allison.mahoney, Author at ALM Law

How to Fight Back If a Child You Love Is Being Abused in Illinois Foster Care

Illinois’s Foster Care System Has Been Failing for Decades—And Children Are Paying the Price Illinois’s child welfare system has been in crisis for years. In the 1980s, the ACLU sued the state for having a constitutionally defective foster care system—decades later, Illinois remains under a court-monitored consent decree intended to rectify these failures. Despite ongoing […]

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Why Reporting Foster Care Abuse Is So Hard – And How to Fight Back the Right Way

Foster Care / allison.mahoney

The Call That Changed Everything The call came from inside the foster home. A 14-year-old girl, barely whispering, told the caseworker exactly what had been happening. The nights her foster father came into her room. The threats to keep her quiet. The fear that no one would believe her. The response? “We’ll look into it.”

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How a Lawyer Can Help You Hold Group Homes Accountable for Abuse in Colorado

Foster Care / allison.mahoney

The Truth About Group Home Abuse: You’re Not Alone Each year, thousands of children in foster care, including many in Colorado, are placed in group homes. The expectation is that they are safe. But this is not always true. Too often, these vulnerable children are hurt in the very places meant to protect them. Unfortunately,

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The Dark Side of Foster Care in Illinois: How the System is Failing Kids

Foster Care / allison.mahoney

Drawing on road of adult holding child's hand

Aunt Martha’s Scandal: A Wake-Up Call for Illinois’ Foster Care System The Illinois foster care system was supposed to protect its most vulnerable children. Instead, at Aunt Martha’s Integrated Care Center in Chicago, children were met with horrific abuse. Staff members who were supposed to be caregivers were arrested for sexually assaulting minors. Despite reports

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Why Abuse in Foster Care Facilities Often Goes Unnoticed

Foster Care / allison.mahoney

Image of child running away with a bench in the background

Shocking Reality: 4X Higher Risk of Abuse in Foster Care Did you know that children in foster care are four times more likely to experience abuse than those in the general population? For many, foster care group facilities and residential are supposed to be safe havens—but for too many children, they become places of neglect

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Documenting Revenge Porn Before It Disappears

Cyber Abuse / allison.mahoney

Person typing on computer, preserving evidence

Introduction: One Mistake Could Cost You Everything In recent years, cases of revenge porn—sharing private images without consent—have skyrocketed. Studies show that nearly 1 in 10 women under 30 have experienced threats of non-consensual image sharing, and the problem continues to grow as digital platforms make it easier to share and spread private content. If

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Revenge Porn Is a Crime in New York: A Guide for Victims

Image-Based Sexual Abuse / allison.mahoney

1. The Prevalence of Revenge Porn: What You Need to Know A 2017 study by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative revealed that 1 in 8 social media users in the United States have been victims of nonconsensual pornography, commonly referred to as revenge porn. This startling statistic underscores how prevalent this violation of privacy has

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Think Revenge Porn Isn’t a Crime in Illinois? Think Again

Cyber Abuse, Image-Based Sexual Abuse / allison.mahoney

The Unseen Crisis: Why Revenge Porn is Ruining Lives in Illinois Revenge porn, or the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, is a devastating violation of privacy that can leave victims feeling exposed, powerless, and unsure of where to turn. The emotional toll can be overwhelming—many victims struggle with feelings of shame, fear, and isolation, often

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Yes, You Can Fight Back: Revenge Porn Laws in Colorado Explained

Cyber Abuse, Image-Based Sexual Abuse / allison.mahoney

Woman holding hand up and "stop" is written on it

Introduction: One Image, a Lifetime of Pain—But It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way Imagine waking up to find that your most private moments have been shared online without your consent. For many victims of revenge porn, this nightmare is their reality. Statistics show that nearly 1 in 12 adults in the U.S. has experienced

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The Panic-Free Guide to Getting Private Photos Removed Fast

Cyber Abuse, Legal Services / allison.mahoney

Photo of open computer and hand on computer

Introduction: The Nightmare of Seeing Your Private Photos Online Your phone buzzes with a message from a friend: “Hey, I think I saw your photos online… is everything okay?” In an instant, your world feels like it’s crumbling. Private photos you trusted were safe are now in the public eye. It’s devastating, overwhelming, and paralyzing.

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