Lawrence man sentenced for child sex crimes

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Jalil L. Brown, 30, of Lawrence, will serve 36 months probation after receiving a 73-month suspended sentence for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and sexual exploitation of a child.

All parties in the case met through the District Attorney’s Office’s Independent Assessment Conference (IAC), a voluntary program overseen by a retired judge in which the typical court process is condensed using the assistance of an experienced mediator, who is trained in trauma-informed practice. A fundamental aspect of the IAC is the empowerment of victims through their engagement in the process.

Judge Amy Hanley sentenced Brown to 41 months in prison for the aggravated indecent liberties conviction and 32 months in prison for the sexual exploitation conviction. Under a plea supported by the victims in the case, Brown was granted a dispositional departure and placed on 36 months supervised probation. Brown, who is barred from contact with his victims, also must register as a sex offender.

“The young women in this case played an active role in holding Mr. Brown accountable for his crimes,” District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said. “Too often, survivors in these types of crimes have their victimization weaponized against them. Both young women demonstrated tremendous strength and our hope is that today’s outcome will help them in their healing.”

During sentencing, Judge Hanley emphasized that Brown faces significant prison time and lifetime post-release supervision if he fails to comply with terms of his probation.

Charges against Brown stemmed from two incidents that occurred in January 2022. Brown, who was then a paraeducator at Free State High School, was charged with lewd fondling or touching of a 15-year-old’s leg while the teen was a passenger in his car. During the investigation of the incident, police uncovered nude images of a child under the age of 18 on Brown’s phone.

The State was represented by Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden. The case was investigated by the Special Victims Unit of the Lawrence Police Department.