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Statutory Rape: A Minefield for Everyone

By Steven Rodriguez

Statutory rape is illegal sexual activity between two people when it would otherwise be legal if not for their age. Meaning, there’s a relation between two individuals, one of whom is under-age, and the relationship involves consensual sexual activity. A forced sexual relationship would be covered by an entirely different set of laws, i.e. rape, sexual molestation, etc. The danger in statutory rape is that both parties are consenting, the illegality is that one party is not a consenting adult. Jamie Lynn Spears, the younger sister of Britney Spears, recently announced she was pregnant at the age of 16. There was talk of possible legal action against the father because the age of the man in question wasn’t known. In California, the law states that any sexual activity with a person under the age of 18 is illegal, and if the perpetrator is over 21 years of age, then the penalties and sanctions are much more stiff...continue to full post

Full post as published by LA Criminal Defense Blog on February 28, 2008 (boomark / email).