Teen received 10 yr jail sentence for oral sex with another teen

jopperm2 · Post by **jopperm2** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:36 pm

That's why I love the term Statutory Rape. Basically the wording means "You may not have actually raped her, but since the statutes say she's too young to consent, it's good enough for jail time."

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:53 pm

jopperm2 wrote:That's why I love the term Statutory Rape. Basically the wording means "You may not have actually raped her, but since the statutes say she's too young to consent, it's good enough for jail time."

Indeed...

I don't know, I tend to find that the entire issue of age and consent is pretty nebulous..
Obviously, there are laws in place to protect kids from sexual predators... But I find it can also get pretty muddied.
As a society we have a lot of hangups about the age at which sexual activity is "appropriate," and I question that to a degree. I've met some 13 year-olds who are more emotionally and psychologically mature than people in their late teens and early 20s.. IMO this is all highly dependent on the individual.
And, why shouldn't a 13 year be old enough to consent? Why shouldn't they know in their own minds that it is something they want to do? Obviously... if the other person is *a lot* older it becomes more clearcut, but even then it can still be a grey area.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 4:44 am

dragon wench wrote:Indeed...

I don't know, I tend to find that the entire issue of age and consent is pretty nebulous..
Obviously, there are laws in place to protect kids from sexual predators... But I find it can also get pretty muddied.
As a society we have a lot of hangups about the age at which sexual activity is "appropriate," and I question that to a degree. I've met some 13 year-olds who are more emotionally and psychologically mature than people in their late teens and early 20s.. IMO this is all highly dependent on the individual.
And, why shouldn't a 13 year be old enough to consent? Why shouldn't they know in their own minds that it is something they want to do? Obviously... if the other person is *a lot* older it becomes more clearcut, but even then it can still be a grey area.

Whilst I agree with what you're saying DW, there has to be some cut-off point, different societies have different age barriers, it would definitely be a good idea to familiarise oneself to the rules applying in which ever country one visits. The different maturing rates of individuals is a problem, which would be exacerbated by the legal profession if there wasn't a set age. Who would determine if the 'victim' was mature enough to consent or not? Both sides would be calling their own 'experts' to counter each others arguments. The defence would demand the right to interogate the 'victim' which would put off many genuine victims from even making a complaint, something which happens far too often already. With the time it takes a case to come to trial, the 'victim' would inevitably be more mature than they were when the incident happened, making establishment of their ability to judge and consent even more difficult. A real nasty can of worms! Whilst the current system is undoubtedly flawed, it's probably the closest we can get to a workable solution at this moment in time.

Chanak · Post by **Chanak** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:56 am

I'm a liberally-minded person and even so, I grudgingly acknowledge the sad necessity of laws protecting minors from sexual predation by adults. I know of one instance where a teenaged female (she was 16) was the one soliciting sex from adults...even so, an adult should be held to the highest possible standard and short of being drugged or forced at gun point, be held accountable for any sexual activity they indulge in with a minor. I would like to see something done about minors such as as that underage female, however. Not holding her accountable is the same thing, in my mind, as permitting a drug dealer to go free and clear whilst prosecuting someone who bought their illicit fare.

Consentual sex between minors should be treated just like the same sexual activity between adults, IMO. Note the word consentual. It's rape if it's not by consent. The difficult part of such laws is the need to establish definitions of age. It's a necessary evil and one that can't be avoided.

I have a very dim opinion of "decency" laws in general. In the case of the state of Georgia, they have some odd ones on the books, as do a number of other states, particularly in the southeast portion of the US. It is technically a violation of a county ordinance to kiss someone in public in one place in Georgia, for example. And although some USians would disagree with me, I say it's high time we do away with the silly laws regarding "exposure." Sheesh, if someone wants to fry their private regions at a beach, let 'em. They aren't violating my rights by doing so. And now that Jerry Falwell is pushing daisies, they won't be violating his.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:02 am

Is the 'age of consent' the same (18) in all states? It's 16 in the UK, so the girl in your example wouldn't be considered a minor here. It would be interesting to know what the cut-off age is in the different countries our members come from, if it's not going too far off topic.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 8:07 am

galraen wrote:Is the 'age of consent' the same (18) in all states? It's 16 in the UK, so the girl in your example wouldn't be considered a minor here. It would be interesting to know what the cut-off age is in the different countries our members come from, if it's not going too far off topic.

Not at all. Look at this for a relatively up to date list of how it differs from state to state. And bear in mind that in some states, there are additional conditions that apply, usually whether the participant is male or female.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:20 am

Thanks Fable, I thought it would vary from state to state, but not as much. Fourteen to eighteen is quite a range, must cause some confusion if you live close to the border between some of the states.

Lady Dragonfly · Post by **Lady Dragonfly** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 12:50 pm

At a New Year's Eve party involving alcohol, marijuana and sex, someone videotaped the girl performing oral sex on Wilson.

The tape also shows Wilson and other male partygoers having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl.

So, do you guys truly believe that the party involving underage drinking, illegal drugs, videotaping of the"honors student, standout athlete and homecoming king preparing for his SATs with an eye toward college" (and proudly displaying a heavy golden Christian cross on the photograph) having oral sex with a semiconscious 15 years old girl, and a 17 years old girl having sex with multiple partners is OK, because this is "a standard teen behavior"? Or you are outraged because the sentence was 10 years and not, say, 3 or 5? Or because there was a sentence at all? Or because this happened in the US where the “moral right” evil dwells in the dark, persecuting innocent kids having innocent fun?