Webinar Description

As you know, we recently hosted our Truth and Consequences of Sexual Choking/Strangulation webinar, sharing updates on what we’ve learned since 2023. Dr. Debby Herbenick and the team had a lot of information to cover, given all that has emerged over the past two years. Because we weren’t able to fully address the legal aspects of sexual choking/strangulation, we’ve decided to offer another webinar covering the Legal Consequences of Strangulation During Sex.

Over the past decade, rough sex behaviors have become increasingly prevalent and normalized among many young adults in the U.S. and internationally. The most striking change has been in relation to non-fatal strangulation, which is almost universally called “choking” by the people who engage in it as well as in mainstream media and in pornography. Today, there is a growing awareness about and alarming concern with strangulation during sex being used in consensual sexual practices, violent pornography, and dangerous adolescent “choking games” leading to similar health consequences and death.

Strangulation has been identified as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence and sexual assault: unconsciousness may occur within seconds and death within minutes. When domestic violence perpetrators choke (strangle) their victims, not only is this felonious assault, but it may well be an attempted murder.

In this multi-media presentation, Casey Gwinn and Gael Strack will share legal considerations in addressing the consent defense, including practical tips to overcome it during your investigation and in court. They will share the most recent medical and legal consequences of sexual choking and strangulation, including the risk that a strangulation murder could be covered up as an “accident” or a staged suicide by hanging. They will also cover new articles and case law on sexual choking, including a case study from New Jersey.

The Panel will discuss possible solutions, provide tips and resources. Please join us. There will be time for questions. 

Webinar Obectives:

• Understand the legal consequences of non-fatal strangulation, sexual choking and consent.
• Gain practical strategies, information and resources to respond to strangulation assault and determine when to charge strangulation as attempted murder.
• Describe the prevalence of sexual choking/strangulation among young U.S. adults.