Sex offenses present some of the most complex and sensitive challenges in the legal system, where evolving statutes, shifting social norms, and constitutional rights intersect. In Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses, student writers delve into the legal frameworks, case law, and policy debates that shape the prosecution, defense, and adjudication of these crimes.
See the Aims and Scope for a complete coverage of the journal.
Current Volume: Volume 3 (2026)
Volume Three of Advanced Issues in Criminal Law: Sex Offenses presents the scholarship of students enrolled in the Fall 2025 offering of the course at the Brandeis School of Law. Continuing the tradition established in the first volume, this edition showcases nuanced, carefully developed analyses and reflects the intellectual rigor and insight of some of the law school’s most exceptional students.-
Hannah Flannery opens the volume with a passionate examination of the shortcomings of the United States' justice system when handling sexual misconduct offenses. Jaiden Herland investigates modern marital rape loopholes. CALI Award recipient (for the lecture section of the class) Jessica Valiani ponders if it is time to rethink restitution for the child victims of sex abuse. Christie Smith looks at consent law, pointing out their failures in protecting the youth. Finally, CALI Award recipient (for the writing section of the class) Grace Chitwood Hampton explores how new AI technology is being utilized in the realm of child sexual abuse material.
-
By engaging with these essays, we invite readers to reflect on the evolving challenges of justice, equity, and victim advocacy, and to consider how thoughtful legal scholarship can contribute to meaningful reform and a more just society.
Essays
Justice for None: How the United States’ Sexual-Offense System Fails Victims, Defendants, and the Public
Hannah J. Flannery
The United States Still Says “I Do” to Marital Rape: An Examination of Modern Marital Rape Exemptions
Jaiden Herald
No Child Left to Heal Alone: Rethinking Restitution for Child Victims of Sexual Abuse
Jessica Valiani
