a misdemeanor assault charge against an officer at Beaumont.

Beasley said after the conviction, Crowder wrote letters threatening the
life of the judge. Crowder pleaded guilty Tuesday to the threat charge
and is facing a maximum of five years in prison when he is sentenced
next month.

Green would not comment on why Crowder was transferred to Bon Air. But
he said that while Crowder is an adult now, he was initially convicted
as a juvenile and could be sent to a facility that houses juveniles.
Juvenile correctional centers can hold inmates up to the age of 21.

Now that Crowder has been convicted in Powhatan Circuit Court of an
offense committed as an adult, he could be sent to the adult
correctional system when sentenced.

Green also would not comment on why Crowder was incarcerated as a
juvenile or discuss his background. Beaumont is an all-male facility and
Bon Air is the department's only coed center. The alleged Bon Air victim
is male.

The state police referred questions about the case to the Chesterfield
commonwealth's attorney's office. Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Duncan
Minton said he could not comment beyond what was written on the warrant.

Crowder is to appear Sept. 4 in Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic
Relations District Court, Minton said.

In the Beaumont sexual-assault case, state police said the two
17-year-olds are each charged with aggravated sexual battery, malicious
wounding, abduction, conspiracy to commit a felony and a misdemeanor
charge of indecent exposure.
Contact Frank Green at (804) 649-6340 or fgreen@timesdispatch.com.





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

Perpetrators of Maltreatment

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
 
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