Contents Background Criminal Laws Reporting Requirements former deals with the legality of sexual activities involving minors, while the.
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Does the Punishment Fit the Crime? While many states have strict statutory rape laws on the books, prosecutors have been inconsistent in enforcing them, says Mark Chaffin, a researcher with the National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth. One particularly shocking case drew international attention when year-old Georgia resident, Genarlow Wilson, was charged with aggravated child molestation and sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a year-old girl.
Georgia law, which has since been changed to classify this act as a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one year in prison, also required Wilson to register as a sex offender when he was released. Are Statutory Rape Laws Outdated? Statutory rape laws are based on the premise that although young girls may want to have sex, they may not have enough experience or discernment to make a mature, informed decision.
The laws are designed to protect young people who have less information and power than their and-over counterparts.
Colorado Age of Consent & Statutory Rape Laws
For example, minors may be less likely than adults to understand sexually transmitted diseases, have access to contraception, and have the resources to raise a child if they become pregnant. Most people believe there is a clear line between young people wanting to date and have sex, and adults molesting or assaulting a child. And most would agree that the difference between intimacy and abuse should be reflected in the laws of each state. But not all parties agree on how strict the laws should be.
Critics of strict statutory rape laws argue that while sexual relationships between teens relatively close in age may be morally questionable, prosecuting every case would unnecessarily clog up the justice system. But advocates of more diligent enforcement of statutory rape laws believe that the laws help combat the often underreported and hard-to-prove sexual abuse and rape of young girls.
Others add that imprisoning men who are convicted of the crime could have a significant impact on teenage pregnancy and birth rates.
Statutory Rape: The Age of Consent
Know the Laws in Your State Dating is a normal part of teenage life. But with the privilege of dating comes serious responsibilities. As a parent, you have to set boundaries and rules and take middle school and high school relationships seriously. If you suspect that your child is sexually involved with someone under the age of 18, talk to your child about the potential consequences and seek the advice of an attorney who is familiar with the laws in your state.
Preparation
Start your recovery today by searching for treatment centers below. My Son Is Dating a Minor: The following are just a few examples of Romeo and Juliet laws currently in place in the United States: In New Jersey, the age of consent is 16, but individuals who are at least 13 years of age can legally engage in sexual activities if their partner is less than 4 years older than them. In the District of Columbia, it is illegal to engage in sexual intercourse with someone who is under the age of 16 the age of consent if the defendant is 4 or more years older than the victim.
According to Louisiana law, it is a misdemeanor for someone aged 17 to 19 to have consensual sex with someone aged 15 to 17 if the difference between their ages is more than two years.
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In general, minors are considered to be people who are under 18 years of age; at 18, people assume most adult legal rights except for the purchase of alcoholic beverages. However, each state has its own laws that define the age of consent, or the time when a person is old enough "to willingly engage in a sexual act. All states set the age of consent from 14 to 18; in more than half of the states, the age is There you can find that in the state of Georgia, "a person commits the offense of statutory rape when he or she engages in sexual intercourse with any person under the age of 16 years and is not his or her spouse.
It is normal for older teens to be attracted to younger teens, but parents and teens should be aware of certain stipulations in the law. As long as there is no sexual contact, the teens are free to date platonically, although common sense should rule parents' judgment in this situation. Rarely does a year-old have much in common with an or a year-old, and parents should ensure that their teen is not involved in such an imbalanced relationship.
One family in Georgia experienced the importance of being careful of the law. Genarlow Wilson, 17, engaged in oral sex with a consenting year-old girl and was convicted of aggravated child molestation. Before his lawyers were finally able to get the Georgia Supreme Court to hear his case and rule that his year sentence was cruel and unusual, this former scholarship student had spent two years in prison. At the time, the Georgia law allowing similarity of age to be taken into account applied only to vaginal sex, not oral sex.
Both sets of parents could have helped to avoid this horrendous incident by training and teaching their teens about the law, but more importantly about boundaries, and about building healthy relationships through respect for themselves and respect for others. Set rules so teenagers know the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
Teach children about giving and demanding respectful treatment.