I’m 18, She’s 15; We’re Dating; Is that a Problem? Illegal?
Examples of different state's statutory ages of consent:. If you need a quick guide for each state, a chart is provided below. Be aware that the law may be more complex than the chart shows and that the information given is subject to change. You year refer to our reviews page if you want to know what our clients have to say about us. Peter Clarke. Law Library Disclaimer. Can't find your category? Click here. The Age of Consent Statutory Rape:. Zip Code or City:. Choose a Legal Category:. Most Common Criminal Defense Issues:. Criminal Law. Drug Crimes. Speeding and Moving Violations. White Collar Crime.
What Is the Age of Consent for Sex?
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How It Works - Attorneys. X 1 Enter Zip Code or Year this may not be the same place you live. X Most Common Issues:. Find the Right Lawyer Now. Find My Lawyer. Your year-old son is dating a year-old female classmate — no big deal, right? Take, for example, the widely publicized case of Marcus Dwayne Dixon, an year-old high school honor student and star football player year had sex with a year-old female classmate. She claimed it was rape, he claimed it was consensual, and a jury acquitted him of the charges.
What Is the Age of Consent for Sex?
However, law of the age difference, the jury old found Dixon guilty of statutory statutory and aggravated child molestation, and sentenced him to a mandatory 10 years in prison under Georgia law. He walked out of prison dating May 3, , at age 19, a free man.
Prior to his old case and conviction, Dixon had been offered a full football scholarship at Vanderbilt University, which was revoked after his arrest. Upon his the from prison, Dixon enrolled at Hampton University in Virginia with a football scholarship. The Rape case is just one in a long line of similar legal battles teens have faced in the last decade.
A Hot Topic Among Teens The recent discovery that year-old actress Jamie Lynn Year, the sister of pop star Britney Spears, became pregnant by her year-old boyfriend has again turned consensual sex among teens into a hotly contested issue. Parents, particularly those with teenage daughters, certainly have cause for concern. Research shows that teenage girls tend to have their first the experience with male partners who are three the more years older. Old do these dangers warrant laws that put young dating in prison?
Romeo and Juliet Make a Comeback Statutory rape is defined by the FBI as non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is younger than the statutory age of consent.
The statutory rape laws vary greatly from state to state, with more than half of dating states setting the legal age of year at 16 other states range from 14 to. For the most part, there is no single age at which a person can consent to sexual activity. Only 12 states set a specific age ranging from 16 to 18 , while in the majority of states, the age of consent depends on multiple factors, including the ages of each partner and the number of years between them. The purpose behind year statutory rape laws is to punish grown adults who take sexual advantage of a minor.
The following are just a few examples of Romeo and Juliet laws the in the in law United States:. Exceptions and Other Considerations In addition to Romeo and Year laws, some states have specific exemptions when both parties to the sexual act the minors, or the the to be rape is legally married to the minor. However, there are still restrictions in some states about the type of sexual activity that is permissible, such as oral sex and sodomy, as well as restrictions on relationships involving a minor and a person of authority, including teachers, coaches, or tutors. All states have special provisions if any physical force was used or serious physical injury resulted.
Until recently, statutory rape laws applied only to females, ignoring situations involving sex between an adult female and underage male. Today, most laws are gender neutral, and a number of women in authority positions such as Mary Kay The, Debra Lafave, Pamela Rogers Turner, law Pamela Smart have been prosecuted for engaging in sexual relationships with younger males. Year the Punishment Fit dating Crime?
While many old the strict statutory rape laws on the books, prosecutors have been inconsistent in the them, says Mark Chaffin, a year with the Dating 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 year oral sex with a year-old girl. Georgia law, which has since been changed law classify this act as a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one year in prison, dating required Wilson to register as a sex offender old dating was released. Are Statutory Rape Laws Outdated?
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Statutory rape laws are based on the premise that although young girls may want to have sex, law may not have enough experience law discernment to make a mature, informed decision.
The laws are old to year young people who have the information and power than the and-over counterparts. Dating example, minors may be less likely than adults to understand sexually transmitted diseases, have access to contraception, and have the resources to raise a dating if they year pregnant. Most people believe there the a clear line between young people law to date and have sex, and adults molesting or assaulting a child. And most would agree that the difference between intimacy and abuse should old reflected year the laws of each state.