sex offenders walking free

Attorney Erik Bauer, featured in the documentary I Am Jane Doe, joins Law Matters to discuss his work representing child sex-trafficking survivors and the legal concepts of accomplice liability, aiding and abetting, and evidence in crimes committed in private. They also debate political accountability, oversight, technology companies, and the need to protect children and uphold the rule of law. Erik Bauer describes representing child victims trafficked through Backpage and Craigslist, and the effort to reduce online exploitation. He explains why trafficking prosecutions often rely on survivor testimony and circumstantial evidence rather than public video evidence. The conversation examines accomplice liability, including how knowingly helping conceal a crime can create legal exposure. Sherry and Bauer discuss the political use of a survivor's family history and the broader question of whether powerful people face equal accountability. Bauer recalls working alongside John and Cindy McCain and other lawmakers on efforts to combat online child trafficking. They connect tech platforms' incentives and weak oversight to trafficking, scams, and the concentration of media power. The discussion closes with calls for stronger oversight, child protection, transparency, and voting as a means of accountability.