Loosely based on the Owen Labrie case in New Hampshire.
There seemed to be a consensus among the detectives and the DA's office that Chris was guilty of misdemeanor sexual assault, but that also both he and Abby showed poor judgment and that Chris was not a violent offender or a sexual predator and didn't belong on the sex offender registry. Yet in most states being convicted of sexual misconduct or sexual abuse requires a person to be put on the sex offender registry for a minimum of 20 years. The debate over whether a person guilty of a minor sex offense belongs on the registry along with violent sexual predators happens frequently in real life, which is why as of September, 2020 a few states have passed legislation that gives judges discretion as to whether or not a defendant is required to register as a sex offender for certain sex crimes, and other states are looking at drafting similar legislation. One example being California's bill SB-145, which gives judges discretion as to whether a defendant is required to register as a sex offender instead of requiring registry based solely on the sex act performed.
When discussing the need to increase sexual assault education for teenagers Olivia mentions California passing "affirmative consent". She is referring to California Senate Bill 967, which requires schools whose students receive financial aid to uphold an affirmative consent standard in disciplinary hearings and to educate students about the standard. The standard being that students should no longer only rely on waiting for a partner to say no, they should instead ask permission and wait for a verbal "yes" or even a nod or a smile before progressing to sexual contact. The affirmative consent standard also encourages students (especially girls) to take it a step further and outline what they are okay with doing before the date begins, such as saying they only want to kiss, or that they are okay with having their breasts touched but no touching below the waist or under their clothes, or going a step further and saying they would consent to heavy petting but not to intercourse. And that if they are wanting to have oral, vaginal or anal sexual intercourse that they should make that clear at the start of the date, and that both partners should wait for an additional sign of consent before actually beginning intercourse.
Lieutenant Benson mentions Rita Calhoun representing a serial killer, referencing the Carl Rudnick case in the season premiere.